Put all Z3's into one network?

[Stask]

Do the Z3's have to be in their own individual networks or can i combine them all into one teleworker network somehow? Thus far i haven't been able to figure out how to combine them and it seems like a pain to configure them individually...

[DJDonovan · Accepted solution]

Hey Stask!

The Z3's do have to be in their own individual networks, the same as our MX appliances. If you're looking to manage these networks in bulk, I'd definitely recommend using configuration templates to help with the configs at scale. 

Documentation on config templates found here: 
https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Templates_and_Config_Sync/Managing_Multiple_...

Let me know if you have any questions!

-Donovan

[PhilipDAth]

I agree with @DJDonovan .

When I deploy them I generally create a template and allocate a prefix of address space for them all to sit inside of (for example, a /16 of address space will support 256 Z3s each with /24 subnet).  If you don't need to talk to the LAN of each Z3 - you only need them to be able to talk to your network - you should be able to use the same subnet at every site (just don't include it in AutoVPN, and it will get NATed).

Then all you do is create a new network, attached to the template, add the Z3, and you're finished.

[Stask]

Thanks for that. The configuration portion is good to go. It would however be nice if they all were not showing up as individual networks. I only have 7 of these and have already tripled the length of my list. If they are bound to a template they should just be listed under a single entry.

[PhilipDAth]

You should make a wish.

https://documentation.meraki.com/General_Administration/Other_Topics/Make_a_Wish 

I think there is quite a bit of merit to having a collapsable tree of sites under the template they are bound to.

[Aaron_Wilson]

Don't think of network like "wan", think of it like physical location. If you had 20 physical locations would you want to look at a flat view where you couldn't differentiate which subnets went to which physical location? Of course not.

Network is honestly a poor name. If you only have cameras is "network" a good name? Nope, "location" or "site" would be better. A location can have a MX, sketches, APs, cameras, etc.

[Stask]

I just name them by who is using them....so there is no confusion there but i was thinking of the future if i have 100 of these my list would be super annoying when i need to get to the MX units and they are hidden in the middle of a bunch of Z3 devices.

Also it wouldn't be a flat list it would be a single entry that has the name of the template and then you click it to expand it and all the devices that are assigned to it are listed under it.

[Aaron_Wilson]

Same. "User" is contained in all user based networks, and the site code for company locations. VPN hubs have a different naming convention. Nicely groups things together, and the filter + naming standards make it super easy to find anything.