Alcatel Carrier Internetworking Solutions 7700, 7800 manual Offline Configuring, Syntax Checking

Offline Configuring

You can configure OmniSwitch 7700/7800 switches using an ASCII-based text file. This is referred to as offline configur- ing. With offline configuring, CLI commands may be typed into a text document (referred to as a text-based configuration file) and then uploaded and applied to the switch.

An ASCII-based configuration file can be viewed or edited at any time using a standard text editor (e.g., WordPad). The switch also offers its own text editing buffer, so a file can be edited in the flash file directory without having to be down- loaded to a workstation.

Because they are portable, stand-alone documents, configura- tion files allow users to easily clone switch configurations. Moreover, the ability to store a broad range of network infor- mation in a single text file facilitates troubleshooting, testing, and overall network readability.

Syntax Checking

Offline configuration includes a syntax check feature. This function will report syntax errors or typos that might cause a command to be rejected by the switch when a configuration file is applied.

Scheduling a Configuration File to be Applied at a Later Time

You can apply a file to the switch immediately, or you can schedule a file to be applied either at a specific date and time or after a specific amount of time has passed. Timer sessions can greatly facilitate maintenance tasks such as synchronized batch updates.

Generating Snapshots of the Current Configuration

A generated snapshot captures the switch’s current configura- tion settings in a single text file. Captured configuration settings can then be viewed or edited offline at any time. Trou- bleshooting is greatly facilitated, as aggregate network infor- mation can be read at a glance.

Snapshot files can be used as configuration files for a single switch or for multiple switches. This allows easy cloning of switch configurations for networks requiring multiple, simi- larly-configured switches. Simply place the snapshot file in the appropriate directory of the switch(es) you want to configure and use the CLI to apply the file.

For detailed information on offline configuring and the features described above, refer to the Switch Management Guide.

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