Experience using Meraki Objects and Groups - BETA

[sthomason]

I just enabled the BETA groups and object option under Organization --> Network Objects. Has anyone else started using this feature in production and if so, what is your experience? We are rolling out a Meraki-SD WAN solution to over a dozen locations and I don't really want to enter IP addresses dozens of times on multiple lines - especially when a group would make it easier.

[Karsten Iwen · Accepted solution]

I use the objects for some time and did not have any problems with them. But every time I enable the feature for a customer I have a bad feeling because to the "beta".

[sthomason]

Thanks for the reply and yes BETA makes me a tad nervous.

[sthomason]

Word of warning! I am setting up a new SD-WAN using the MX appliances. I enabled the groups and thought this was great. I get to save lots of typing and make it more readable.

Well then I have several MX appliances setup with just IP addresses and a couple with groups. Everything was working fine - until I deleted an object under Organization --> Network Objects. I then went to the firewall on a MX I was setting up. I have made a number of rules and saved without issues - until I tried to replace one object with the newly created one. When I went to add another route and came back to the firewall rules - they were all gone and back to the allow all rule.

I checked other MX appliances I was setting up - the ones with IP addresses used in configuration were fine. the ones with objects were not.

So enable objects carefully!

[Karsten Iwen]

Did you open a case for that? This bug is quite severe and hopefully gets fixed fast when Meraki is aware of this.

[sthomason]

I opened a case with Meraki. What was happening was I was not getting the blue button that says FINISH EDITING.

If I created a rule the button was not showing up. Working with TAC we found that if I went to the page and then refreshed the page the button showed up but for new sites with new rules I was having an issue.

After trying Firefox I did not have the same issue. Chrome was not always giving me the button. could have been my security settings.

So - be sure you get the FINISH EDITING button - and then click on save.

I am going to try again with objects. Otherwise too many IP addresses to have to type in.