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Entity Templates

Feb 13, 2017

An entity template is a collection of configuration information for an individual entity on a Citrix® NetScaler® appliance. It provides a specification and a set of defaults for a configurable NetScaler entity, such as a policy, virtual server, service, or action. By using a template that defines a set of defaults, you can quickly configure multiple entities that require a similar configuration while eliminating several configuration steps.

Entity templates are available only in the configuration utility. You use the NetScaler configuration utility to create, manage, and use any type of entity template. You can share entity templates with other administrators and manage local folders that contain the templates. You can also import entity templates from and export entity templates to your local computer.

Before creating a template, you should be familiar with the configuration of the entity.

Note: You use entity templates to configure individual entities. To configure multiple entities related to a particular Web application, you must use an application template. For more information, see "AppExpert Applications and Templates."

How Entity Templates Work

When you create a template for a NetScaler entity, you specify default values for the entity. You specify what values must be read-only, what values must not be displayed, and what values users can configure. You also configure the pages that compose the template import wizard. All the information and settings you provide are stored in the template file.

When a user imports the entity template to a NetScaler appliance, a wizard guides the user through the various pages that you configured for the template. The wizard displays the read-only parameter values and prompts the user to specify values for the configurable parameters. After the user follows the instructions in the wizard, the appliance creates the entity with the configured values.

For example, you can create an entity template for HTTP services that provides a text box for a service name and assigns preset values for the service protocol, timeouts, thresholds, and monitors. Later, when you use the template to create new HTTP services, a wizard prompts you for a service name and supplies the preset values that you would otherwise have configured manually.

The procedure for creating entity templates for load balancing virtual servers is different than the AppExpert procedure for creating other entity templates. For more information, see "Creating an Entity Template."

In addition, the procedure for using the template to create the load balancing virtual server entity is different. For more information, see "Creating an Entity from a Template."