Group computers dynamically with smart folders

Tip If you prefer to search for resources programmatically, you can automate resource searches using the Server & Workload Protection API. For examples, see Search for Resources.

1. What to search (1 - computer properties)
2. How to determine a match (2 - operator)
3. What to search for (3 - value)

Create a smart folder

1. Go to Computers → Smart Folders.
2. Click Create a Smart Folder.
   A default, empty search criteria group ("rule group") appears. You must configure this first. If you need to define more or alternative possible matches, you can add more rule groups later.
3. Type a name for your smart folder.
4. In the first drop-down list, select a property that all matching computers have, such as Operating System. (See Searchable Properties.)
   If you selected AWS Tag, Azure Tag, or GCP Label, also type the tag's name or label key.
5. Select the operator: whether to match identical, similar, or opposite computers, such as CONTAINS.

   Note Some operators are not available for all properties.

6. Type all or part of the search term.

   Note Wild card characters are not supported.

   Tip If you enter multiple words, it compares the entire phrase, not each word separately. No match occurs if the property's value has words in a different order, or only some of the words. To match any of the words, instead click Add Rule and OR, and then add another value: one word per rule.

7. If computers must match multiple properties, click Add Rule and AND. Repeat steps 4-6.
   For more complex smart folders, you can chain multiple search criteria. Click Add Group, then click AND or OR. Repeat steps 4-7.
   For example, you might have Linux computers deployed both on-premises and in clouds such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, or vCloud. You could create a smart folder that contains all of them by using 3 rule groups based on:
   1. local physical computers' operating system
   2. AWS tag
   3. vCenter or vCloud name
   

   Tip To test the results of your query before saving your smart folder, click Preview.

8. Click Save.
9. To verify, click your new smart folder. Verify that it contains all expected computers.

   Tip For faster smart folders, remove unnecessary AND operations, and reduce sub-folder depths. They increase query complexity, which reduces performance.

   Also verify that it omits computers that shouldn't match the query. If you need to edit your smart folder's query, double-click the smart folder.

   Note If your account's role doesn't have the permissions, some computers won't appear, or you won't be able to edit their properties. For more information, see Roles.

Edit a smart folder

Clone a smart folder

Focus your search using sub-folders

• Smart folder 1
  • Sub-folder 2
    • Sub-folder 3 ...

1. Right-click a smart folder and select Create Child Smart Folder.
2. Edit your child smart folder's query groups or rules. Click Save.
3. Click your new smart folder. Verify that it contains all expected computers. Also verify that it omits computers that shouldn't match the query.

Automatically create sub-folders

Note Applies to AWS, Azure, and GCP computers only.

• Amazon: Tag your Amazon EC2 resources, Tag WorkSpaces Resources
• Azure: Use tags to organize your Azure resources and management hierarchy
• GCP: Labeling resources.

Note Tag/label-based sub-folders will replace any existing manually created child folders under the parent folder.

1. In the Server & Workload Protection console, right-click a smart folder and select Smart Folder Properties.
2. In the main pane, near the bottom, select the Automatically create sub-folders for each value of a specific tag or label key check box.
3. Select either the AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud vendor.
4. Type the name of the AWS tag, Azure tag, or GCP label key. Sub-folders are automatically created for each of the tag or label values.
5. Click Save.

Tip Empty sub-folders can appear if an AWS tag or GCP label value is not being used anymore. To remove them, right-click the smart folder and select Synchronize Smart Folder.

Searchable Properties

Note Type your search exactly as that property appears in Server & Workload Protection - not, for example, AWS/Azure/GCP. Otherwise, your smart folder query won't match. To find the exact matching text, (unless otherwise noted) go to Computers and look in the navigation pane on the left.

General

AWS

Azure

Property	Description	Data type	Examples
Subscription Name	Note The Subscription Name is no longer collected. It remains visible in the drop-down list of properties in case the information was obtained through a previous version of the Server & Workload Protection console. The computer's associated Azure subscription account ID, as seen on Computers when you right-click Azure and select Properties. Results include computers in sub-folders.	string	MyAzureAccount
Resource Group	The computer's associated resource group	string	MyResourceGroup
Location	The computer's location name	string	East US
Tag	The computer's Azure tag key:value pair, as seen on Computers > Details > Overview > General under under Virtual machine Summary, in Cloud Instance Metadata. Type the tag name, then its value. Case-sensitive.	string	Tag Key: env Tag Value: staging

GCP

vCenter

vCloud

Active Directory

Operators