ChatGPT is really good for Excel formulas! I wanted to change any MAC address in column A starting with A1 to the format used for the client-identifier in a DHCP pool on a Cisco router.

You:

Write a formula that takes AABBCCDDEEFF and changes it to 01AA.BBCC.DDEE.FF?

ChatGPT:

Sure, to convert the string “AABBCCDDEEFF” into the format “01AA.BBCC.DDEE.FF” in Excel, you can use a formula similar to the previous one. Assuming the original string is in cell A1, here’s a formula to achieve this:

=CONCATENATE(“01”, MID(A1, 1, 2), “.”, MID(A1, 3, 2), MID(A1, 5, 2), “.”, MID(A1, 7, 2), MID(A1, 9, 2), “.”, MID(A1, 11, 2), MID(A1, 13, 2))

This formula follows a similar approach to the previous one:

• The MID function extracts specific portions of the original string using the starting position and the number of characters to extract.
• MID(A1, 1, 2) extracts the first two characters (“AA”).
• MID(A1, 3, 2) extracts the next two characters (“BB”).
• MID(A1, 5, 2) extracts the following two characters (“CC”).
• MID(A1, 7, 2) extracts the subsequent two characters (“DD”).
• MID(A1, 9, 2) extracts the next two characters (“EE”).
• MID(A1, 11, 2) extracts the following two characters (“FF”).
• The CONCATENATE function combines these extracted parts with the added “01” and periods to form the desired output.

Copy and paste this formula into a cell in Excel, replacing “A1” with the cell containing the original string if it’s in a different cell.

The result in the cell in the adjacent column where I added the formula:

01AA.BBCC.DDEE.FF

Select the + on the bottom right corner of the cell and drag it downwards to apply the same formula against the data from the cell to the left. So, if you have multiple rows with different MAC addresses then you will have a new column with the client-identifier values.

Add Custom FlexViews and MIBs

Use the instructions in this topic to add custom FlexViews and MIBs in ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine.

To add a new FlexView to ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine:

1. Create the following directory on the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine server: /usr/local/Extreme_Networks/NetSight/appdata/VendorProfiles/Stage/MyVendorProfile/FlexViews/My FlexViews if it does not already exist.
2. Add your custom FlexView files (.TPL) to the /usr/local/Extreme_Networks/NetSight/appdata/VendorProfiles/Stage/MyVendorProfile/FlexViews/My FlexViews directory on the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine server.
3. Add the MIB files that correspond to your custom FlexView files to the /usr/local/Extreme_Networks/NetSight/appdata/VendorProfiles/Stage/MyVendorProfile/MIBs directory on the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine server.
4. Log into the system shell (via the local console or SSH) on the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine server as root.
5. Restart the ExtremeCloud IQ – Site Engine server:
   1. Enter service nsserver stop.
   2. Enter service nsserver start.

For example, download a .TPL file (FlexView) from Extreme Github that can be used to show Port Status. Useful to determine port usage on overcrowded switches and free up ports.

XMC-Report-Views/FlexView/Networking/tpl/Port_Status_Time_with_alias.tpl at master · extremenetworks/XMC-Report-Views · GitHub

Here is a command that can help determine the port usage on an EXOS switch.

ENT-EXOS-07.1 # show port info detail | include Port:|Link\sState:|Link\sUps:|Link\sDowns:
Port: 1
Link State: Ready
Link Ups: 0 Last: Tue Jun 20 11:09:26 2023
Link Downs: 0 Last: Tue Jun 20 11:19:09 2023
Port: 2
Link State: Active, 1Gbps, full-duplex
Link Ups: 6 Last: Thu Aug 31 17:38:17 2023
Link Downs: 6 Last: Thu Aug 31 17:37:26 2023
Port: 3
Link State: Ready
Link Ups: 0 Last: Tue Jun 13 15:18:21 2023
Link Downs: 0 Last: Tue Jun 13 17:17:36 2023
Port: 4
Link State: Active, 1Gbps, full-duplex
Link Ups: 6 Last: Thu Aug 31 17:38:18 2023
Link Downs: 6 Last: Thu Aug 31 17:37:27 2023
Port: 5
Link State: Ready
Link Ups: 0 Last: —
Link Downs: 0 Last: —

etc…