At which layer does VMware vSAN provide redundancy for Virtual Machine (VM) files?

Carlos M.Mar 23, 2026

C is correct. vSAN handles redundancy at the object storage layer through its distributed RAID, and VM storage policies let you define exactly how many failures to tolerate per VM, so redundancy is controlled at both the vSAN layer and through per-VM policy settings.

Anjali D.Apr 18, 2026

The correct answer is C, in VMware vSAN and virtual machine storage policies. vSAN does not rely on host-level RAID controllers for redundancy, so you can eliminate A and D right away, and B falls short because vSAN alone does not decide the redundancy level, it is the VM storage policy assigned to each VM that defines rules like Failures to Tolerate, which then tells vSAN how many data copies to maintain across the cluster. Does everyone else in the group feel solid on storage policies for this exam, or should we do a deeper dive on that topic next session?

Nina C.Apr 22, 2026

Okay so I went with C on this one, but I want to be honest that D pulled at me for a second because I kept thinking "well, don't the physical disks have RAID too?" The thing is, vSAN actually expects the host storage controllers to run in passthrough or HBA mode, meaning traditional RAID at the controller level is not part of the vSAN design at all, so D is describing something that would actually conflict with a proper vSAN setup. What makes C right is that vSAN on its own is just the mechanism, and the VM Storage Policy is what actually defines the redundancy rules for each VM, things like Failures to Tolerate, which tells vSAN how many copies to keep. So the redundancy lives in both places working together, vSAN enforces it and the policy defines it, and neither one alone gives you the full picture.

Yusuf A.Apr 27, 2026

Makes sense that vSAN and VM storage policies both handle redundancy, but how exactly does the policy layer sit on top of vSAN?

Bao N.Mar 20, 2026

Guys I have been drilling this domain for weeks and every time this topic comes up it keeps pointing back to B, vSAN handles the redundancy layer itself through its own object storage and stripe/mirror logic, that is literally the whole pitch of the product. The storage controller underneath is just passing disks to vSAN and has no awareness of VM files at that level, so why would RAID down there even factor in as a redundancy layer for VM objects.

Lena V.May 5, 2026

Took this one in March and almost second-guessed myself into D, thinking hardware RAID had to be part of the picture, but vSAN abstracts away from the controller layer entirely. The redundancy lives in vSAN itself plus the VM storage policies you define, so C is the move, and once that clicks you will not forget it.

Grigory K.Apr 8, 2026

Going with A on this one because the question says "provide redundancy" and in my shop the RAID card on the storage controller is literally the hardware doing the protection work before vSAN ever sees a write, so the redundancy lives at that layer. The rest of the options drag in storage policies which is a separate policy enforcement mechanism, not redundancy itself.