To manage a large number of appliances, the Configuration Templates feature provides a suitable option to ease the handling of appliances that have a large number of configuration parameters in common. Configuration Templates can help you create templates when common configurations must be rolled out to tens, hundreds, or even thousands of appliances while simultaneously letting you control the specific characteristics of each device.
Consider the following when using Configuration Templates:
- Get a firm understanding of the similarities and differences in the configuration characteristics of your appliances.
- Decide which specific configuration sections in the firewall are covered by their appropriate configuration units that are essential for creating a configuration template.
For more information, see CGF Configuration Units and SC Configuration Units. - Based on the results, create groups of appliances that have specific configuration options in common.
- Choose a self-explanatory name for each of the groups.
- Create a configuration template for each of these identified groups that consists of the relevant configuration units that correspond to the required configuration sections of your appliances.
- Save each configuration template with a self-explanatory name that lets you quickly identify your configuration, especially in cases when you must derive a large number of instances for each template.
If you are already managing a large number of appliances without Configuration Templates, a good starting point is to locate an appliance in the configuration tree that is representative of one of your identified groups. You can then use the configuration of that specific box in the configuration tree for creating a corresponding template with an instance that is based on the present configuration of your appliance.