What VM problem can be solved using vSphere Storage vMotion?

Utilizing vSphere Storage vMotion addresses the issue of moving a virtual machine (VM) away from a storage array that requires maintenance mode. This feature allows for the live migration of a VM's disk files from one storage location to another without downtime. When a storage array must be taken offline for maintenance, it's critical to ensure that VMs are moved to another storage resource to maintain availability and performance.

In this scenario, Storage vMotion can seamlessly relocate the VM's disk files to a different datastore so that the VM can continue to operate without interruption, even while the original storage is undergoing maintenance. This enhances the overall agility and flexibility of managing virtual environments, allowing for proactive maintenance activities without affecting service availability.

Other situations mentioned, such as needing to consolidate VMs or dealing with CPU contention on ESXi hosts, are resolved using different approaches, such as VM consolidation or resource management, rather than using Storage vMotion specifically. Additionally, VMs running on an ESXi host that requires maintenance can also be moved, but that relies more on vMotion rather than addressing storage concerns directly.