What is a Device Template?

A device template – also called a post-staging template – is a baseline configuration in Versa Director that defines the complete production settings for a class of branch devices: interfaces, routing, security, and services. Applied across many similar branches, it lets administrators configure once and deploy repeatedly.

Key takeaways

• Device templates define a branch’s complete production configuration in Director.
• Two types exist: staging templates and post-staging templates.
• One template deploys the same baseline across many similar branches.
• Device groups bind many devices to one shared device template.
• Bind data fills in the branch-specific values a template leaves open.

On this page: Why it matters · How it works · Types · Device Templates & Versa · FAQ

Why are device templates important?

Configuring VOS branch devices one at a time does not scale. A network with dozens or hundreds of branches sharing the same WAN port count, LAN/VRF layout, and service mix would otherwise need an administrator to repeat that configuration by hand at every site – slow, and a steady source of drift between branches that should be identical.

Device templates separate what is common to a class of branches from what is unique to each one. An administrator builds the shared configuration once – interfaces, routing, NGFW and UTM settings, load balancing – and deploys it across every branch that fits the profile; onboarding a new branch then means supplying only branch-specific values such as IP addresses. That leverage is what makes managing large SD-WAN and SASE fleets from Versa Director practical, and it underlies Director’s staged onboarding model, where a device reaches basic connectivity before its full configuration applies.

What is a device template?

A device template is the baseline configuration Versa Director applies to a class of VOS branch devices: WAN port count, LAN/VRF layout, DIA options, NGFW and UTM configuration, load-balancing, and solution tier. Branches sharing these characteristics can use the same device template, so onboarding one means entering only what is unique to it – chiefly IP addressing – as bind data.

Templates fit into a small hierarchy. A device group associates devices with one device template and, optionally, one or more service templates; the template defines the variables – such as LAN and WAN port counts – that bind data fills in per device. Director’s Workflows feature walks an administrator through building this chain as a configuration wizard, though workflows can only add configuration, not remove it; deletions must be made directly in the template.

Types of device templates

Versa Director recognizes two kinds of device template. A staging template covers WAN interfaces only and configures the minimum needed to reach the SD-WAN Controller – typically through the Versa global ZTP server – so a device has basic connectivity before its full configuration is applied. Staging templates matter when staging happens away from the final site, such as a data center or NOC preparing a device before shipping.

A post-staging template is the mandatory, complete configuration for a branch device: interfaces, routing, tunnels, and services. Every device requires one; the staging step is optional and can be skipped entirely. Because “device template” and “post-staging template” both name this production template in Versa’s documentation, the two terms are often used interchangeably.

Device Templates & Versa

Device templates sit alongside two other template types in Versa Director, described in the overview of configuration templates. Service templates configure a specific service – QoS, NGFW, application steering, secure access – and layer onto one or more device templates or device groups. Common templates (one per organization, auto-named organization-DataStore) hold shared objects like zones that device and service templates can reference, applying to every device by default. Template order matters at merge time: get it wrong and common-template objects can overwrite the main template.

Versa’s simplified SMB portals carry the same concept as a mass-publish workflow: an admin clones a default template per topology (Full Mesh, HA, Hub, Spoke), edits it, and publishes the change to every attached device, with per-device retry on failure – see Manage Templates. It is the same idea as Director’s device template – configure once, deploy to many.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a device template and a service template?

A device template holds the complete baseline configuration for a class of branches – interfaces, routing, security, services. A service template configures one specific service, such as QoS or NGFW, and layers onto one or more device templates; a device requires exactly one device template but can use several service templates.

What’s the difference between a staging template and a post-staging template?

A staging template configures WAN interfaces only, giving a device basic connectivity to the SD-WAN Controller before full onboarding. A post-staging template is the complete production configuration – interfaces, routing, tunnels, services – and is mandatory for every device; staging is optional and can be skipped.

Can one device template be used by multiple branches?

Yes – that’s the point. A device group associates devices with a single device template, so every device in the group shares the same baseline configuration; onboarding each branch then requires only branch-specific bind data, not a fresh configuration.

Can a device template configuration be removed using a Director workflow?

No. Workflows can add configuration elements to a device template but cannot remove them. Deleting something a workflow added – TACACS+ or SNMP settings, for example – has to be done directly in the template’s configuration menu.

What is a common template?

A common template (or datastore template) is created automatically, one per organization, and applies by default to every device in that organization. It holds shared objects – such as zones – that device and service templates can reference.

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