What does vSAN use to create a distributed storage architecture for VMs?

vSAN, or VMware vSphere Virtual Storage Area Network, utilizes direct attached storage from hosts to create its distributed storage architecture for virtual machines (VMs). This architecture allows each ESXi host within the vSAN cluster to contribute its locally attached storage (such as HDDs and SSDs) to a shared pool.

By aggregating the storage resources from multiple hosts, vSAN can provide a high-performance, resilient, and scalable storage solution tailored for virtualized environments. The distributed nature of vSAN benefits from policies set at the VM level to ensure that data is stored and replicated according to the defined needs of each virtual machine, enhancing both reliability and performance.

Using direct attached storage rather than relying on external storage solutions, like shared storage arrays or cloud storage, allows vSAN to cut down on latency and increase throughput, leveraging the high-speed connections available between the hosts within the cluster. This makes vSAN an optimal choice for organizations seeking to improve their storage efficiency while maintaining flexibility in their data centers.