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AppendixB Working with the Cisco IOS File System, Configuration Files, and Software Images
Working with Software Images
The archive upload-sw command builds an image file on the server by uploading these files in order:
info, the Cisco IOS image, the HTML files, and info.ver. After these files are uploaded, the upload
algorithm creates the tar file format.
Caution For the download and upload algorithms to operate properly, do not rename image names.
Copying Image Files By Using RCP
You can download a switch image from an RCP server or upload the image from the switch to an RCP
server.
You download a switch image file from a server to upgrade the switch software. You can overwrite the
current image with the new one or keep the current image after a download.
You upload a switch image file to a server for backup purposes. You can use this uploaded image for
future downloads to the same switch or another of the same type.
This section includes this information:
•Preparing to Download or Upload an Image File By Using RCP, page B-28
•Downloading an Image File By Using RCP, page B-29
•Uploading an Image File By Using RCP, page B-31

Preparing to Download or Upload an Image File By Using RCP

RCP provides another method of downloading and uploading image files between remote hosts and the
switch. Unlike TFTP, which uses User Datagram Protocol (UDP), a connectionless protocol, RCP uses
TCP, which is connection-oriented.
To use RCP to copy files, the server from or to which you will be copying files must support RCP. The
RCP copy commands rely on the rsh server (or daemon) on the remote system. To copy files by using
RCP, you do not need to create a server for file distribution as you do with TFTP. You only need to have
access to a server that supports the remote shell (rsh). (Most UNIX systems support rsh.) Because you
are copying a file from one place to another, you must have read permission on the source file and write
permission on the destination file. If the destination file does not exist, RCP creates it for you.
RCP requires a client to send a remote username on each RCP request to a server. When you copy an
image from the switch to a server by using RCP, the software sends the first valid username in this list:
•The username specified in the archive download-sw or archive upload-sw privileged EXEC
command if a username is specified.
•The username set by the ip rcmd rem ote-username username global configuration command if the
command is entered.
•The remote username associated with the cur rent T TY (te r mina l) proc es s . For exam ple, if t h e u ser
is connected to the router through Telnet and was authenticated through the username command,
the switch software sends the Telnet username as the remote username.
•The switch host name.
For the RCP copy request to execute successfully, an account must be defined on the network server for
the remote username. If the server has a directory structure, the image file is written to or copied from
the directory associated with the remote username on the server. For example, if the image file resides
in the home directory of a user on the server, specify that user’s name as the remote username.