Switch Cloning
Switch cloning is designed to copy all port-level and some switch-level configuration settings from a source switch to another. With the exception of cloning an MS210/225 configuration to an MS250, cloning requires the source and destination switches to be the same model. In all cases, cloning requires the source and destination switches to have the same port density. Cloning requires the source or destination switch must not be part of a switch stack. The API endpoint aligns with what UI offers.
Note: If the switches you are cloning are connected, the configuration will immediately take effect.
Please take into consideration that there are some switch-level configurations that will not be cloned as part of this process:
- Management IP
- Switch Name
- Any Layer 3 Settings (such as: interfaces, DHCP, multicast, OSPF)
Any of these configs that need to be cloned will have to be copied and input manually after the cloning process.
How to clone
The switch cloning process copies configurations from one source switch to one or more target switches.
There is no way to revert cloning from the Meraki dashboard. Ensure you have selected the proper switch for both steps: the target switch is selected from the list under Switch > Switches, and the source switch is the device selected from the Edit... dropdown.
Old Dashboard Version
In the example screenshots below, Switch 1 is the source, Switch 2 is the target.
- Navigate to Switch > Switches and place a checkbox next to your target switch (or switches).
- Select 'Edit', then 'Clone...'.
- Select the switch you want your targets to look like.
- Select 'Clone' to copy configurations from the source to the targets.
New Dashboard Version
In the example screenshots below, MS120-8LP-SW1 is the source, MS120-8LP-SW2 is the target.
- Navigate to Switching > Switches and place a checkbox next to your target switch (or switches).
- Click 'Clone'.
- Type the name of the source switch you want your targets to look like, then click on it
- Select 'Clone' to copy configurations from the source to the target(s).
Switch-level Configuration
STP Bridge priority (Switch > Configure > Switch settings)
Port Mirroring (Switch > Configure > Switch settings)
Port-level Configuration
- Port Name
- Port Tags
- Interface state
- Spanning tree
- STP guard / BPDU guard
- PoE
- Link
- Port schedules (access only)
- Interface Type
- Adaptive Policy Group
- Adaptive Policy Peer SGT Configuration
- Access policy (access only)
- (ignored if the source access policy doesn't exist in the destination network)
- MAC whitelist (access only)
- Whitelisted MACs (access only)
- Sticky MAC whitelist (access only)
- Whitelist size limit (access only)
- Native VLAN (trunk only)
- Allowed VLANs (trunk only)
- VLAN (access only)
- Voice VLAN (access only)
Note that if cloning a non-PoE switch to a PoE switch, the PoE state of 'disabled' will be applied to the clone destination.
Switch Networks Bound to Templates
Switch networks bound to templates will not be able to clone using the Clone tool mentioned above. The correct way to duplicate switch configurations is using the Bind to profile tool, which is explained in our Switch Templates Deployment Guide.