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Catalyst 2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Appendix B Working with the IOS File S ys tem, Configurat ion Files, and Soft w are 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 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 uplo ad algor ithms to operate pro perly, do not rena me imag e name s.

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 upl oad a swi tch ima ge file t o a s er ver f or back up pur pos es. You can use th is up loa ded im ag e for
future downloads to the same switch or an other of t he same type .
This section includes this information:
•Preparing to Download or Upload an Image File By Using RCP, page B-29
•Downloading a n Ima ge Fi le By U sing RCP, page B-30
•Uploading a n Ima ge Fi le By U sing RCP, page B -32

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. Un like TF TP, which uses U ser D atagra m Protocol (UD P), a conn ect ionle ss pro toco l, RCP uses
TCP, wh ic h is c onn ect ion- orie nte d.
To use RCP to copy files, the server from or to whic h you will be c opying files must support R CP. The
RCP copy comman ds rely on th e rsh server (or daemo n) on the rem ote 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 supp orts the re mote shel l (rsh). (M ost UNIX system s support rsh.) Beca use 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 c lient to send a rem ote username on e ach RCP request to a server. Whe n you copy an
image from the switch to a server by using RCP, the Cisco IOS software sends the first valid username
in this list:
•The username specified in the archive downl oad -sw or archive upload-sw privileged EXEC
command if a username is specified.
•The username set by the ip rcmd remote-username username global conf igur ation comm and if th e
comm an d is en t er ed .
•The r emot e use rn am e as so ci at ed wit h th e curr ent T TY ( te r mina l) proc es s . For ex am ple, if t h e u ser
is connected to the router through Telnet and was authenticated through the username comma nd,
the switch software sends the Telnet username as the remote username.
•The switc h host name.