Cisco Systems DOC-7814982 Configuration File Types and Location, Creating a Configuration File By Using a Text Editor

B-10
Catalyst 2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
78-14982-01
Appendix B Working with the IOS File System , Configura tion Files, an d Software Ima g es
Working w ith Configuration Files
Note Th e copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} system:running-config privileged EXEC command loads the
conf igura tion f iles on the swit ch as if y ou were en tering the c omman ds at the co mmand line. The sw itch
does not er ase the existin g runnin g configurat ion befor e adding the comma nds. If a comm and 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 copie d configurati on file having precede nce.
To restore a configuration file to an exact copy of a file stored on a server, copy the configuration file
directl y to the star tup co nfiguration (by using the copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} nvram:startup-config
privileged EXEC command), and reload the switch.
Configuration File Types and Location
Startup co nfiguration files are use d during syst em startup to configure the sof tware. Runni ng
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 sav e the configuration by
using the copy running-config startup-config privileged EXE C c om mand.
The runnin g conf igu ration is sa ve d in DRAM ; the sta rtup c onfi guration is sto red in the NVRAM sec tion
of Flas h m emor y.
Creating a Configuration File By Using a Text Editor
When cre ating a configura tion file, you must list c ommands lo gicall y so that the syste m can respo nd
appropriately. This is one method of creating a configuration file:
Step 1 Copy an existing configurati on from a swi tch to a server.
For more information, see the “Downloading the Configuration File By Using TFTP” section on
page B-12, the “Downloading a Configuration File By Using FTP” sect ion on page B-14, or t he
“Downlo ad ing a Con figura tio n Fil e By Usin g RC P” secti on on page B-17.
Step 2 Open the co nfiguration file in a text edit or, such as vi or ema cs on UNIX or Note pad on a PC.
Step 3 Extract the portion of the configuration file with the desired commands, and save it in a new file.
Step 4 Copy the configurat ion file to the appro priat e server loca tion. For exam ple, copy t he file to the TFT P
directo ry on the workst at ion (usu ally /tft pboot o n a U NIX work stat ion ).
Step 5 Make sure the pe rmissi ons on the file are set to world- read .