diff --git a/json/check_ports.pl b/json/check_ports.pl
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..1732e564
--- /dev/null
+++ b/json/check_ports.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl -w
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use diagnostics;
+use Carp;
+use Time::HiRes qw(usleep);
+$SIG{ __DIE__  } = sub { Carp::confess( @_ ) };
+$SIG{ __WARN__ } = sub { Carp::confess( @_ ) };
+
+# Un-buffer output
+$| = 1;
+use Getopt::Long;
+use JSON::XS;
+use HTTP::Request;
+use LWP;
+use LWP::UserAgent;
+use Data::Dumper;
+use JSON;
+use lib '/home/lanforge/scripts';
+use LANforge::JsonUtils qw(logg err json_request get_links_from get_thru json_post get_port_names flatten_list);
+
+package main;
+# Default values for ye ole cmd-line args.
+our $Resource  = 1;
+our $quiet     = "yes";
+our $Host      = "localhost";
+our $Port      = 8080;
+our $HostUri   = "http://$Host:$Port";
+our $Web       = LWP::UserAgent->new;
+our $Decoder   = JSON->new->utf8;
+
+my $usage = qq("$0 --host {ip or hostname} # connect to this
+   --port {port number} # defaults to 8080
+);
+
+
+##
+##    M A I N
+##
+
+GetOptions
+(
+  'host=s'                   => \$::Host,
+  'port=i'                   => \$::Port,
+) || (print($usage) && exit(1));
+
+$::HostUri = "http://$Host:$Port";
+my $rh_update = {
+   'shelf'=>1, 'resource'=>3, 'port'=>'all', 'flags'=>'0x1'
+};
+my $uri = "/shelf/1";
+my $rh = json_request($uri);
+my $ra_links = get_links_from($rh, 'resources');
+my @links2= ();
+my $ra_alias_links = [];
+logg("\nRefreshing after setting up... ");
+my $rh_response =  json_post("/cli-json/nc_show_ports", $rh_update);
+
+# wait on ports up
+my $ports_still_down = 1;
+while ($ports_still_down > 0) {
+   $rh = json_request("/port/1/3/list?fields=_links,port,device,down");
+   flatten_list($rh, 'interfaces');
+   $ports_still_down=0;
+   for my $rh_p (values %{$rh->{'flat_list'}}) {
+      next unless $rh_p->{'device'} =~ /^sta/;
+      #print "$rh_p->{'device'} is $rh_p->{'down'} ";
+      $ports_still_down++
+         if ($rh_p->{'down'});
+   }
+   print "ports down: $ports_still_down ";
+   $rh_response =  json_post("/cli-json/nc_show_ports", $rh_update);
+   sleep 1;
+}
+
+#
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/json/set_port_aliases.pl b/json/set_port_aliases.pl
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..fa3164f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/json/set_port_aliases.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+#!/usr/bin/perl -w
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+use diagnostics;
+use Carp;
+use Time::HiRes qw(usleep);
+$SIG{ __DIE__  } = sub { Carp::confess( @_ ) };
+$SIG{ __WARN__ } = sub { Carp::confess( @_ ) };
+
+# Un-buffer output
+$| = 1;
+use Getopt::Long;
+use JSON::XS;
+use HTTP::Request;
+use LWP;
+use LWP::UserAgent;
+use Data::Dumper;
+use JSON;
+use lib '/home/lanforge/scripts';
+use LANforge::JsonUtils qw(logg err json_request get_links_from get_thru json_post get_port_names flatten_list);
+
+package main;
+# Default values for ye ole cmd-line args.
