Cisco Systems 3750E manual Guidelines for Creating and Using Configuration Files

Appendix B Working with the Cisco IOS File System, Configuration Files, and Software Images

Working with Configuration Files

Guidelines for Creating and Using Configuration Files

Creating configuration files can aid in your switch configuration. Configuration files can contain 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 have the same hardware configuration.

Use these guidelines when creating a configuration file:

•We recommend that you connect through the console port or Ethernet management port for the initial configuration of the switch. If you are accessing the switch through a network connection instead of through a direct connection to the console port or Ethernet management port, keep in mind that some configuration changes (such as changing the switch IP address or disabling ports) can cause a loss of connectivity to the switch.

•If no password has been set on the switch, we recommend that you set one by using the enable secret secret-passwordglobal configuration command.

Note The copy {ftp: rcp: tftp:} system:running-configprivileged 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 adding the commands. If 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 not be replaced or negated. In this case, the resulting configuration file is a mixture of the existing configuration file and the copied 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 file directly to the startup configuration (by using the copy {ftp: rcp: tftp:} nvram:startup-configprivileged EXEC command), and reload the switch.

Configuration File Types and Location

Startup configuration files are used during system startup to configure the software. Running configuration files contain the current configuration of the software. The two configuration files can be different. For example, you might want to change the configuration for a short time period rather than permanently. In this case, you would change the running configuration but not save the configuration by using the copy running-configstartup-configprivileged EXEC command.

The running configuration is saved in DRAM; the startup configuration is stored in the NVRAM section of flash memory.

Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide

B-10 OL-9775-02