Create an intelligent VM group
You can create an intelligent VM group based on a set of filters called queries. NetBackup automatically selects virtual machines based on the queries and adds them to the group. You can then apply protection to the group. Note that an intelligent group automatically reflects changes in the VM environment and eliminates the need to manually revise the list of VMs in the group.
Note:
A background task adds the newly discovered VMS that matches the query to the intelligent VM group. This background task runs 30 minutes after the start of the NetBackup Web Management service. After that, the task runs every 30 minutes.
To create an intelligent VM group
- On the left, click Workloads > Nutanix AHV.
- Click the Intelligent VM groups tab and then click Add intelligent VM group.
- Enter a name and description for the group.
The intelligent VM group display name length must be between 1 to 256 characters.
- In the Clusters pane, click Add clusters.
Note:
To create a group, you must have at least one cluster.
In the Add clusters window, select clusters that you want to add.
Note:
To add a cluster, you must have view and create permissions on the cluster.
Perform one of the following:
Select the default query: Include all VMs.
When the protection plan runs, all VMs that are part of the AHV clusters are added in the intelligent VM group.
Create your own query: Click Add condition.
- To add a condition, use the drop-downs to select a keyword and operator and then enter a value.
The options are described after this procedure: Query options for creating intelligent VM groups.
The following is an example query:
In this example, the query adds to the group any VM that has
windowsin its display name.To change the effect of the query, click + Condition and click AND or OR, then select the keyword, operator, and value for the condition. For example:
This example uses AND to narrow the scope of the query: it selects only the VMs that have
windowsin their display name and that also have a power state asON. If a VM does not havewindowsin its display name as well as a power stateON, that VM is not added to the group.To broaden the scope of the query, use OR:
In this example, OR causes the query to add the following to the group:
The VMs that have
windowsin their display name (regardless of power state).The VMs that have a power state
ON(regardless of the display name).
- To test the query, click Preview.
Note:
The query-based selection process is dynamic. Changes in the virtual environment can affect which VMs the query selects when the protection plan runs. As a result, the VMs that the query selects later when the protection plan runs may not be identical to those currently listed in the preview.
Note:
When you click Preview or save the group, the query options are treated as case-sensitive when the VMs are selected for the group. Under Virtual machines, if you click on a VM that was not selected for the group, the Member of virtual machine groups field reads
none.However, when you add the group to a protection plan, some of the query options are treated as case-insensitive when the protection plan's backup runs. As a result, the same VM may now be included in the group and is backed up.
For the case behavior of each option, see the following topic:
- To save the group, click Add and Manage permissions.
Note:
You can edit, protect, and manage permissions for this group.
Add a protection plan:
See Protect AHV VMs or intelligent VM groups using Protection plan.
Edit or update the intelligent VM group:
Assign permissions to the VM group:
Table: Query keywords
Keyword | Description |
|---|---|
displayName | The VM's display name. Case-sensitive when the protection plan runs. |
powerState | The VM's power state. ON and OFF are case-sensitive. |
vmUuid | The VM's instance UUID. For example: Not case-sensitive when the protection plan runs. |
StorageContainerName | The name of the storage container. Case-sensitive when the protection plan runs. |
Category | Ensure the following: AHV category is applied on VMs in Nutanix Prism Central server. For full search it must be in the CategoryName:Value format. |
Table: Query operators
Operator | Description |
|---|---|
Starts with | Matches the value when it occurs at the start of a string. For example: If the value you enter is |
Ends with | Matches the value when it occurs at the end of a string. For example: If the value you enter is |
Contains | Matches the value you enter wherever that value occurs in the string. For example: If the value you enter is |
= | Matches only the value that you enter. For example: If the value you enter is |
!= | Matches any value that is not equal to the value that you enter. |