Can I copy or clone a Channel?

Funny you should use the term "clone". You absolutely can "clone" a Carousel channel...

In Carousel 5.2. So, you might want to upgrade. *Also, important note: you will need channel licenses to do this.

You can check how many channels you're licensed for by going to the Configure Menu of Carousel and clicking on Channels. The number of licenses are listed at the bottom of the channel list.



You can purchase additional channel licenses from your dealer if you're out.

So, to copy a channel: First, you will launch Clone from the tools directory of the Carousel server.



Then choose "Export", select your channel, and specify a location to save it to.





You will be provided with a (channel name).csl file. By the sounds of it, you will need to re-import that file into the system. Double click the .csl file and confirm the import.



If you were importing this channel to another system, the channel will just import. But, since you already have the channel on your system and are simply duplicating the channel, Clone will ask you to rename the channel. By default, it appends a number to the name.



So, renaming the channel is just fine. Now, you are asked to rename your zones. This will give you more control over how the channel is actually set up. If you're sharing information over all 4 channels, you might want to "map" the duplicate channel's zones to the original zones. You won't have to enter data four times when creating bulletins. It also won't copy each zone four times, so it will be much cleaner. This is fine if you're sharing information, and simply need one unique zone per channel. If that's the case, just remember not to map the unique zone - and rename it, so it actually makes a duplicate.

If you want to make four true copies of the channel, including the zones, uncheck "map to existing zone", and enter a new unique name. Repeat for each zone.



Clone will report status as it imports. Once complete, the tool will close, and your channel will be in the system. Repeat this process for each copy.

By the way, this process will copy all channel and zone settings and all media. It will be an exact duplicate all the way from default transition to active repeating bulletins.

I hope this helps.