Sending the same Tesira file to different devices
It is common, especially with TesiraFORTÉ, to have a number of identical rooms with the same specifications that can be served by one system configuration file copied onto multiple devices. In some cases, this type of system can be accommodated using a single Tesira system file that has a separate partition for each room.
However, there may be some cases where it is preferable to use a separate Tesira system file for each room that is identical (or nearly so). This article describes when you need to use the "Save as Template" option in Tesira software to create multiple copies of the same Tesira file.
Creating duplicate system files
The obvious work flow is to create one config file, "Save" it, and then do a "Save As..." for each location it will be deployed to. If this is done prior to connecting to hardware then it is a fine method to use.
Note that "Save as Template" is not yet available in the previous scenario.
However, if Tesira hardware has been assigned in the Equipment Table while testing the design then an association has been created with that particular hardware (via its serial number) and the file. In that case the "Save as Template" option must be used to strip away the hardware association which was created in the file.
Merely changing the serial number in the Equipment Table is not enough. When the original hardware serial number is removed from the Equipment Table, the config file retains it as an unused device in the design and clears (overwrites) the old unit when the config uploads, as there are no DSP objects assigned to it. This occurs even though the device serial number has been removed from the Equipment Table. (If the "old" hardware is visible on the network when the new file is sent then the unit will be reset, even if it is part of another system.)
Performing a "Save as Template" completely deletes the "old" device(s) from the new file.
Once the "Save as Template" step has been completed, add the desired serial numbers to the Equipment Table, do a "Save As..." for the system file with a unique name for the jobsite, and load the configuration to your hardware. Repeat as needed with other systems using the "Save as Template" version of the file as your base.
Symptoms
If Tesira configuration files are being created as duplicates of one original system file you will need to do a "Save as Template" for each system file and then reassign the device serial numbers which are unique to each file.
If you do not properly execute the "Save as Template" procedure you will usually experience a successful upload of the first system config, but when the second system config is loaded you will see the first system's hardware reset. When you try to reload the first system again, the second system may be reset. In each case the file "knows" about the other device, but since the serial number is not allocated to any blocks in the file the configuration on the hardware is erased.
A symptom is that the Equipment Table will show 1 system but 2 devices. You would have been expecting to see 2 systems, with 1 device in each.
This can easily happen with a system file which was written and loaded to one device for testing (often in the "shop"), then either a "Save" or "Save As..." was performed and the serial numbers changed in the Equipment Table. It appears that you have created 2 or more valid configuration files, each with unique hardware, however the hardware assignments from the original file are still (invisibly) maintained in the registry of the new configuration and it will cause errors when you upload.