## Introduction:
As we reach the midpoint of our series on automating vSAN policy application, this blog focuses on the strategic use of custom groups in Aria Operations. Custom groups offer a seamless way to organize specific objects, whether they share the same type or encompass multiple types. In this article, we’ll explore the creation of two custom groups tailored for our dashboard.

## Creating Custom Groups

#### 1. RAID 1 VMs Custom Group

Let’s start with the first custom group designed to categorize VMs based on the vSAN policy “RAID 1”:

– Navigate to: Environment -> Custom Groups -> Add
– Configuration:
– Name: RAID 1 VMs
– Description: RAID 1 VMs
– Group Type: Environment
– Policy: <leave unselected>
– Keep group membership up to date: Yes

#### Define Membership Criteria:
– Object Type: Virtual Machine
– Metrics: Super Metric|vSAN RAID Policy     is     1.0
AND
Properties: vSAN|vSAN Policy|Hard Disk 1     is not     vSAN Raid 1

Screenshots:

#### 2. RAID 5 VMs Custom Group

Now, let’s create the second custom group to group VMs based on the vSAN policy “RAID 5”:

– Navigate to: Environment -> Custom Groups -> Add
– Configuration:
– Name: RAID 5 VMs
– Description: RAID 5 VMs
– Group Type: Environment
– Policy: <leave unselected>
– Keep group membership up to date: Yes

#### Define Membership Criteria:
– Object Type: Virtual Machine
– Metrics: Super Metric|vSAN RAID Policy     is     5.0
AND
Properties: vSAN|vSAN Policy|Hard Disk 1     is not     vSAN Raid 5

Screenshots:

 

 

## Conclusion:

Custom groups in Aria Operations offer a valuable way to organize and categorize VMs based on specific vSAN policies. By strategically utilizing these groups, we enhance the efficiency and visibility of our dashboard. Stay tuned for the next blog, where we’ll integrate these custom groups into our automated vSAN policy application script! 🚀 #vSAN #AriaOperations #CustomGroups #Automation #TechBlog