Which software-defined storage solution provides shared storage for vSphere clusters without traditional external storage?

The software-defined storage solution that provides shared storage for vSphere clusters without the need for traditional external storage is vSAN.

vSAN integrates directly with the VMware vSphere hypervisor, transforming local disks in a cluster of ESXi hosts into a single shared datastore. This allows all the virtual machines in the cluster to access the storage pool without relying on external storage hardware, making it an ideal solution for organizations that want to eliminate or minimize reliance on traditional storage systems.

By utilizing vSAN, you can benefit from features like storage policy-based management, scale-out capabilities, and high availability, which are intrinsic to the VMware ecosystem. This tight integration allows for efficient management and optimization of resources, enhancing overall performance and operational efficiency in a virtualized environment.

Options like NFS, vVOLs, and iSCSI involve traditional external storage systems in some capacity. NFS is a network file system that provides shared storage but relies on external devices. vVOLs utilize traditional storage arrays integrated into the virtual environment but still need third-party storage arrays to operate. iSCSI is a protocol for linking data storage facilities over a network and typically connects to external storage systems as well. Therefore, these options do not fulfill the requirement of providing storage solely through a