How to Create and Download Configuration Templates

Creating a configuration template provides a way to download similar configurations to one or more devices. Use the Edit Configuration Template window to create a configuration template based on an existing archived device configuration file. The window displays a selected configuration, and allows you to replace portions of it with template variables. Then, you must set device-specific values for your template variables. When you download the template configuration to a device, the variables are replaced with appropriate values for that device.

  NOTE: Configuration templates can be created from text-based (ASCII format) configurations files. Although you can open binary configuration files in the Edit Configuration Template window, you should not use binary configuration files to create templates.

Instructions on:

Creating a Configuration Template

  1. In the left-panel Archive Mgmt tab, select a configuration that includes device configuration data (   or  )  and then select Tools > Create Configuration Template. (You can also right-click a configuration and select Create Configuration Template from the menu.) The Edit Configuration Template window opens.
  2. When the window opens, all instances of the IP address of the device the configuration was saved from, are automatically replaced with the %ManagedIP% variable. You can use the Undo Replace button to undo this auto-replacement if desired.
  3. In the Find field, enter text you would like to replace with a variable.
  4. In the Replace With field, enter the variable that will replace the highlighted (found) text, or use the drop-down list to select a defined variable. To populate the drop-down list, click the Variables button to open the Template Variables window where you can add and delete variables to display in the variable drop-down list.
  5. Select the Replace all occurrences of selected text checkbox if you would like to replace all instances of the selected text versus replacing one instance at a time.
  6. Click Find to search for the next instance of the text specified in the Find field. The found text is highlighted in the window.
  7. Click Replace to replace highlighted (found) text with the specified variable. If the "Replace all occurrences of selected text" checkbox is selected, all instances of the text specified in the Find field will be replaced. Click Undo Replace to undo the last replacement, if desired.
  8. You can also edit the file by highlighting and replacing or deleting any text directly in the file.
  9. When the configuration template has been edited as desired, click the Save As button to open the Save Template window where you can name and save the configuration template. Saved templates are listed under the All Templates folder in the left-panel Configuration Templates tab. Once a template has been saved, the name of the template appears in the title bar of this window, and the path to where the saved template is stored is displayed above the configuration template text.

Editing a Configuration Template

  1. In the left-panel Configuration Templates tab, expand the All Templates folder and select the desired configuration template.
  2. In the right-panel General tab, click the Edit Template button. The Edit Configuration Template window opens where you can edit the template using the instructions in the section above, starting with step 3.

Setting Values for Template Variables

Variables are used in configuration templates to substitute for device-specific information. When you download a template configuration to a device, the variables are automatically replaced with assigned values for that device. You can set variable values for a single device or multiple devices.

On a Single Device

You can set variable values for a single device in the Device Configuration Template tab.

  1. Select a device in the left-panel Network Elements tab.
  2. In the right-panel Configuration Template tab, select the desired variable in the All Available Template Variables list.
  3. Click Set Variable. The Set Template Variable window opens. Enter a value for the variable and click OK. The value will be added to the list.
  4. Use these steps to set values for all the variables. When a configuration template is downloaded to the device, these values will be used to replace the variables in the template.

On Multiple Devices

You can set variable values for multiple devices in the Set Template Variables window.

  1. Select any device or device group in the left-panel Network Elements and then select Tools > Set Template Variable Values. The Set Template Variable window opens.
  2. Use the View Template Variables drop-down list to select which variables are displayed in the table. You can select a single variable whose value you want to set, or use the "View All Variables" option to display all variables.
  3. The table lists your selected devices and their set values for each of the template variables.
  4. Select one or more devices (rows) in the table and click Edit. The Table Editor row appears at the bottom of the table. Select or tab to the desired column (variable) and enter your value.
  5. Click Apply to set the values for all the selected devices. Use the Undo button to undo the last edit operation you applied.
  6. When you close the window, you will be prompted to save or cancel the variable values you have set.

Assigning Templates to Device Types

Configuration templates are grouped according to device type in the left-panel Configuration Templates tab. Inventory Manager automatically assigns a template to the appropriate device type when you save the template in the Edit Configuration Template window. The Unknown folder contains templates that Inventory Manager could not correlate to a device type. Use the Assign Configuration Template window to assign those templates to the correct device type(s).

  1. In the left-panel Configuration Templates tab, select a template that needs to be assigned, then select Tools > Assign Configuration Template. You can also right-click a template, and select Assign Configuration Template from the menu. The Assign Configuration Template window opens.
  2. Expand the Device Type tree and select the device type(s) to which you want to assign the template. You can select multiple device types using the Ctrl or Shift keys.
  3. Click OK.

Using the Template Download Wizard

After you have created your configuration templates, you can use the Template Download Wizard to download a template to one or more devices.

  1. Select Tools > Wizards > Template Download Wizard from the menu bar. The Template Download Wizard opens.
  2. Select the template to download:
    1. Expand the folders under the Templates tree and select the template you want to download. General information about the selected template will be displayed in the right panel.
    2. Click Next.
      TIP: If you open the Template Download Wizard from a template in the left-panel Configuration Templates tab, that template will be automatically selected in the Templates tree.
  3. Select devices for download:
    1. Expand the folders under the left-panel tree and select the single device or device group, or multiple devices or device groups (using the Control or Shift keys). Only devices that are compatible with this template are displayed; this can be overridden by selecting the Show All Devices checkbox. Click Add. If you want to remove a device from the list, select the device and click Remove.
    2. Click Next.
  4. Initiate the Download operation:
    1. The top of the window displays a table of the devices you have selected for your download operation. An alert icon   will appear for any device that does not have values assigned for all the variables in the template. Click Set Template Variables to open the Set Template Variables window which lists all your devices and their set values for each of your defined template variables. Use this window to set variable values for one or more devices. You can also right-click on a table row and select Edit Device Variables to open the Device Template Variables window, where you can assign variable values for that specific device.
    2. Specify the Download Type option. The download will be performed in parallel (simultaneously) on the number of devices specified in the Groups of field. By default, the downloads will occur in sequential order (Groups of: 1). This is to protect against possible isolation of other devices that are in the download list.
       CAUTION:Because many devices automatically reset following a download operation, performing a Download Type greater than 1 may isolate other devices in the download list, causing their downloads to fail. It is recommended that you leave the Groups of value at 1 (perform the downloads serially), unless you know it is safe to have the selected network devices reset simultaneously.
    3. Click Start to initiate the download operation. The table at the top of the window will update with status information, as will the status area in the bottom left of the window.
    4. Review results. An alert icon   will appear in the Alert column of the table if a download operation fails for the specific device. You can select to show all devices or show only those that are incomplete or have failed.
  5. Click Finish to close the wizard.

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