Address Groups¶

Address groups are collections of address objects that can be referenced in security policies, NAT rules, and other configurations. The scm CLI provides commands to create, update, delete, and load address groups.

Overview¶

The address-group commands allow you to:

Create static address groups with fixed member lists
Create dynamic address groups with tag-based filter expressions
Delete address groups that are no longer needed
Bulk import address groups from YAML files
Export address groups for backup or migration

Address Group Types¶

The CLI supports two types of address groups:

Type	Description	Example Use Case
Static	Fixed list of address objects	Group of web servers
Dynamic	Members determined by filter criteria (tags)	Endpoints matching security criteria

Set Address Group¶

Create or update an address group.

Syntax¶

scm set object address-group [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder for the address group	Yes
`--name TEXT`	Name of the address group	Yes
`--description TEXT`	Description for the address group	No
`--tags LIST`	List of tags to apply to the address group	No
`--static`	Create a static address group	No*
`--dynamic`	Create a dynamic address group	No*
`--members LIST`	List of address objects for static groups	Only with `--static`
`--filter TEXT`	Tag-based filter expression for dynamic groups	Only with `--dynamic`

* You must specify exactly one of --static or --dynamic.

Examples¶

Create a Static Address Group¶

$ scm set object address-group \
    --folder Shared \
    --name web-servers \
    --static \
    --members "web-server-1,web-server-2"
---> 100%
Created address group: web-servers in folder Shared

Create a Dynamic Address Group¶

$ scm set object address-group \
    --folder Shared \
    --name trusted-endpoints \
    --dynamic \
    --filter "'trusted-endpoint' and 'corporate-asset'"
---> 100%
Created address group: trusted-endpoints in folder Shared

Delete Address Group¶

Delete an address group from SCM.

Syntax¶

scm delete object address-group [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder containing the address group	Yes
`--name TEXT`	Name of the address group to delete	Yes
`--force`	Skip confirmation prompt	No

Example¶

$ scm delete object address-group --folder Shared --name web-servers --force
---> 100%
Deleted address group: web-servers from folder Shared

Load Address Groups¶

Load multiple address groups from a YAML file.

Syntax¶

scm load object address-group [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--file TEXT`	Path to YAML file containing address group definitions	Yes
`--folder TEXT`	Override folder location for all objects	No
`--snippet TEXT`	Override snippet location for all objects	No
`--device TEXT`	Override device location for all objects	No
`--dry-run`	Preview changes without applying them	No

YAML File Format¶

---
address_groups:
  - name: web-servers
    folder: Texas
    description: "Group of web servers"
    type: static
    members:
      - web-server-1
      - web-server-2
    tags:
      - web
      - servers

  - name: trusted-endpoints
    folder: Texas
    description: "Dynamic group for trusted corporate endpoints"
    type: dynamic
    filter: "'trusted-endpoint' and 'corporate-asset'"
    tags:
      - endpoints
      - trusted

Examples¶

Load with Original Locations¶

$ scm load object address-group --file address-groups.yml
---> 100%
✓ Loaded address group: web-servers
✓ Loaded address group: trusted-endpoints

Successfully loaded 2 out of 2 address groups from 'address-groups.yml'

Load with Folder Override¶

$ scm load object address-group --file address-groups.yml --folder Austin
---> 100%
✓ Loaded address group: web-servers
✓ Loaded address group: trusted-endpoints

Successfully loaded 2 out of 2 address groups from 'address-groups.yml'

Note

When using container override options (--folder, --snippet, --device), all address groups will be loaded into the specified container, ignoring the container specified in the YAML file.

Show Address Group¶

Display address group objects.

Syntax¶

scm show object address-group [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder containing the address group	Yes
`--name TEXT`	Name of the address group to show	No

Note

When no --name is specified, all items are listed by default.

Examples¶

Show Specific Address Group¶

$ scm show object address-group --folder Texas --name web-servers
---> 100%
Address Group: web-servers
  Location: Folder 'Texas'
  Type: static
  Description: Group of web servers
  Members (2):
    - web-server-1
    - web-server-2
  Tags: web, servers
  ID: 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174001

List All Address Groups (Default Behavior)¶

$ scm show object address-group --folder Texas
---> 100%
Address Groups in folder 'Texas':
------------------------------------------------------------
Name: web-servers
  Location: Folder 'Texas'
  Type: static
  Members: web-server-1, web-server-2
  Description: Group of web servers
  Tags: web, servers
------------------------------------------------------------
Name: trusted-endpoints
  Location: Folder 'Texas'
  Type: dynamic
  Filter: 'trusted-endpoint' and 'corporate-asset'
  Description: Dynamic group for trusted corporate endpoints
  Tags: endpoints, trusted
------------------------------------------------------------

Backup Address Groups¶

Backup all address group objects from a specified location to a YAML file.

Syntax¶

scm backup object address-group [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description	Required
`--folder TEXT`	Folder to backup address groups from	No*
`--snippet TEXT`	Snippet to backup address groups from	No*
`--device TEXT`	Device to backup address groups from	No*
`--file TEXT`	Output filename (defaults to auto-generated)	No

* One of --folder, --snippet, or --device is required.

Examples¶

Backup from Folder¶

$ scm backup object address-group --folder Texas
---> 100%
Successfully backed up 12 address groups to address-group_folder_texas_20240115_120530.yaml

Backup with Custom Filename¶

$ scm backup object address-group --folder Texas --file texas-groups.yaml
---> 100%
Successfully backed up 12 address groups to texas-groups.yaml

Best Practices¶

Use Descriptive Names: Choose names that clearly indicate the group's purpose and membership criteria.
Prefer Dynamic Groups: Use dynamic groups with tags for environments where membership changes frequently.
Document Filter Expressions: Always include descriptions explaining dynamic group filter logic.
Apply Tags: Use tags to categorize groups for easier management.
Use YAML for Bulk Operations: For large deployments, use YAML files to manage address groups.
Organize by Folder: Keep address groups organized in logical folders alongside their member addresses.