H series Cloning question

Ratsnackbar

I have a complex configuration in a 500H and I don't want to have to remake it for a 200H. The number of objects is less than what the 200H's limits are.

Is it possible to clone Flex 500H configuration into the 200H using either nebula or the local interface? This is assuming the number of objects in the 500H configuration is not larger than what the 200H is rated for?

If so how? Do you just import the saved 500H configuration into the 200H and make necessary changes from there?

Zyxel_Barry

Hi @Ratsnackbar,

Migrating configurations between different USG FLEX H series models, such as from a 500H to a 200H, is generally not supported directly, whether through Nebula or the local interface, due to differences in hardware specifications and port layouts. While the number of objects might be within the 200H's limits, a direct cloning process that automatically adjusts for these hardware discrepancies is not available.

Therefore, you will likely need to reconfigure the 200H manually.

For future reference and to potentially streamline the process for specific settings, here's what you can consider:

• Manual Configuration via Local GUI: You can access the local GUI of the 500H to view its configuration and then manually apply those settings to the 200H through its local GUI. This is often the recommended approach when direct migration tools are not available for different hardware specifications.
• Nebula Pre-configuration: For H-series firewalls, Nebula 19.10 and later firmware (uOS 1.35+) introduce pre-configuration support, allowing you to configure firewall settings in Nebula before the physical device is onboarded. This can help in setting up the 200H from a clean slate with your desired configurations.
• Export/Import Specific Sections (Limited): While a full configuration transfer isn't supported, in some limited scenarios, users have experimented with exporting and importing specific configuration sections via scripts for devices with similar configurations, but this often requires manual adjustment and is not officially supported for cross-model migration.

To assist you further, please provide the following information:

• Firmware versions of both your Flex 500H and 200H devices.
• A network topology diagram of your current setup.
• Any specific error messages or behaviors you encounter if you attempt any configuration import.
• For Nebula-specific assistance, please enable Zyxel Support Access through your Nebula Control Center (Help > Support Request) and provide your Organization and Site names. This will allow our support team to view your cloud environment configuration directly and provide more targeted assistance.

Ratsnackbar

Thanks for the quick answer Barry. Even if it's not what I'd like to hear.

I'd like to suggest a future upgrade for the H Series though. One of the tedius things to do when configuring these devices is to provision all of the Objects and Firewall rules. I can see why you'd not be able to use an entire configuratino but it'd be nice if nebula would allow you to copy the Objects and firewall rules from one device to another.

Perhaps provide an interface where you'd select the model you will be importing into first. Then provide an interface where objects and rules can be selected for export in a format that could be easily imported into the model you selected previously. That way if you are exporting objects from a 500H and intend to import them into a 200H it would be able to limit your export to the 200H's object capabilities.

Thanks again!

Zyxel_Melen

Hi @Ratsnackbar

Thanks for pointing out your requirement. Since the physical limitation, we couldn't clone the whole configuration from 500H to 200H. But, we can copy some of configuration, like the objects, from 500H to 200H.

1. Please help to download/back the configuration (start-up config) from 500H and 200H.
2. Open the config and copy the object from 500H to 200H. Open the config and copy the object from 500H to 200H. Please note that some of the objects related to the interface or Zone settings need to be pasted with careful review.
3. Upload the new config to 200H.

Hope this helps.