Overview
In large-scale network environments, particularly in industries such as hospitality, serviced apartments, and dormitories, maintaining consistent configurations across multiple devices is crucial for efficiency and error reduction. The VLAN Import and Export features, combined with Switch Templates, offer network administrators a powerful toolset to streamline VLAN configuration across multiple switches simultaneously.
Accessing the Template Settings
To begin configuring VLAN settings across multiple switches, navigate to the Switch Templates feature:
From here, you can create or modify templates for specific switch models within your network. The setting is similar to switch detail page settings.
Creating and Editing Switch Templates
The Switch Template feature allows you to apply the same port configuration to all switches of the same model. This eliminates the need to configure each switch individually, saving both time and effort. Follow these steps to create or edit a template:
Create Template: Select the model type for which you want to create a template.
Edit Template: Click Edit to configure the details of the template. The settings interface will be similar to the individual switch configuration page, allowing you to specify port functions and VLAN assignments.
Apply Template: Once your template is ready, click Apply to All to apply the template to all switches of the same model in the network.
Notes:
The uplink port will not be overridden by the template to avoid losing network connectivity.
The uplink port cannot be set as the Mirror destination port.
PoE (Power over Ethernet) settings on ports should be enabled if the ports are configured with a PoE schedule.
Applying VLAN Settings with Templates
For environments like hospitality, where uniform VLAN configurations are critical, Switch Templates simplify VLAN setup across all switches of the same model. For example, you may configure:
Port 1: VLAN 1 for TV connections.
Port 2: VLAN 10 for IP phones.
Other ports: VLANs 11-50 for various network services.
Using the VLAN Import and VLAN Export features, these settings can be exported, adjusted, and applied to all switches of the same model.
VLAN Export: Backing Up and Editing Configurations
The VLAN Export feature allows you to export the current VLAN configuration as a JSON file. This file can be edited offline to make changes (such as adjusting port assignments, VLAN IDs, or other settings) and then re-imported to update the configuration across multiple devices.
Steps to Export VLAN Settings:
Navigate to MANAGE > Switch > Per device > Details page > VLAN
Click the Export button to download the current VLAN configuration as a JSON file.
Once the file is exported, you can open it in a text editor to modify the VLAN settings.
{
"number_of_device_ports": 8,
"vlan_settings": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "default",
"tagged_ports": [],
"untagged_ports": [
"1",
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5",
"6",
"7",
"8"
]
}
]
}
VLAN Import: Applying Custom Configurations
The VLAN Import feature allows you to upload a custom VLAN configuration, streamlining the process of configuring VLAN settings across multiple switches.
Steps to Import VLAN Settings:
Download an example JSON file by clicking the provided Example hyperlink.
Modify the VLAN settings in the downloaded JSON file locally.
After adjusting the settings, click JSON file upload to import the updated file back into the system.
By importing the custom JSON file, you can apply VLAN settings to multiple switches at once, bypassing the need for individual configurations through the Web GUI.
Applying Templates to Specific Switches
In addition to applying templates to all devices of the same model, you can apply the Switch Template to selected switches individually. This is useful when you need to apply configurations to a subset of switches in the network.
Steps to Apply Templates to Individual Switches:
Navigate to Manage > Switch.
Select the switches you want to apply the template to.
Choose Apply Template from the options menu.
Conclusion
By using the VLAN Import and Export features along with Switch Templates, network administrators can easily configure and maintain consistent VLAN settings across large networks. This process helps save time, reduce configuration errors, and ensure network uniformity. Whether managing a small set of switches or a large deployment, these tools are essential for efficient network management in environments such as hospitality, large-scale enterprises, and service providers.