Defining Filters for Citrix Xen Content

Create filters to exclude virtual machines from backups based on the VM name pattern, operating system group, DNS hostname, host, cluster, or folder. You can also create filters for virtual machine disks.

You can create filters on a subclient (to exclude virtual machines from that subclient) or on a backup set (to exclude virtual machines from all subclients under the backup set).

For each subclient under a backup set, Commvault determines which virtual machines are excluded from backups by combining the filters for the backup set with the filters for that subclient.

Any filtering defined in a backup set is also visible in the subclients under the backup set when the Show Backupset Filters option is selected, and is applied at the subclient level even if backup set filters are not displayed.

Procedure

1. From the CommCell Browser, expand Client Computers > virtualization_client > Virtual Server > instance > backup_set.

2. Right-click the subclient or backup set and then click Properties.

3. In the Subclient Properties dialog box, click the Filters tab.

   In the Backup Set Property dialog box, click the VM Filters or VM Disk Filters tab.

4. Optional: Select Show Backupset Filters to view any filters defined for the backup set.

   Filters for the backup set and subclient are always combined to determine which virtual machines are excluded from backups; this is true even if Show Backupset Filters is not selected on the subclient.

5. Browse or define a rule to select virtual machines:

   To browse for an object:

   1. Click Browse.

   2. Select a view from the list at the top left of the Browse dialog box:

      • In Server View you can view and select hosts and specific virtual machines.

      • In Folder View you can view and select hosts, virtual machines, VM templates, storage repositories, and folders.

   3. Select objects at any level to include virtual machines for the selected object.

   4. Click OK.

   To define a rule:

   1. Click Add in the VM Filters area.

   2. In the Add Rule dialog box, use either of the following methods to identify virtual machines:

      Click ... to browse for specific virtual machines or hosts.

      Note

      If you add a virtual machine by browsing and selecting the VM display name, discovery is based on the GUID for the VM. If that virtual machine is later restored in place from a backup, a new GUID is generated, and that virtual machine is no longer filtered from the backup. To filter that VM, you must remove the old filter rule, then add a new rule or use a name pattern for the filter.

      In the Rule Group box, select the rule type from the drop-down list and enter the appropriate information in the box on the right:

      • VM Name /Pattern: An exact virtual machine name or a pattern that is used for string matching.

        For example, enter Test* to include a VM if the VM name begins with Test.

        Note

        If a virtual machine is added by browsing and selecting the VM display name, discovery is performed based on the GUID for the named VM. If that virtual machine is later restored in place from a backup, a new GUID is generated, and that virtual machine is no longer included for backups. To include that VM, you must remove the old content rule, then add a new rule or use a name pattern for the virtual machine.

      • Template: Select True or False.

      • Host: A XenServer host name or the IP address of a host.

        When you add a host, all virtual machines on the host are included in the backup.

      • Guest OS: A string pattern to identify an operating system group.

        For example:

        Enter Microsoft* to include any virtual machine with any version of the Windows operating system.

        Enter *windows2012r2 to include Windows 2012 R2 machines.

        Enter *linux* to include all Linux machines.

      • Guest DNS Hostname: A string pattern to identify a hostname or domain.

        For example, enter myhost.mycompany.com to include a specific host or *.mycompany.com to include all hosts on that domain.

      • Power State: Select Powered On, Powered Off, or Other.

        Note

        You can use wildcard characters to define patterns for filters.

   3. Click OK to add the filter rule.

6. To add VM disk filters, use the VM Disk Filters area:

   1. Select Use Backup Set VM Disk Filters to display disk filters that are defined for the backup set.

   2. Click Add to add disk filter rules.

      The Add Disk Filter dialog box appears.

   3. Select one of the following options:

      • Storage Repository: Click ... to browse for a storage repository.

      • Disk Name/Pattern: Enter the disk name or a pattern with wildcards.

      • Device Path: Enter the path for a disk.

      • Position: Select the beginning and end of a range of disks to filter based on position.

7. Click OK.