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This chapter contains the following sections:
Your software release might not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see the Bug Search Tool at https://tools.cisco.com/bugsearch/ and the release notes for your software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the “New and Changed Information” chapter or the Feature History table below.
Configuration files contain the Cisco NX-OS software commands used to configure the features on a Cisco NX-OS device. Commands are parsed (translated and executed) by the Cisco NX-OS software when the system is booted (from the startup-config file) or when you enter commands at the CLI in a configuration mode.
To change the startup configuration file, you can either save the running-configuration file to the startup configuration using the copy running-config startup-config command or copy a configuration file from a file server to the startup configuration.
The Cisco NX-OS software has two types of configuration files, running configuration and startup configuration. The device uses the startup configuration (startup-config) during device startup to configure the software features. The running configuration (running-config) contains the current changes that you make to the startup-configuration file. The two configuration files can be different. You might want to change the device configuration for a short time period rather than permanently. In this case, you would change the running configuration by using commands in global configuration mode but not save the changes to the startup configuration.
To change the running configuration, use the configure terminal command to enter global configuration mode. As you use the Cisco NX-OS configuration modes, commands generally are executed immediately and are saved to the running configuration file either immediately after you enter them or when you exit a configuration mode.
To change the startup-configuration file, you can either save the running configuration file to the startup configuration or download a configuration file from a file server to the startup configuration.
The following table shows the licensing requirements for this feature:
This section describes how to manage configuration files.
You can save the running configuration to the startup configuration to save your changes for the next time you that reload the device.
Command or Action | Purpose |
---|
You can copy a configuration file stored in the internal memory to a remote server as a backup or to use for configuring other Cisco NX-OS devices.
switch# copy ftp: bootflash: Enter source filename: n5000-uk9-kickstart.5.0.2.N2.1.bin Warning: There is already a file existing with this name. Do you want to overwrite (y/n)?[n] y Enter vrf (If no input, current vrf 'default' is considered): management Enter hostname for the ftp server: 172.1.1.10 Enter username: xxx Password: ***** Transfer of file Completed Successfully ***** Note: Boot variable kickstart is set to bootflash:/n5000-uk9-kickstart.5.0.2.N2.1.bin
You can configure your Cisco NX-OS device by using configuration files that you created on another Cisco NX-OS device and uploaded to a remote server. You then download the file from the remote server to your device using TFTP, FTP, Secure Copy (SCP), or Secure Shell FTP (SFTP) to the running configuration.
Ensure that the configuration file that you want to download is in the correct directory on the remote server.
Ensure that the permissions on the file are set correctly. Permissions on the file should be set to world-read.
Ensure that your Cisco NX-OS device has a route to the remote server. The Cisco NX-OS device and the remote server must be in the same subnetwork if you do not have a router or a default gateway to route traffic between subnets.
Check connectivity to the remote server using the ping or ping6 command.
You can configure your Cisco NX-OS device by using configuration files that you created on another Cisco NX-OS device and uploaded to a remote server. You then download the file from the remote server to your device using TFTP, FTP, Secure Copy (SCP), or Secure Shell FTP (SFTP) to the startup configuration.
![]() Caution | This procedure disrupts all traffic on the Cisco NX-OS device. |
Log in to a session on the console port.
Ensure that the configuration file that you want to download is in the correct directory on the remote server.
Ensure that the permissions on the file are set correctly. Permissions on the file should be set to world-read.
Ensure that your Cisco NX-OS device has a route to the remote server. The Cisco NX-OS device and the remote server must be in the same subnetwork if you do not have a router or a default gateway to route traffic between subnets.
Check connectivity to the remote server using the ping or ping6 command.
You can copy configuration files to an external flash memory device as a backup for later use.
Insert the external Flash memory device into the active supervisor module.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 |
dir
{slot0: |
usb1:
|
usb2:}[directory/]
Example: switch# dir slot0: | (Optional)
Displays the files on the external flash memory device. |
Step 2 |
copy
running-config {slot0: |
usb1:
|
usb2:}[directory/]filename
Example: switch# copy running-config slot0:dsn-running-config.cfg |
Copies the running configuration to an external flash memory device. The filename argument is case sensitive. |
Step 3 |
copy
startup-config {slot0: |
usb1:
|
usb2:}[directory/]filename
Example: switch# copy startup-config slot0:dsn-startup-config.cfg |
Copies the startup configuration to an external flash memory device. The filename argument is case sensitive. |
You can configure your Cisco NX-OS device by copying configuration files created on another Cisco NX-OS device and saved to an external flash memory device.
