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  1. Home
  2. Veritas NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide
  3. Configure a VMware Intelligent Policy
  4. Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results
Veritas NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on Selection column in Test Query results

This topic applies to policy configuration for NetBackup for VMware. You can use the Query Builder to enter rules for the automatic selection of VMware virtual machines for backup.

The NetBackup policy's Primary VM identifier parameter tells NetBackup how to identify virtual machines. For example, if the parameter is set to VM hostname, NetBackup identifies virtual machines by their host names. If they do not have a host name, the policy cannot back them up.

The Primary VM identifier parameter has a direct effect on the query test results. Note that for each virtual machine, the query test result is one of three possibilities: INCLUDED, EXCLUDED, or FAILED.

If NetBackup cannot identify a virtual machine according to the Primary VM identifier parameter, one of two test results can occur:

  • If the virtual machine is filtered out by the query rules, it is listed as EXCLUDED.

  • If the virtual machine is not filtered out by the query rules, it is listed as FAILED.

    The following table gives the test query results from example combinations of the Primary VM identifier parameter and a query rule.

Table: Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter and query rules on test query results

Primary VM identifier setting on VMware policy tab

Query rule in Query Builder

Test query result

VM hostname

VMHostName Contains "VM"

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines with a host name that contains "VM". Since the Primary VM identifier parameter tells NetBackup to select the virtual machine by host name, it can back up the virtual machines.

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines.

VM hostname

Displayname Contains "VM"

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name and that have a display name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name, but that do not have a display name containing "VM".

FAILED: Any virtual machines that do not have a host name. Since the Primary VM identifier parameter is set to VM hostname, NetBackup cannot select the virtual machine for backup.

VM hostname

Displayname Contains "VM"

AND VMHostName IsSet

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a host name and that have a display name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines. The IsSet rule means that if a virtual machine does not have a host name, it is excluded.

VM hostname

Displayname Contains "VM"

AND VMHostName IsSet

OR Annotation Contains "test"

AND NOT VMHostName IsSet

INCLUDED:

  • Any virtual machines that have a host name and that have a display name that contains "VM".

  • Any virtual machines without a host name that have an annotation that contains "test".

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines.

VM display name

Displayname Contains "VM"

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines with the display names that contain "VM". Since the Primary VM identifier parameter tells NetBackup to select the virtual machine by display name, it can back up the virtual machines.

EXCLUDED: All other virtual machines.

VM display name

VMHostName Contains "VM"

INCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a display name and that have a host name that contains "VM".

EXCLUDED: Any virtual machines that have a display name, but that do not have a host name containing "VM".

FAILED: Any virtual machines that do not have a display name. Since the Primary VM identifier parameter is set to VM display name, NetBackup cannot select those virtual machines for backup.

More Information

Test Query: Failed virtual machines

The IsSet operator in queries

Effect of Primary VM identifier parameter on VM Name column in Test query results

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