Which of the following storage protocols is supported by VMware vSphere for datastores?

VMware vSphere supports the Network File System (NFS) protocol for datastores, making it a strong choice for virtualization environments. NFS allows multiple hosts to access the same storage resources over a network, enabling efficient management of storage across virtual machines. This protocol facilitates the sharing of files across different systems, contributing to the flexibility and scalability of storage in vSphere.

NFS is particularly well-suited for environments where you need to manage large volumes of virtual machine files or require a centralized storage solution that can be easily accessed by multiple servers. By using NFS, administrators can simplify storage management and improve resource utilization in their virtualized infrastructure.

The other protocols listed, such as FTP, HTTP, and SMTP, serve different purposes that are not directly tied to the operation of datastores within VMware vSphere. FTP is typically used for file transfers, HTTP for web traffic, and SMTP for email communications, none of which are appropriate for storage access in a virtualization context.