Insert the external flash memory device into the active supervisor module.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 |
dir {slot0: |
usb1:
|
usb2:}[directory/]
Example: switch# dir slot0: | (Optional)
Displays the files on the external flash memory device. |
Step 2 |
copy {slot0: |
usb1: |
usb2:}[directory/]filename
running-config
Example: switch# copy slot0:dsn-config.cfg running-config |
Copies the running configuration from an external flash memory device. The filename argument is case sensitive. |
Step 3 |
show running-config
Example: switch# show running-config | (Optional)
Displays the running configuration. |
Step 4 |
copy running-config startup-config
Example: switch# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
Step 5 |
show startup-config
Example: switch# show startup-config | (Optional)
Displays the startup configuration. |
You can copy configuration files to the internal memory as a backup for later use.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 |
copy running-config [filesystem:][directory/] | [directory/]filename
Example: switch# copy running-config bootflash:sw1-run-config.bak |
Copies the running-configuration file to internal memory. The filesystem, directory, and filename arguments are case sensitive. |
Step 2 |
copy startup-config [filesystem:][directory/] | [directory/]filename
Example: switch# copy startup-config bootflash:sw1-start-config.bak |
Copies the startup-configuration file to internal memory. The filesystem, directory, and filename arguments are case sensitive. |
Problems, such as memory corruption, can occur that make it necessary for you to recover your configuration from a backed up version.
![]() Note | Each time that you enter a copy running-config startup-config command, a binary file is created and the ASCII file is updated. A valid binary configuration file reduces the overall boot time significantly. A binary file cannot be uploaded, but its contents can be used to overwrite the existing startup configuration. The write erase command clears the binary file. |
Command or Action | Purpose | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 | write erase
Example: switch# write erase |
Clears the current configuration of the switch. | ||
Step 2 | reload
Example: switch# reload |
Restarts the device. You will be prompted to provide a kickstart and system image file for the device to boot and run.
| ||
Step 3 |
copy
configuration_file
running-configuration
Example: switch# copy bootflash:start-config.bak running-configuration |
Copies a previously saved configuration file to the running configuration.
| ||
Step 4 | copy running-config startup-config
Example: switch# copy running-config startup-config |
Copies the running configuration to the start-up configuration. |
When you remove an I/O module from the chassis, you can also remove the configuration for that module from the running configuration.
![]() Note | You can only remove the configuration for an empty slot in the chassis. |
Remove the I/O module from the chassis.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 |
show hardware
Example: switch# show hardware | (Optional)
Displays the installed hardware for the device. |
Step 2 |
purge module
slot
running-config
Example: switch# purge module 3 running-config |
Removes the configuration for a missing module from the running configuration. |
Step 3 |
copy running-config startup-config
Example: switch# copy running-config startup-config | (Optional)
Copies the running configuration to the startup configuration. |
You can erase the configuration on your device to return to the factory defaults.
You can erase the following configuration files saved in the persistent memory on the device:
![]() Note | The write erase command erases the entire startup configuration, except for the following: To remove the boot variable definitions and the IPv4 configuration on the mgmt0 interface, use the write erase boot command. |
Command or Action | Purpose | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 |
write
erase [boot
|
debug]
Example: switch# write erase Warning: This command will erase the startup-configuration. Do you wish to proceed anyway? (y/n) [n] y |
Erases configurations in persistent memory. The default action erases the startup configuration. The boot option erases the boot variable definitions and the IPv4 configuration on the mgmt0 interface. The debug option erases the debugging configuration.
|
You can clear inactive Quality of Service (QoS) and/or access control list (ACL) configurations.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | show running-config type inactive-if-config Example: # show running-config ipqos inactive-if-config | (Optional) Displays any inactive ACL or QoS configurations. The values for the type argument are aclmgr and ipqos. |
Step 2 |
clear inactive-config policy Example: # clear inactive-config qos clear qos inactive config Inactive if config for QoS manager is saved at/bootflash/qos_inactive_if_config.cfg for vdc default & for other than default vdc: /bootflash/vdc_x/qos_inactive_if_config.cfg (where x is vdc number) you can see the log file @ show inactive-if-config log |
Clears inactive configurations. The values for the policy argument are qos and acl. The following describes the values: |
Step 3 | show inactive-if-config log Example: # show inactive-if-config log | (Optional) Displays the commands that were used to clear the inactive configurations. |
To verify the configuration after bootstrapping the device using POAP, use one of the following commands:
Command |
Purpose |
---|---|
show running-config |
Displays the running configuration. |
show startup-config |
Displays the startup configuration. |
For detailed information about the fields in the output from these commands, see the Cisco Nexus command reference for your device.
This section includes examples of working with configuration files.
This example shows how to copy a running configuration to the bootflash: file system:
switch# copy bootflash:running-config bootflash:my-config
This example shows how to back up the startup configuration to the bootflash: file system (ASCII file):
switch# copy startup-config bootflash:my-config
This example shows how to back up the startup configuration to the TFTP server (ASCII file):
switch# copy startup-config tftp://172.16.10.100/my-config
This example shows how to back up the running configuration to the bootflash: file system (ASCII file):
switch# copy running-config bootflash:my-config
To roll back your configuration to a snapshot copy of a previously saved configuration, you need to perform the following steps:
Clear the current running image with the write erase command.
Restart the device with the reload command.
![]() Note | By default, the reload command reloads the device from a binary version of the startup configuration. Beginning with Cisco NX-OS 6.2(2), you can use the reload ascii command to copy an ASCII version of the configuration to the start up configuration when reloading the device. |
Copy the previously saved configuration file to the running configuration with the copy configuration_file running-configuration command.
Copy the running configuration to the start-up configuration with the copy running-config startup-config command.
This section includes additional information related to managing configuration files.
Related Topic |
Document Title |
---|---|
Licensing |
Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide |
Command reference |
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS Command Reference |