Explanation: To access encrypted datastores in VMware, you need to use a transport mode that supports encryption. The following transport modes support encryption:
•Network mode with Encryption (NBDSSL): This mode uses an encrypted network connection between the backup proxy and the ESXi host to read and write data from the encrypted datastore. This mode does not require direct access to the datastore, but it can be slower than other modes due to network traffic and encryption overhead2
•Virtual Appliance (HotAdd) mode: This mode uses a virtual backup proxy that runs on an ESXi host and attaches virtual disks of the encrypted VMs to itself using the VMware vSphere API. This mode requires that the backup proxy and the source VMs reside on the same datastore or on datastores that are accessible by the same ESXi host. This mode can offer better performance than network mode, but it can also cause SCSI reservation conflicts if multiple backup proxies access the same datastore simultaneously3
•Direct SMB: This mode uses a physical backup proxy that accesses the encrypted datastore over the SMB protocol. This mode requires that the datastore is configured as an SMB share and that the backup proxy has read and write permissions on it. This mode can offer high performance and scalability, but it also requires additional configuration steps and security considerations4
The following transport modes do not support encryption:
•Network (NBD) mode: This mode uses an unencrypted network connection between the backup proxy and the ESXi host, which cannot access encrypted datastores2
•Direct SAN: This mode uses a physical backup proxy that accesses the encrypted datastore over the SAN fabric, which cannot decrypt encrypted data5
•Direct NFS: This mode uses a physical backup proxy that accesses the encrypted datastore over the NFS protocol, which does not support encryption6
References:
1: Hardened Repository - User Guide for VMware vSphere 2: Network Mode - User Guide for VMware vSphere 3: Virtual Appliance Mode - User Guide for VMware vSphere 4: Direct SMB Access Mode - User Guide for VMware vSphere 5: Direct SAN Access Mode - User Guide forVMware vSphere 6: Direct NFS Access Mode - User Guide for VMware vSphere