During the first connection, network management device 10 may access LLDP information stored in memory of seed network device 14A. In this manner, network management device 10 may discover neighboring devices that neighbor seed network device 14A (52). In some examples network management device 10 may discover a plurality of neighboring network devices. For ease of explanation, the example herein focuses on network device 14B. For example, network management device 10 may discover that the LLDP information in memory of seed network device 14A identifies neighboring network device 14B, for example by a private IP address.

Network management system 10 may then connect with neighboring network device 14B by a second connection based on the identifying information from the LLDP information in memory of seed network device 14A (54) through network interface 34, link 11, link 17 and link 19. In some examples, the second connection may be an ssh connection tunneled through the first connection (via link 11 and link 17) with seed network device 14A. Network management system 10 may automatically model neighboring network device 14B (56), for example, using a script. Network management system 10 may generate a new activation configuration, in this case a second activation configuration (58). This second activation configuration may be unique to neighboring network device 14B. Network management system 10 may then commit the second activation configuration on neighboring network device 14B via the tunneled ssh connection through network interface 34, link 11, link 17 and link 19 (60).