Switch Memory and Configuration

Switch Memory and Configuration

Overview

Overview

This appendix describes the following:

How switch memory manages configuration changes

How the CLI implements configuration changes

How the menu interfaceand web browser interface implement configura- tion changes

Overview of Configuration FileManagement

The switch maintains two configuration files, the running-configfile and the startup-configfile.

Volatile Memory

Running-Config File (Controls switch operation. When the switch reboots, the contents of this file are erased and replaced by the contents of the startup-config file.)

Flash (Non-Volatile) Memory

Startup-Config File

(Preserves the most recently saved configuration through any subsequent reboot.)

CLI configuration changes are written to this file. To use the CLI to save the latest version of this file to the startup- config file, you must execute the write memory command.

Menu interface configuration changes are simultaneously written to both of these files.

Figure C-10. Conceptual Illustration of Switch Memory Operation

Running Config File: Exists in volatile memory and controls switch operation. If no configuration changes have been made in the CLI since the switch was last booted, the running-config file is identical to the startup-config file.

Startup-config File: Exists in flash (non-volatile) memory and is used to preserve the most recently-saved configuration as the "permanent" configuration.

C-2