What capability does vMotion provide regarding virtual machines?

vMotion is a feature of VMware that allows live migration of a running virtual machine from one physical host to another without any downtime. This capability ensures that the virtual machine remains operational and accessible to users throughout the migration process, making it an essential tool for maintenance, load balancing, and minimizing downtime in virtualized environments.

The functionality of vMotion is particularly valuable in scenarios such as performing hardware upgrades or maintenance on a host server. Rather than needing to shut down the virtual machines to move them, vMotion enables seamless transitions, which enhances flexibility and uptime.

Other options, such as cloning, encrypting, or backing up virtual machines, do not accurately represent the primary function of vMotion. Cloning involves creating a copy of a virtual machine, encryption pertains to securing virtual machines, and backups are related to data protection. None of these tasks allows for live migration while maintaining the operation of the virtual machine, which is the hallmark of vMotion.