<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> Hello all, and TIA. I'm trying to configure escalations by group using the document 'Time Saving Tricks for Template-Based Object Definitions' But the form I need isn't described there though it seems valid by implication. In practice however it isn't. I can't imagine why not. (maybe there is another way to do what I want?) What I want to do is; hostgroup_name datagroup service_description * This should (???) cause all services on all hosts in the hostgroup named 'datagroup' to use this escalation definition, yes? Instead I get an error message of the form; Error: Service escalation for service '*' on host 'email1 email2' is not defined anywhere! In this case the hostgroup_name was 'mail' and the members are email1 and email2. They both have about 18 services defined. The form; hostname email1 service_description * works just fine. I'd hate to have to duplicate and maintain an escalation definition for each host though! Again, Thanks In Advance. -JG<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>