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Nutanix Files - FSVMs shows protected state

  • August 1, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 11 views
M

When Nutanix Files is configured, a legacy Protection Domain is created automatically on the cluster by default.

Around 20 other workloads are protected through Prism Central Data Protection using categories, with a daily protection policy and a retention period of two days.

My understanding is that Prism Central VM (PCVM), Controller VM (CVM), and File Server VMs (FSVMs) do not support Prism Central snapshot-based protection, and categories cannot be assigned to them.

This configuration had been working seamlessly for several months. However, one day I noticed that the FSVMs were unexpectedly showing a Protected state in Prism Central → Data Protection → VMs. No changes had been made to the protection policies or categories, so I am trying to understand why the FSVMs are now being displayed as protected.

If someone having the solution or workaround then please share.

2 replies

J
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  • jamali.ahmad
  • Vanguard
  • August 2, 2026

Hi,

have you recently done any changes, like upgrading AOS, or PC version?when you are selecting the FSVM , what sort of protection are you seeing on it
regarding your status:
“My understanding is that Prism Central VM (PCVM), Controller VM (CVM), and File Server VMs (FSVMs) do not support Prism Central snapshot-based protection, and categories cannot be assigned to them.”
actually FSVM (the same legacy protection domain) does get snapshot, and that is how you will be able to restore it, or activate its clone in your DR site.(if you have a DR site)
when you configure the file server in Prism central, it allows you to do protection at share level (smart-DR), which you can use PC to activate the share on DR site.

Allan Solomon Mejia
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Hello ​@Mohammed Rafi Shaikh,

One thing to check is whether the Protected status is coming from the legacy Protection Domain that Nutanix Files creates automatically, or from a Prism Central Data Protection policy.

FSVMs are a special case. While they aren't typically protected through standard Prism Central VM snapshot policies or category-based protection like regular workloads, the Files deployment does create and manage its own protection mechanisms. That's why they can legitimately appear as protected.

I'd suggest checking:

  • Whether there was an AOS, Files, or Prism Central upgrade around the time the behavior changed.
  • The Protection Details for the FSVM to see which policy or Protection Domain is being referenced.
  • Whether the protection is inherited from the automatically created Files Protection Domain rather than a PC Data Protection policy.
  • Any recent changes to Files configuration, Smart DR, or DR-enabled shares.

If nothing in the environment changed, this could also be a change in how newer Prism Central versions report the protection state rather than a change in the underlying protection itself.

Could you share your AOS, Prism Central, and Files versions? That would help determine whether this matches a known behavior for that release.

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