What is the primary function of a vSAN?

A vSAN, or Virtual Storage Area Network, primarily serves to aggregate local capacity devices from multiple hosts into a single shared datastore. This means that vSAN combines the storage resources of all participating servers within a cluster to create a pool of storage that can be utilized collectively. This pooling is particularly beneficial for virtualized environments, where multiple virtual machines (VMs) can access and share the storage seamlessly, enhancing both performance and management of the storage resources.

By consolidating storage, vSAN eliminates the need for separate, dedicated storage hardware, reducing costs and complexity. It also allows for easier scaling, as more capacity can be added simply by incorporating more hosts into the vSAN cluster, facilitating more efficient storage utilization.

In contrast, the other options describe functions that are not central to the operation of a vSAN. Network connectivity, virtual machine snapshot management, and data backup enhancements are important aspects of IT infrastructure but do not define the primary role of a vSAN, which is focused specifically on the aggregation of storage resources.