Cisco IOS XE AutoInstall enables automatic loading of device configuration files from a remote location and can be used to configure several devices concurrently. Setup is an interactive Cisco IOS XE software CLI mode that guides you through a basic (also called a startup) configuration but limits you to configuring a single device at a time. AutoInstall is an automatic process; Setup is a manual process.

AutoInstall is the Cisco IOS XE software feature that enables the configuration of a remote networking device from a central location. The configuration files must be stored on a TFTP server that is accessible by the devices that you are using AutoInstall to setup.

AutoInstall is supported over Ethernet, Token Ring, and FDDI interfaces for LANs, serial interfaces using High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) encapsulation, and serial interfaces using Frame Relay encapsulation for WANs.

AutoInstall is designed to facilitate central management of installations at remote sites. The AutoInstall process begins when a Cisco IOS XE software-based device is turned on and a valid configuration file is not found in NVRAM. AutoInstall may not start if the networking device has Cisco Router and Security Device Manager (SDM) or Cisco Network Assistant already installed. In this case, to enable AutoInstall you need to disable SDM.

Using AutoInstall to Remotely Configure Cisco Networking Devices describes how AutoInstall functions, how to disable SDM, and how to configure devices to use AutoInstall.

Cisco IOS XE Setup mode enables you to build an initial configuration file using the Cisco IOS XE CLI or System Configuration Dialog. The dialog guides you through initial configuration and is useful when you are unfamiliar with Cisco products or the CLI and when configuration changes do not require the level of detail the CLI provides.

Setup starts automatically when a device has no configuration file in NVRAM and is not preconfigured from the factory to use Cisco SDM. When setup completes, it presents the System Configuration Dialog. This dialog guides you through an initial configuration with prompts for basic information about your device and network and then creates an initial configuration file. After the file is created, you can use the CLI to perform additional configuration.

Using Setup Mode to Configure a Cisco Networking Device describes how to use Setup to build a basic configuration and to make configuration changes.