Understanding Quick Templates
Quick templates is a way to create a base build for the devices. This feature enables you to use a CLI-based text editor to define your network configuration in the form of a template that you can apply to multiple devices in your network in addition to the profile assignment feature. Because quick templates are driven by Device Management Interface (DMI) schema, you can use them to set all the configuration parameters for any supported device.
Quick templates makes network configuration easier by providing a CLI-based text editor in which you can specify network configuration in a text file in the form of a template. You can apply this template to multiple devices in the network. For example, you can use quick templates to configure routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, ISIS, or static routes by specifying the device configuration.
You can append or add the system commands or the user-defined commands in the form of the variables. The user-defined commands support variables in the format $(variable_name), which must be populated with data when you apply a template to a device.
The variable name defined for each CLI must be unique. Otherwise, you cannot assign different values to those variables even though they are used in different CLIs. For example, if a variable say $(description) is used in two CLIs set vlans $(name) description $(description) and set snmp description $(description), you will not be able to define different values to the descriptions. To define different values, you must change the variable name for one of the commands.
The Table 1 shows data types supported for the values entered for variables.
Table 1: Variable Data Types
Data Type | Description |
|---|---|
Container | Holds other data types. |
String | Contains character strings. |
Integer [Number] | Specifies a numeric value without a fractional component. |
Boolean | Has two possible values: true and false. True if checked and False if unchecked. |
Enumeration | Defines a variable to be a set of predefined constants. The variable is equal to one of the values that have been predefined for it. |
Choice | Provides a radio button. Check the radio button to use the configuration option in the template. |
String - Key [column in a table] | Identifies the uniqueness of the record in the table. If the table has a key specified , only one record with the given key could exist. |
The Save option in the Create Quick Templates page enables you to save and also validate a template. If there are any conflicts in the configuration, you must resolve the conflicting variables in the configuration elements manually, before you deploy the configuration to the devices. Upon successful validation (and after you apply a template to a device), you can deploy the configurations (specified in the templates) to the devices. You can choose to deploy the configuration immediately, or at a later time. Depending upon the approval mode selected for your deployment, you can either deploy the changes directly or you can get an approval from the approver before deploying the changes. For more information about types of approval modes supported for deployments in Connectivity Services Director, see Setting Up User and System Preferences.