Brocade Communications Systems S3-1002483-03 Dynamic configuration loading, Usage considerations

6 Dynamic configuration loading

Dynamic configuration loading

You can load dynamic configuration commands (commands that do not require a reload to take effect) from a file on a TFTP server into the BigIron RX Series switch’s running-config. You can make configuration changes off-line, then load the changes directly into the device’s running-config, without reloading the software.

Usage considerations

•Use this feature only to load configuration information that does not require a software reload to take effect. For example, you cannot use this feature to change statically configured memory (system-maxcommand).

•Do not load port configuration information for secondary ports in a trunk group. Since all ports in a trunk group use the port configuration settings of the primary port in the group, the software cannot implement the changes to the secondary port.

Preparing the configuration file

A configuration file that you create must follow the same syntax rules as the startup-config file the device creates.

•The configuration file is a script containing CLI configuration commands. The CLI reacts to each command entered from the file in the same way the CLI reacts to the command if you enter it. For example, if the command results in an error message or a change to the CLI configuration level, the software responds by displaying the message or changing the CLI level.

•The software retains the running-config that is currently on the device, and changes the running-config only by adding new commands from the configuration file. If the running config already contains a command that is also in the configuration file you are loading, the CLI rejects the new command as a duplicate and displays an error message. For example, if the running-config already contains a command that configures ACL 1, the software rejects ACL 1 in the configuration file, and displays a message that ACL 1 is already configured.

•The file can contain global CONFIG commands or configuration commands for interfaces, routing protocols, and so on. You cannot enter User EXEC or Privileged EXEC commands.

•The default CLI configuration level in a configuration file is the global CONFIG level. Thus, the first command in the file must be a global CONFIG command or “ ! ”. The ! (exclamation point) character means “return to the global CONFIG level”.

NOTE

You can enter text following “ ! “ as a comment. However, the “ ! ” is not a comment marker. It returns the CLI to the global configuration level.

NOTE

The CLI changes to the global CONFIG level if you instead of the running-config (using the copy tftp command or ncopy tftp <ip-addr> <from-name>

load the configuration as a startup-config file startup-config<ip-addr> <filename> startup-configcommand).

148	Brocade BigIron RX Series Hardware Installation Guide
	53-1002483-03