What is the purpose of using snapshots in vSphere?

Using snapshots in vSphere serves the primary purpose of preserving the state of a virtual machine (VM). When a snapshot is taken, it captures the current state, data, and hardware configuration of the VM at a specific point in time. This allows administrators to revert the VM back to that saved state if needed, which can be particularly useful during software upgrades, testing, or troubleshooting.

For instance, if an update causes issues, you can quickly roll back to the snapshot taken before the update was applied, effectively restoring the VM to its previous, stable condition. This functionality is essential for maintaining the integrity of applications and systems where unexpected changes can lead to significant downtime or data loss.

While performance, data deletion, and cloning capabilities are important aspects of managing VMs, they do not reflect the primary function of snapshots. Snapshots are fundamentally about state preservation, making option B the correct choice.