+our $Resource  = 1;
+our $quiet     = "yes";
+our $Host      = "localhost";
+our $Port      = 8080;
+our $HostUri   = "http://$Host:$Port";
+our $Web       = LWP::UserAgent->new;
+our $Decoder   = JSON->new->utf8;
+
+my $usage = qq("$0 --host {ip or hostname} # connect to this
+   --port {port number} # defaults to 8080
+);
+
+
+##
+##    M A I N
+##
+
+GetOptions
+(
+  'host=s'                   => \$::Host,
+  'port=i'                   => \$::Port,
+) || (print($usage) && exit(1));
+
+$::HostUri = "http://$Host:$Port";
+
+my $uri = "/shelf/1";
+my $rh = json_request($uri);
+my $ra_links = get_links_from($rh, 'resources');
+my @links2= ();
+my $ra_alias_links = [];
+
+
+#print Dumper($rh_stations);
+
+#sub flatten_list {
+#   my $rh_list = shift;
+#   my $list_name = shift;
+#   my $rh_irefs = {};
+#   for (my $i=0; $i < @{$rh_stations->{"interfaces"}}; $i++) {
+#      my @k = keys(%{$rh_stations->{"interfaces"}[$i]});
+#      my $id = $k[0];
+#      #print "ID[$id]\n";
+#      $rh_irefs->{$id} = $rh_stations->{"interfaces"}[$i]->{$id};
+#   }
+#   $rh_list->{"flat_list"} = $rh_irefs;
+#}
+
+# TODO: make this a JsonUtils::list_ports()
+for $uri (@$ra_links) {
+   $uri =~ s{/resource}{/port}g;
+   $uri .= "/list";
+   #logg("requesting $uri");
+   $rh = json_request($uri);
+   #print Dumper($rh);
+   push( @$ra_alias_links, @{get_port_names($rh, 'interfaces')});
+   push(@links2, @{get_links_from($rh, 'interfaces')});
+   #logg("\nfound: ");
+   #logg(@links2);
+}
+#print Dumper($ra_alias_links);
+
+# destroy stations on resource 3
+my @radios = ();
+for my $rh_alias_link (@$ra_alias_links) {
+   push(@radios, $rh_alias_link)
+      if (($rh_alias_link->{'uri'} =~m{^/port/1/[3]/})
+         && ($rh_alias_link->{'alias'} =~m{^wiphy}));
+}
+logg(" updating ");
+my $rh_update = {
+   'shelf'=>1, 'resource'=>'all', 'port'=>'all', 'flags'=>'0x1'
+};
+my $rh_response =  json_post("/cli-json/nc_show_ports", $rh_update);
+
+# this really should poll for ports to wait for them to disappear
+sleep 2;
+
+my @new_stations = ();
+logg("\nCreating new stations on these: ");
+#print Dumper(\@radios);
+my $rh_radio;
+my $radio_name;
+my $resource;
+my $range;
+my $num_sta = 160;
+my $radio_num;
+my $radio_counter = 0;
+
+
+logg(" updating ");
+$rh_response =  json_post("/cli-json/nc_show_ports", $rh_update);
+sleep 2;
+$radio_counter = 0;
+for $rh_radio (@radios) {
+   $radio_name = $rh_radio->{'alias'};
+   my @hunks = split(/[\/]/, $rh_radio->{'uri'});
+   ($radio_num) = $radio_name =~ /wiphy(\d+)/;
+   $resource = $hunks[3];
+   $range = ($resource * 10000) + ($radio_num * 1000);
+
+   my $rh_stations = json_request("/port/1/$resource/all?fields=port,device,mac");
+   flatten_list($rh_stations, "interfaces");
+   
+   for (my $i = $range; $i < ($range+$num_sta); $i++) {
+      print "sta$radio_counter = vsta$i [ $range .. ".($range+$num_sta)."] 1/$resource/$radio_num $radio_name \n";
+      my $portname = "sta$radio_counter";
+      my $eidport = "1.$resource.$portname";
+      if (defined $rh_stations->{"flat_list"}->{$eidport}) {
+         #my $macaddr = $rh_stations->{"flat_list"}->{$eidport}->{"mac"};
+         my $eid = $rh_stations->{"flat_list"}->{$eidport}->{"port"};
+         my @hunks = split(/[.]/, $eid);
+         die("port eid is bad: $eid")
+            if (!defined $hunks[2]);
+         my $portid = 0 + $hunks[2];
+         my $rh_data = {
+            'shelf'=>1,
+            'resource'=>$resource,
+            'port'=>$portname,
+            'interest'=>4096,
+            'alias'=>'vsta'.$i
+         }; # todo: set_alias
+         $rh_response = json_post("/cli-json/set_port", $rh_data);
+         #usleep(10000);
+
+         # set port up + dhcp
+         $rh_data = {
+            #'suppress_preexec_cli'=>'false',
+            #'suppress_preexec_method'=>'false',
+            #'suppress_postexec_cli'=>'true',
+            #'suppress_postexec_method'=>'true',
+            'shelf'=>1,
+            'resource'=>$resource,
+            'port'=>'sta'.$radio_counter,
+            'cmd_flags'=>0,
+            'current_flags'=>2147483648,
+            'interest'=>16386
+         };
+         # TODO: create JsonUtils::set_dhcp($eid, $alias, $on_off)
+   
+      # set_port - port up, enable dhcp
+      # current_flags=2147483648&interest=16386
+         my $rh_response = json_post("/cli-json/set_port", $rh_data);
+         $radio_counter+=1;
+         usleep(10000);
+      }
+      else {
+         print " 1.$resource.sta$radio_counter not found ";
+      }
+   }
+}
+logg(" updating ");
+$rh_response =  json_post("/cli-json/nc_show_ports", $rh_update);
+sleep 2;
+
+#
\ No newline at end of file