Zyxel Nebula - How to make a copy of the site and transfer all devices to another site

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Nebula provides flexible tools for network deployment and management across different organizations and sites. Sometimes you may need to fully replicate the configuration of an existing site to create a new one with the same settings, or move all devices from one site to another along with their current configuration. For these tasks, Nebula offers two separate workflows: replicating and moving a site.
 

  • Synchronization Settings – for applying configuration updates to multiple existing sites.
  • Replicate Site-Wide Configuration – for duplicating site-level configurations to new or other sites.
  • Replicate Switch Setting – for copying switch-specific configurations.

Synchronization Use Cases

  • Updating Guest WiFi settings: Sync SSIDs, authentication methods, and captive portal pages across branches.
  • Updating switch port profiles: Apply standardized switch configurations to sites with similar architectures.
  • Updating PoE schedules: Adjust power delivery plans to reduce energy consumption outside business hours.

Replication Use Cases

  • Before deployment: Copy configurations from a “golden template” site to new locations.
  • Rapid rollout: Ensure identical network and security policies across multiple new sites.
  • Standardization: Maintain consistent network architecture while allowing per-site customization afterward.

Included vs Not Included in Site-Wide Replication

Category Included in Replication Not Included in Replication Notes (Moving Devices)
WiFi / AP SSID settings- Captive portal- Radio settings (site-level) - Per-device radio overrides Device history does not transfer
Switching Port profiles- VLANs- PoE schedules- Smart switch config - Per-port overrides Admin roles may change after move
Security / Gateway Firewall rules- NAT settings- Routing rules- DHCP server- VPN (site-level) - Device-specific VPN settings Licensing must be valid in target org
General Site Settings Alerts & notifications- Cloud auth groups (shared)- Site-wide policies - Licensing- Device tags- Topology history- Client lists Some model families may not support full feature set
Historical Data - Event logs- Analytics- Client history Statistics never transfer
Referenced Objects VLAN objects updated/added- Firewall objects updated/added- Address/policy objects updated/added- Port profiles updated/added- SSID profiles updated/added - Target-only objects removed (or unbound) Applies only to replication

Supported Device Types & Limitations

Category Details
Supported Device Types - Nebula AP (NWA / WAC series)- Nebula Switches (GS / XS series)- Nebula Gateways (ATP / USG FLEX series)
H-Series Limitations - Certain features may not fully replicate or synchronize on H-Series gateways
General Limitations - Devices must be online/reachable to apply config- Per-device overrides are not transferred- Templates must be compatible with target device models

Replication Process

  1. Navigate to:Organization-wide > Configuration Management > Replicate Site-Wide Configuration
  2. Select:
    • Source Site
    • Target Site(s)
    • Configuration Components (AP, Switch, Security Appliance, or Site Settings)image.png
  3. Confirm:
    • Review the summary window listing all components to be replicated.
    • Click Confirm to begin.
  4. Replication Behavior:
    • During replication, no configuration changes can be made to the source or target sites.
    • Upon completion, a Replicate Completed notification bell appears.
    • If a conflict occurs (e.g., someone edits settings during replication), the process will revert back both impacted sites to their previous state and display a notification such as:Replicate Incomplete”

Special Handling Rules for Referenced Objects

Because site configurations may include assignable objects (e.g., port profiles, PoE schedules), NCC applies four rules to ensure consistency during replication:

Rule 1 – Update Shared Objects

If an object with the same name exists in both source site and target site, NCC updates the target site’s version to match the source.

Example: Port Profile B exists in both sites — the target’s version is updated to match the source’s settings.

image.png

Rule 2 – Add Missing Objects

Objects present in the source but absent in the target (e.g., PoE Schedule B) are automatically added to the target site.

image.png

Rule 3 – Remove Unmatched Objects

Objects found in the target but not in the source are removed after replication.

Example: PoE Schedule A exists only in the target — it will be deleted.

image.png

Rule 4- Unbind the Removed object

Additionally, if a removed object was assigned to another configuration (e.g., switch port binding), NCC automatically unbinds it to prevent broken references.

Example: PoE schedule A is removed from the target site after replication-NCC unbinds it from Switch Port 1 setting.

image.png

In sum, Replicate Site-Wide Configuration simplifies multi-site deployment in Nebula by enabling administrators to clone an entire site’s configuration to other sites safely and efficiently. Combined with Synchronization and Replicate Switch Setting, it provides a comprehensive, flexible framework for both ongoing network management and large-scale rollout.


 

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