Bulk Peripheral Management (Beta feature)

If the Bulk Configuration gets into a bad state and needs to be reset, use the following Troubleshooting methods:

• Re-push the design (this intentionally resets Bulk Configuration).

• Use the delete MAC address to factory reset a device.

• If the Core is no longer available you can use your peripheral password backup to access the peripherals.

• Factory Reset Peripherals if you have physical access.

• Q-SYS Designer v.10.1 or higher for all devices.

• Core must be able to communicate to all target devices on the network.

• Target devices' MAC Addresses need to be known.

• Access Control must be enabled on the Q-SYS Core.

• Secure Communication must be enabled on the Q-SYS Core.

• A design must be deployed (running) on the Core with peripherals defined in its inventory.

• The Core must be provisioned. If the Core is running Q-SYS 10.4 for the first time (new or factory-reset), you must complete the Provisioning process (creating a username/password and configuring Date & Time) before accessing Core Manager. See Core Provisioning Mode for details.

Note: Redundant setups are currently not fully supported.

Note: Peripheral Management is only available for "admin" role. If admins want to grant access to other users please create a "custom role".

Tip: If you want to use Bulk Configuration in conjunction with Peripheral Manager for certain devices, please set a password on each device to support Secure Communication and manage directly via Peripheral Manager.

CSV Upload Workflow

Use this method to pre-plan and provision a large number of devices, or when the person entering configuration data is not working directly in Core Manager.

1. Download a CSV template:

   • In Core Manager, open Peripheral Management > Bulk Configuration, enter edit mode, and export the CSV template, or

   • In Q-SYS Designer, go to Tools > Inventory to export the template (recommended after creating your design inventory with the correct naming convention).

2. Fill in the template in a spreadsheet application.
   During initial configuration, the following settings can be pushed via CSV:

   • MAC Address — maps a physical device to a design hostname

   • LAN A settings (Mode [Auto and Static], IP Address, Netmask, Gateway, Static Routes)

   • LAN B settings (Mode, IP Address, Netmask, Gateway, Static Routes)

   • DNS (DNS Servers, Search Domains)

3. Import the completed CSV file into Bulk Configuration.

Note: Ensure your file is saved as CSV with comma (,) separators. If you receive a file type validation error, check that the format is correct.

Note: If you configure only LAN B settings, please choose the Mode for LAN A as well (Auto or Static).

In-Table Editing Workflow

Use this method to configure or adjust settings directly within Core Manager.

1. In Core Manager, open Peripheral Management > Bulk Configuration.

2. Click Edit to enter edit mode.

3. Select one or more devices and edit their settings directly. Use Bulk Edit to apply the same change across all selected devices:

   • IP Address — when bulk editing, IP addresses increment by 1 automatically across selected devices.

   • All other fields — the same value is copied to all selected devices.

4. Click Save to apply changes, or Cancel to discard.

Note: When in edit mode, ensure you save or cancel before leaving.

First Save Function

When you save for the first time, Bulk Configuration initiates the provisioning process for each peripheral:

• Firmware check and update — The Core verifies the peripheral's firmware and updates it if needed.

• Secure communication — The Core establishes a trusted connection and claims the device.

• Hostname assignment — The hostname from your design is pushed to the device.

• User-provided settings — Network, DNS, and other configured settings are applied.

Tip: After first-time configuration of the devices, when a new design is pushed, or a design is updated, Bulk Configuration is reset. To quickly resume just add MAC Addresses to the devices instead of the whole configuration.

After initial setup, the following additional settings can be configured:

Each peripheral displays one of the following status indicators:

• Groups: Create custom groups (up to 100) to organize peripherals.

• Search: Use the search function to find devices by name or model.

• ID: Toggle the ID function on a device to physically verify system connectivity and assignment. The device's identification indicator (LED or display) activates, making it easy to locate the physical device.

• Info: View additional device information (Link Speed, MAC Address, LLDP Information, Device Type, Model, Firmware Version, Serial Number, etc.).

• Export: Export all information as CSV.

• Device Reboot: Reboot one or more peripherals.

• System information download: Download system information for troubleshooting.

• Reset password: Reset peripheral passwords as needed.

• Deleting a MAC address from a provisioned peripheral triggers a factory reset of that device. Use this carefully and only when you are certain you want to remove or change the MAC address assignment.

  Tip: Post factory reset, the device will boot in "auto" mode for network settings. If you use static IP addresses, this might lead to a "not reachable" state.

• Swapping a MAC address (reassigning a hostname to a different physical device) requires two steps:

  • First delete the existing MAC address and allow the factory reset to complete,

  • then assign the new MAC address.

• Swapping a Core: Before replacing the Core processor, download a copy of the password file (from Peripheral Utilities) and factory reset all peripherals so they can be claimed by the new Core via Bulk Configuration. Also make sure you have a copy of the device's MAC Address (e.g., through downloading the CSV export).

Save and deploy the design to the Core. (No need to adjust hostnames via Peripheral Manager for configuration or update. Bulk Configuration will handle this automatically.)

1. Ensure the Core is provisioned (Q-SYS 10.4 onboarding completed).

2. Ensure Access Control and Secure Communication are enabled (Network > Secure Communication).

3. Select Peripheral Management from the Core Manager menu.

4. Open Bulk Configuration to begin configuring peripherals using either the CSV Upload or In-Table Editing method (see above).

5. After initial setup, configure additional settings (Date & Time, 802.1x, Secure Communication) as needed.

6. Use Certificate Management to manage device certificates.

7. Use Peripheral Utilities to download password files or perform device maintenance.