B-9
Catalyst 3550 Multilayer Switch Software Configuration Guide
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AppendixB Working with the IOS File System, Configuration Files, and Software Images Working with Configuration Files
•Copying Configuration Files By Using FTP, page B-12
•Copying Configuration Files By Using RCP, page B-16
•Clearing Configuration Information, page B-19
Guidelines for Creating and Using Configuration Files
Creating configuration files can aid in your switch configuration. Configuration files can con tai n some
or all of the commands needed to configure one or more switches. For example, you might want to
download the same configuration file to several switches that h ave the sa me ha rdw are co nf igura tion.
Use these guidelines when creating a configuration file:
•We recommend that you connect through the console port when using con fi gurat ion f ile s to
configure the switch. If you configure the switch from a Telnet session, IP addresses are not
changed, and ports and modules are not disabled.
•If no passwords have been set on the switch, you must set them on each switch by entering the
enable secret secret-password global configuration command. Enter a blank line for this comman d.
The password is saved in the configuration file as clear text.
•If passwords already exist, you cannot enter the enable secret secret-password global configuration
command in the file because the password verification will fail. If you enter a password in the
configuration file, the switch mistakenly attempts to execute the passwords as commands as it
executes the file.
Note The copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} system:running-config privileged EXEC command loads the
configuration files on the switch as if you were entering the commands at the command line. The
switch does not erase the existing running configuration before addi ng the com mands. I f a command
in the copied configuration file replaces a command in the existing configuration file, the existing
command is erased. For example, if the copied configuration file contains a different IP address in a
particular command than the existing configuration, the IP address in the copied configuration is
used. However, some commands in the existing configuration might no t be rep lac ed o r n egate d. In
this case, the resulting configuration file is a mixture of the existing configuration file and the cop ied
configuration file, with the copied configuration file having precedence.
To restore a configuration file to an exact copy of a file stored on a server, copy the configuration fi le
directly to the startup configuration (by using the copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} nvram:startup-config
privileged EXEC command), and reload the switch.
Configuration File Types and Location
Startup configuration files are used during system startup to co nfigu re the s oftwa re . Runn i ng
configuration files contain the current configuration of the software. The two co nf iguration files can be
different. For example, you might want to change the configur ation fo r a short ti me p er iod rath er tha n
permanently. In this case, you would change the running configuration but not save the configuration by
using the copy running-config startup-config privileged EXEC command.
The running configuration is saved in DRAM; the startup configuration is stored in the NVRAM section
of Flash memory.