SonicOS 8 Migration Requirements Reference Guide

Technical Documentation>  Migrating Your Firewall>  SonicWall Generation 8 TZ and NSa Settings Migration
Table of Contents

SonicWall Generation 8 TZ and NSa Settings Migration

Upgrading to a Generation 8 (Gen8) firewall is streamlined through the built‑in migration tools in the TZ and NSa Series. These allow you to import configuration settings directly from supported legacy SonicWall devices—removing the need for manual reconfiguration and reducing the risk of errors.

Key Advantages:

  • Saves time with automated configuration migration
  • Maintains consistent policies across hardware generations
  • Simplifies deployment and rollback planning

Settings Import Feature:

  • Export/Import Settings:

    In a typical greenfield deployment, devices must be configured from scratch. However, when upgrading from select current or previous generation models, Gen8 TZ and NSa firewalls allow importing an existing settings (.exp) file directly to the new device.

  • Prerequisites – Supported Source Firewalls:

    Settings migration is supported from the following models to Gen8 targets:

    • TZ Series: TZ280, TZ380, TZ380W, TZ480, TZ580, TZ680

    • NSa Series: NSa 2800, NSa 3800, NSa 4800, and NSa 5800

Table Legend

The following legend applies to the tables appearing in Migrating SonicOS 6 to SonicOS 8 and Migrating SonicOS 7 to SonicOS 8.

Y Supported
N Unsupported
Y* Supported but the import fails when VLAN or tunnel interfaces are present in the settings file.
Y# In-product migration is unsupported and a Migration App that is accessible through NSM is required to support a settings migration.

Use the Migration App on NSM when migrating between NSa 2650 and the NSa 2800 because of interface differences.

Importing settings from supported firewalls fails if there are VLANs or tunnel interfaces present except for instances between NSa 2700 to NSa 2800 / NSa 3700 to NSa 3800. Remove the VLAN or tunnel interface configuration before continuing for the settings import to succeed.

Recommended: Alternatively, use the Existing Migration Tool to convert the settings to NSa 2700/NSa 3700 and then import them to the new firewalls.