Patent ID: 8259616

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a first instance of a first versioned device configuration slice with first configuration types, including a first configuration type, and first values, including a first value, for the first configuration types; generating a second instance of the first versioned device configuration slice with the first configuration types and second values, including a second value, for the first configuration types, wherein the first value for the first configuration type is different from the second value for the first configuration type; generating a first instance, of a second versioned device configuration slice with second configuration types, including a second configuration type, and third values, including a third value, for the third configuration types; generating a second instance of the second versioned device configuration slice with the second configuration types and fourth values, including a fourth value, for the second configuration types, wherein the third value for the second configuration type is different from the fourth value for the second configuration type; storing a full configuration for a first network device on the server, the full configuration for the first network device including the first instance of the first versioned device configuration slice and the first instance of the second versioned device configuration slice; storing a full configuration for a second network device on the server, the full configuration for the second network device including the second instance of the first versioned device configuration slice and the second instance of the second versioned device configuration slice; conveying the full configuration for the first network device to the first network device; conveying the full configuration for the second network device to the second network device.