The basics of config change templates

A change config template enables you to accomplish a specific device configuration task for a set of NCM-managed nodes. Template describes the run-time wizard through which the user selects the NCM nodes or interfaces targeted for the change. The script behind the wizard articulates the logic of the configuration change itself.

An example of configuration change workflow is an IT manager who creates the script for a template, and other team members who use the template's wizard to perform the specific configuration changes on a set of NCM-managed nodes.

The framework for creating config change templates depends on the SolarWinds Information Service (SWIS). SWIS is an API that is installed with NCM and that interacts with inventory data in the Orion platform database. Any device that has not been inventoried in NCM cannot be targeted with a config change template. Each object in a device inventory is a SWIS entity that can be referenced in specific ways within scripts.

Examples of routine changes you can expedite with config change templates include:

• Changing VLAN membership by device port
• Configuring device interfaces based on description
• Enabling IPSLA for VOIP implementations
• Managing NetFlow collection at the source devices