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

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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