Which storage protocol is supported by vSphere?

vSphere supports the NFS (Network File System) storage protocol, which allows for file-level storage access over a network. NFS enables vSphere to mount storage systems over IP networks, facilitating the use of shared storage and supporting virtualization features such as vMotion, High Availability, and Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).

NFS is particularly beneficial in vSphere environments because it provides flexibility and scalability, especially in large-scale deployments. It also allows for easy integration with various network-attached storage (NAS) solutions, which can simplify storage management.

While the other protocols mentioned—SMB (Server Message Block), CIFS (Common Internet File System), and FTP (File Transfer Protocol)—are used in different contexts, they do not have the same support and integration with vSphere as NFS does. SMB and CIFS, for instance, are often more associated with Windows file-sharing environments, while FTP is primarily utilized for file transfers and doesn't provide the necessary features for storage access in virtualized environments. Consequently, NFS stands out as the primary storage protocol that vSphere officially supports for use with shared storage solutions in virtualization scenarios.