netLD's smart change function converts part of the CLI command template into a variable and replaces it with parameters unique to each of multiple network devices, allowing commands to be sent to multiple network devices at once. This allows the configuration of many network devices to be changed in bulk, efficiently reducing the time required for configuration changes.
For example, when using smart change to change passwords or host names of network devices, you can easily and reliably configure network device settings according to security requirements while eliminating the need to manually send commands to individual devices. In addition, if access lists or passwords need to be changed periodically, the necessary commands can be saved as templates in advance for easy, repeatable recall and execution.
Also, starting with revision 20240131.0729, netLD can be used as an FTP/TFTP server or SCP client in smart change jobs, allowing OS and certificate distribution to be performed by netLD.
Create smart change job
(Case-1)
Here is an example of a smart change job using "access-list configuration->confirm configured access-list->apply to interface->check running-config
1. Open [Jobs] → [Job Management]
2. Click [New Job] → [Smart Change]
3. Enter job name, select options and click [OK]
| Option | Description |
| Use remediation job. | Check this box if you want to use it as a remediation job in the compliance function |
| Use the same replacement values for all devices in the job. | To submit the same value to all devices to which the job is to be executed |
| Use unique replacement values for each device in the job. | To submit a unique value for each device on which the job is to be executed |
4. On the "Template" tab, in the "Commands" section, enter the commands you want to send to the device
5. Select a range of values and click + button in the "Replacements" section
6. Enter replacement name, select type, and click "OK"
| Type | Description |
| Text | To enter any text as replacement value |
| IP Address | To enter an IP address as replacement value. Entering a value that is not in IPv4 or IPv6 format will result in an error message stating that the value is invalid |
| Hostname | To enter a host name as replacement value |
| IP or Hostname | To enter an IP address or host name as replacement value |
| Choice | Use this when you want to select replacement value from a drop-down list. This is useful when the candidate values to be set are predetermined |
| Conditional | A checkbox format allows the user to choose whether or not to include the command. If the checkbox is unchecked, the replacement value is treated as a blank string |
| Option | Description |
| Use selection as default value | If no replacement value is specified, the text will automatically be used when the template is created |
# The areas that have been registered as variables and can be replaced with replacement values are highlighted in yellow
7. Click + and add command
8. Enter the command to confirm access list
9. Click + and add command
10. Enter the command to apply the access list to the interface
11. Click + and add command
12. Enter command to confirm running-config
13. Open Devices tab and select the target device
14. Open the "Replacement Values" tab and set each variables
# The following image is an example of a case created with the option "Use unique replacement values for each device in the job ," which allows you to enter a unique value for each device. Replacement data can also be imported/exported using an Excel file.
15. Click red disk icon to save
(Case-2)
Here, netLD is used as an FTP server to create a smart change job using OS updates as an example. Please download the OS image to be distributed from the equipment vendor beforehand.
1. Open Inventory tab → click Change → Manage OS Image
2. Click +
3. Select OS image or drag and drop it
4. Click OK
5. Open [Jobs] → [Job Management]
6. Click [New Job] → [Smart Change]
7. Enter job name, select options and click [OK]
8. Click + to select File Transfer
9. Select "Transfer Type" and specify the OS image added in steps 1-4 as the transfer file
10. Delete the top command
11. Click +, add command
12. Enter the command to get the OS and the command to apply in the command field
| Variable | Description |
| ftp.host / tftp.host | Host of netLD that will be the FTP/TFTP server |
| ftp.user | FTP user name |
| ftp.password | FTP user password |
13. Click [+] and add "Command" 
14. Enter the reload command in the commands field
15. Click "End" and check "Don't Exit"
16. Open the [Devices] tab and specify the target device
17. Open the [Replacement Values] tab and set each variable
18. Click the save button
Execute a smart change job
To run a smart change job, select the job you want to run on the [Job] → [Job Management], and click the [Run Now] button.
Alternatively, you can do it from the Devices tab. Select and click the smart change job you created from the [Smart Change] menu.
Enabling rule sets for smart change jobs
The rule set function is a function that compares the rules specified by the user with the execution results of smart change jobs. Judgments are made based on rules such as whether the execution result contains a specific string. Refer to the judgment results from [Job History].
1. On the [Template] tab of smart change job, click [End] from the command flow on the left side of the screen.
2. Click [+] button and set the rule (match/action).
*For details on rules, please refer to 6.1.3 Compliance Overview.
| Option | Description | |
| Type | Apply to the whole output | Enables the rule set for the entire job execution results. |
| Apply to blocks | Enables the rule set for the range of characters (=block) specified in [Start]/[End] from the job execution results. | |
| Violation Message | Message Enter the message to be displayed when the rule is not matched. | |
| Ignore Case | If enabled, the rule will be case-insensitive when evaluating rules. | |
* You can also test the added rule against any string. Click the "evaluation" button and enter the string to be tested.
4. Click the save button to save the job.