Switch Configuration Overview (Mist)

The Mist portal is a handy tool that simplifies the whole switch configuration process. One of its cool features is the template-based, hierarchical configuration model. Instead of configuring each switch individually, you can use a configuration template to set up and streamline configurations across multiple sites. See Create a Switch Configuration Template for more information on how to configure switches.

Any device connected to a particular site will inherit the template settings applied to that site. The configuration inheritance model follows this hierarchy: organization-level template > site-level configuration > device-level configuration. In this hierarchy, the template provides the global settings that are applied to all the switches managed by it. Any site-specific updates will apply to all the devices in a site. You can configure any device-specific configuration updates (such as, adding hostname, switch role, and IRB interfaces) at the individual switch-level.

When a conflict between the organization-level template settings and site-level configuration settings occurs, the narrower settings override the broader settings. For example, when settings at both the template and site levels apply to the same device, the narrower settings (in this case, site settings) override the broader settings defined at the template or organization level.

The configuration template also has options to include CLI commands in the set format to configure additional settings, for which the template doesn't provide GUI options.

Also, you can use the port configuration feature in the organization template to create different port configuration rules for each of the switch models found in the organization. For more information, see Port Profiles Overview.

To further simplify your configuration tasks, Mist also provides an option to use site variables to streamline the switch configuration. Site variables, configured at Organization > Site Configuration > Site Variables, provide a way to use tags to represent real values so that the value can vary according to the context where you use the variable. This means the same variable can configure different values in different sites. The fields that support configuration through site variable have a help text showing the site variable configuration format underneath them.

To configure site variables, follow the steps provided in Configure Site Variables.