A ConfigurationTemplate is an InCenter object that contains a set of configuration objects. The template can be applied to a particular node so the configuration additions and changes introduced in the template are transferred to the node.

The common use case for templates are as a way to simplify a common configuration task such as setting the same initial configuration for a newly added node.

When the template is applied to a node, there is no lasting relationship created between the configuration changes made and the template. The template can be reused with other nodes and also edited.

Creating a Template

Below is an example of template creation:

admin@InCenter:/> add ConfigurationTemplate
			Name=my-tp1
			Version=3.30.00.25

The show command can list all currently defined templates:

admin@InCenter:/> show ConfigurationTemplate
   Name        Version     Comments
-  ----------  ----------  --------
   my-tp1      3.30.00.25

Specifying the Template Version

The Version property must be specified when a template is created. The following should be noted about this property:

Adding Template Objects

To add new configuration objects to a ConfigurationTemplate, the CLI context must be changed to be the template. In general, the configuration commands that apply for a node context are also valid for a template context. For example: add, set, delete, cc and show.

Add an IP address object to the template called my-ip with the IP 192.168.0.10:

admin@InCenter:/> cc ConfigurationTemplate my-tp1 
admin@InCenter:/my-tp1> add IPAddress
			Name=my-ip1
			Address=192.168.0.10

Add an empty interface object to point out the interface on the target:

admin@InCenter:/my-tp1> add EthernetInterface Name=if1

Add an IPRule that makes use of these objects:

admin@InCenter:/my-tp1> cc IPRuleSet main 
admin@InCenter:/my-tp1/IPRuleSet/main> add IPRule
			Action=Deny
			destinationInterface=if1
			DestinationNetwork=my-ip1
			SourceInterface=any
			SourceNetwork=all-nets
			Service=all_services
			Name=my-rule1

A change to the TCP settings could then be made:

admin@InCenter:/my-tp1/IPRuleSet/main> cc .. 
admin@InCenter:/my-tp1> set TCPSettings
			TCPAllowReopen=HigherSeq

Now, the activate and commit commands should be entered to save the template.

Applying Templates

A template apply operation will only transfer configuration changes that have been made to the template. Applying a template without changes will not introduce any changes on the target node(s).

The template my-tp1 can now be applied to the node my-node1 using the template command:

admin@InCenter:/> template -apply my-tp1 my-node1

Alternatively, the template could be applied to a list of nodes and groups:

admin@InCenter:/> template -apply my-tp1 my-node2,my-group1

Using the keyword <all> will apply the template to all nodes:

admin@InCenter:/> template -apply my-tp1 <all>

Applying the template my-tp1 will result in the following changes being made to the configuration of the target node(s):

After a template is applied, the changes introduced can be viewed using the command show –changes within the node's CLI context. The normal activate and commit sequence must also be entered to save the changes to any affected nodes.

Reapplying the same template will update changes made to settings and named objects such as IPAddress objects, but it will duplicate index objects such as IPRule objects. So if the exact same template (in the example) is reapplied, the only change to the target node(s) will be that a new IPRule is added.

Listing Template Contents with -show

A convenient way to view the effect that a template will have when it is applied is to list its contents using the template -show command. The following example shows this command being used with the template example that was created earlier in this section:

admin@InCenter:/> template -show my-tp1
Identifier                        Value
--------------------------------  ------------
|- ConfigurationTemplate my-tp1
   |- EthernetInterface if1
   |  |- Name                     if1
   |- IPAddress my-ip1
   |  |- Name                     my-ip1
   |  |- Address                  192.168.0.10
   |- TCPSettings
   |  |- TCPAllowReopen           HigherSeq
   |- IPRuleSet main
      |- IPRule 1(my-rule1)
      |- Action                Deny
      |- Name                  my-rule1
      |- SourceInterface       any
      |- DestinationInterface  if1
      |- DestinationNetwork    my-ip1
      |- Service               all_services
      |- SourceNetwork         all-nets

A Summary of Template Usage

The following points should be noted about template usage:

Template Version Mismatch

The following is a list of the possible version mismatch scenarios and a description of how to deal with them: