Performing Common Management Tasks

You can modify NI Switch Executive data in Excel to create custom configurations. To modify data in Excel without affecting the ability to import the file, always populate required columns and format the data appropriately.

Refer to the following management task cases for instructions about how to customize NI Switch Executive data in Excel.

Note  For instructions about performing specific tasks in Excel (how to mass populate a column, how to search and replace, and more), refer to the Excel Help included with Excel.

• Mass Renaming Channel Aliases
• Mass Creating Routes
• Editing an IVI Device Name
• Changing an IVI Device Topology
• Merging Two Virtual Devices

Mass Renaming Channel Aliases

Complete the following steps to mass rename channel aliases:

1. Click the Channels sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to display the Channels worksheet.
2. Populate the Alias column with aliases for each Channel IVI Device/Channel IVI Name you want to alias.
3. Save the edits.

Mass Creating Routes

Complete the following steps to mass create routes:

1. Click the Routes sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to display the Routes worksheet.
2. Insert a row for each route you want to create, and populate the required attributes (columns):
   • Route Name
   • Either both Endpoint1 and Endpoint2, or Specification, or all three
   • Type
   • Multiconnect Mode

   Refer to Formatting Configuration Data: Routes for detailed information about formatting Route attributes (columns).

3. (Optional) Populate other attributes (columns).
4. Save the edits.

Editing an IVI Device Name

Globally Editing Device References

Complete the following steps to globally edit device references:

1. Open a search and replace for the entire workbook.
2. Specify the existing IVI device name as the search string and the replacing IVI device name as the replace string. Excel edits every device reference in the workbook.
3. Save the edits.

Individually Editing Device References

Complete the following steps to individually edit device references:

1. Open a search.
2. Specify the existing IVI device name as the search string. Excel finds an instance of the IVI Device Name in the workbook.
3. Edit the device reference.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have edited every device reference in the workbook.
5. Save the edits.

Note  Device references display in the IVI Device Name, Channel IVI Device, IVI Device, Endpoint1, Endpoint2, and Specification columns of the IVI Devices, Channels, Bus Channels, and Routes worksheets.

Changing an IVI Device Topology

Complete the following steps to change an IVI device topology:

1. Add new channels.
   1. Click the Channels sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to display the Channels worksheet.
   2. Insert a row for each channel you want to create and populate the required attributes (columns):
      • Channel IVI Device
      • Channel IVI Name
      Refer to Formatting Configuration Data: Channels for detailed information about formatting Channel attributes (columns).
   3. (Optional) Populate other attributes (columns).
2. Replace existing channel references with new channel references using one of the following methods:
   • Globally editing channel references—Complete the following steps to globally edit channel references:
     1. Open a search and replace for the entire workbook.
     2. Specify the existing IVI Channel name as the search string and the replacing IVI Channel name as the replace string. Excel edits every channel reference in the workbook.
     3. Save the edits.
   • Individually editing channel references—Complete the following steps to individually edit channel references:
     1. Open a search.
     2. Specify the existing IVI Channel name as the search string. Excel finds an instance of the IVI Channel Name in the workbook.
     3. Edit the channel reference.
     4. Repeat steps b and c until you have edited every device reference in the workbook.
     5. Save the edits.

   Note  Channel references display in the Channel IVI Name, Channel, Set1 Channel, Set2 Channel, Base Channel, End Channel, Endpoint1, Endpoint2, and Specification columns of the Channels, Mutual Exclusion Channels, Set Exclusion Set1 Channels, Set Exclusion Set2 Channels, Bus Channels, and Routes worksheets.

3. Delete unused channels and channel references.
   1. Click the Channels sheet tab at the bottom of the screen to display the Channels worksheet.
   2. Delete the row for any IVI channel that does not exist on the new topology.
   3. Delete any rows in other worksheets that contain unused channel references.
4. Save the edits.

Note  Ensure that the topology in the IVI Configuration in MAX is updated to match the new topology.

Merging Two Virtual Devices

Complete the following steps to create one virtual device from two:

1. Merge the virtual devices.
   1. Open the workbooks for both Virtual Device1 and Virtual Device2.
   2. Click a worksheet tab at the bottom of the screen in Virtual Device2.
   3. Copy the rows of entire worksheet (excluding column headers).
   4. Insert the copied rows into the same worksheet in the Virtual Device1 workbook. Virtual Device1 now contains the rows of both Virtual Device1 and Virtual Device2.
   5. Repeat steps b through d for each worksheet (excluding the Virtual Device worksheet) in Virtual Device2.
   6. Close the Virtual Device2 workbook. Virtual Device1 contains the merged virtual device data.
2. Delete any redundant rows (IVI devices) on the IVI Devices worksheet.
3. Resolve any reference conflicts.

   Note  References display in the Alias, Hardwire, Exclusion Name, Channel, Set1Channel, Set2 Channel, Hardwire Name, Bus Name, Base Channel, End Channel, Route Name, Endpoint1, Endpoint2, Specification, Route Group Name, Child columns of the workbook.

   1. Excluding the Virtual Device and IVI Devices worksheets, verify that all references are unique in the following columns of the workbook:
      • Alias
      • Exclusion Name
      • Hardwire Name
      • Bus Name
      • Route Name
      • Route Group Name
   2. If necessary, replace non-unique references in the workbook.
4. Save the edits.