Copy a Unit or Group Configuration

When Should I Copy a Configuration?

You should copy a unit or group configuration when you want to:

• Apply the copied configuration to a unit or group configuration that already exists.
  
  
• Create a new unit or group configuration that is similar to the copied configuration.

The copy configuration function allows you to synchronize multiple existing configurations by copying a single configuration onto other existing groups or units. The copy configuration function also makes it easy to create a new configuration, so instead of manually recreating an entirely new configuration from scratch, you can start with a complete configuration and then make any necessary additions or changes quickly and easily.

Note that group and unit configurations are interchangeable: in addition to copying unit configurations to other units and groups configurations to other groups, a group configuration can be copied to a unit, and a unit configuration can be copied to a group.

When you copy a unit configuration, you are copying only the local (and local overridden and underridden) classes and attributes for that unit. Any classes or attributes the unit inherits from its group configuration will not be copied with the unit configuration. When you copy a group configuration, the entire configuration of that group is copied. Note that the copy configuration function does not copy any units that may be in the group; just the group configuration itself.

What Happens When I Copy a Configuration?

• For configuration attributes that exist in both the source and destination configurations: values are copied from the source configuration and replace those values in the destination configuration.
  
  
• For configuration attributes that exist in only the source configuration: values are copied from the source configuration and added to the destination configuration.
  
  
• For configuration attributes that exist in only the destination configuration: these values are retained by the destination configuration.

There is one exception to the rule above. If a destination configuration has a traffic class with children, and the source configuration has that same class with no children, the destination's children are discarded. If a source class has children and the destination class does not, the children are copied to the destination.

 See examples of traffic class inheritance as a unit configuration moves to another group.

Notes: Because group shared classes are not copied with a unit configuration, it is possible to copy local child classes but not their shared parent class inherited from the group. If you copy or move this unit configuration to another configuration that does not have the parent class, a dummy parent class will be created for the children. This dummy parent class allows the destination configuration to maintain the same traffic tree structure as the copied configuration.

If a unit has a local or overridden class that uses a host list inherited from its group, moving or copying this unit configuration to a new group will causes an error if the associated host list is not in the new group as well. To work around this, create a local host list before moving or copying the unit configuration, or ensure that the host list exists in the target group as well.

Copy a Unit Configuration to a Group or Unit

1. Select the configurations, manage, setup, or info tab in PolicyCenter.
   
   
2. Select the group of the unit to be copied from the Group: drop-down list.
   
   
3. Select the unit to be copied from the Unit: drop-down list.  show screen
   
   
4. Click the Copy button on the upper toolbar. The PolicyCenter Unit Options window will open.  show screen

   To copy this unit configuration to a group:

   • Copy the configuration to an existing group by selecting a group name in the Copy Unit to Group: drop-down list, or copy the configuration to an entirely new group by providing a new group name in the New Configuration box.
     
     
   • Click copy unit.
     
     

   To copy this unit configuration to another unit:

• Select the group of the destination unit (the unit to which the configuration will be copied) in the Copy Unit to Group: drop-down list.
  
  
• Select the destination unit in the Unit: drop-down list, or copy the configuration to an entirely new unit configuration by entering a new unit name in the New Configuration: box. A new unit name must include an existing group name - for example, /default/newunitconfig. Note that there will be no Packeteer unit associated with this new unit configuration.
  
  
• Click copy unit.

Copy a Group Configuration to a Group or Unit

1. Select the configurations, manage, setup, or info tab in PolicyCenter.
   
   
2. Select the group of the unit to be copied from the Group: drop-down list.
   
   
3. Click the Copy Group button on the upper toolbar. The PolicyCenter Group Options window will open.  Show screen

   To copy the group configuration to another group:

   • Copy the configuration to an existing group by selecting a group name in the Copy Group to Group: drop-down list, or copy the configuration to an entirely new group by providing a name in the New Configuration box.
     
     
   • Click copy group.
     
     

   To copy the group configuration to a unit:
   

   • Select the group of the destination unit (the unit to which the configuration will be copied) in the Copy Group to Group: drop-down list.
     
     
   • Select the destination unit in the Unit: drop-down box, or copy the configuration to an entirely new unit configuration by entering a name in the New Configuration: box. A new unit name must include an existing group name - for example, /default/newunitconfig. Note that there will be no Packeteer unit associated with this new unit configuration.
     
     
   • Click copy group.
     

See also:

PolicyCenter Overview

Publish or Convert a Configuration