Prism Central Tip: Use the "View By" Dropdown for Faster VM Audits
Most admins stick to searching or sorting in the VM list, but the View by dropdown in Nutanix Prism Central is a much faster way to spot issues.
You’ll find it here:
Compute & Storage → VMs → List View → “View by” (top-right dropdown)
Unlike sorting, View by reorganizes the entire VM list into grouped sections, turning a simple table into a quick operational dashboard.
What It’s Good For
This feature helps you answer common operational questions in seconds:
- Which VMs are not protected by backup or DR policies
- Where snapshot storage is being consumed
- Which VMs are missing required categories/tags
- Whether compliance settings (encryption, RF, etc.) are consistent
Built-In Views Worth Using
Data Protection (Most Useful)
Groups VMs by protection policy and clearly highlights unprotected systems.
Great for:
- Finding newly deployed VMs missing DR
- Spotting legacy workloads outside policy
Storage Configuration
Groups VMs by:
- Replication Factor (RF)
- Encryption
- Compression
- Storage policy
Useful for:
- Compliance checks
- Identifying inconsistent storage settings
Quick Custom Checks
These aren’t built-in views, but they’re fast to create.
Snapshot Usage
How to check:
- Add Snapshot Count or Snapshot Usage column
- Sort descending
Why it matters: Quickly identifies VMs consuming excessive snapshot storage.
CPU Ready Time
How to check:
- Add CPU Ready Time column
- Sort high → low
Why it matters: Helps detect CPU contention and oversubscription before users report performance issues.
Missing Categories / Tags
How to check:
- Add the Categories column
- Or filter by missing category keys
Why it matters: Untagged VMs can break:
- Flow policies
- Automation workflows
- Chargeback tracking
Suggested Routine Checks
Weekly
- CPU Ready Time
- Snapshot usage
Monthly
- Protection status
- Category compliance
Quarterly
- Storage configuration audit
Key Takeaway
The View by dropdown turns the VM list from a flat table into a powerful audit dashboard. Using it regularly helps you catch protection gaps, resource issues, and compliance drift — all without running reports.
