Use > Virtualization management > Genealogy - Virtual Server

Genealogy of virtualization

SA records how a VM or a VM template was created. This information can be used to discover all VMs and VM templates that are created from a given source; that is, the VM or VM template's genealogy.

The VM or VM template for which we invoke the Show Genealogy Tree action is the source VM or VM template. A VM or VM template derived from the source VM or VM template is created from the source VM or VM template, or from one of its descendants.

Genealogy in SA provides:

  • Complete visibility on VMs and VM templates that have the same parent.
  • A group view of all related VMs and VM templates, without having to perform additional searches or operations.
  • Remediation for descendant VMs and VM templates when the parent VM or VM template is updated.
  • The ability to perform actions such as power control and patch or software management on a group of related VMs and VM templates.

The Genealogy window allows you to manage the VMs and VM templates derived from a selected source.

How to start genealogy for a VM or template

To start the Genealogy window, navigate to the Virtualization tab in the SA Client. Choose a Virtualization Service from the left tree. From the Immediate Descendants or All Virtual Machines tab, select a VM or a VM template. For the selected VM or VM template, launch Genealogy from any of the following options:

  1. The Show Genealogy Tree option from the Actions menu (see the figure below).
  2. Select Virtualization from View. Under Genealogy, press Show Genealogy Tree (see the figure below).

  3. Right-click the selected item. The Actions drop-down list appears. Select the Show Genealogy tree from the Actions popup and click on the selected item (see the figure below):

  4. Open the Object Browser for the selected VM or VM template and select Inventory > Virtualization. Under Genealogy, press Show Genealogy Tree (see the figure below).

Alternatively, you could start Genealogy as follows:

  1. From the Devices tab, select All Managed Servers.

  2. Select Virtualization from View.

  3. Choose a VM or VM template. Under Genealogy, click Show Genealogy Tree (see the figure below).

About the Genealogy window

  • The name of the source VM or VM template used to start Genealogy is displayed in the window’s title (see the following figures).

Genealogy for a VM (RalucaWin2) with Descendants and without Ancestors

 

Genealogy of a VM (clone) with Descendants and an Ancestor

  • The window name is not changed when you navigate through the tree, as shown below.

Genealogy Window when an Ancestor is selected

  • The VM or VM template used to start the Genealogy process is selected by default.
  • The Immediate descendants tab is selected by default.
  • The ancestors of the VM or VM template used to start the Genealogy process are shown.

The Genealogy tree contains the following elements:

  • The source VM and VM template used to start the Genealogy process.
  • The ancestors of the source VM or VM template used to start the Genealogy process.
  • The VMs or VM templates derived from the source VM or VM template used to start the Genealogy process.

For ancestors, the Genealogy shows only the direct path from the source VM or VM template used to start the Genealogy to the root VM or VM template. As such, for each ancestor only one child is displayed, even if an ancestor has more than one child.

The ancestors of the source VM or VM template are recursively searched. First the parent of the source VM or VM template is found, then the parent of the parent, and so on, until no more ancestors are found.

If an ancestor is selected (including in the root of the Genealogy Tree), a table appears on the right side of the Genealogy window. The table contains the VM or VM template displayed in the Genealogy Tree under the selected ancestor . The root of the Genealogy Tree is a node created artificially to display the root VM or VM template in the right pane. Select the root VM or VM template to see its properties and to perform available actions.

Special tooltips are displayed for the ancestors and for the root of the tree (see the following figures).

Tooltip for an Ancestor

Tooltip for Genealogy Tree Node

If the source VM or VM template or one of its descendants is selected, the Genealogy window contains two tabs:

  • Immediate descendants: Shows VMs and VM templates immediately under the selected item in the tree.
  • All descendants: Shows all VMs and VM templates under the selected item in the tree, regardless of their place in the hierarchy.

If a single tree item, ancestor or descendant, is selected in the right pane of the Genealogy window, the Preview pane appears. The Preview pane shows properties for the selected VM or VM template. For more details about the Preview window, see Virtual machine and VM template tasks.

Preview pane for the selected VM or VM template

You can perform actions on one or more descendants from the Action menu or by right-clicking on the VM or VM template. For details about these actions, see Virtual machine and VM template tasks.

Genealogy Window, VM Actions