Table Of Contents

Configuration Files

Saving the Configuration File

Configuration Files

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Configuration files can contain some or all of the commands needed to configure one or more switches. For example, you might want to download the same configuration file to several switches that have the same hardware configuration so that they have identical module and port configurations.

You can configure a switch in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family by using configuration files you create or download from another switch. In addition, you can store configuration files on a bootflash: device on the supervisor module and you can configure the switch using a configuration stored on an external CompactFlash disk. Before you begin downloading a configuration file using a remote server, do the following:

•Ensure the configuration file to be downloaded 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 the switch has a route to the remote server. The switch and the remote server must be in the same subnetwork if you do not have a router or default gateway to route traffic between subnets.

•Check connectivity to the remote server using the ping command.

Saving the Configuration File

Saving the configuration file refers to copying a running configuration file to a startup configuration file.

As of Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 2.1(1a) or higher, you can copy the running configuration to the startup configuration across the entire fabric by using the Copy Configuration option. This triggers every switch in the fabric to copy its running configuration to its startup configuration.

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Note If any switch fails during this fabric-wide copy, that switch and the switch that you used to initiate this command will keep the existing startup configuration. This does not affect the other switches in the fabric.

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To copy the configuration file, follow these steps:

After you have created a running configuration in system memory, you can save it to the startup configuration in NVRAM.

Use the following copy command to save the configuration to NVRAM:

switch# copy system:running-config nvram:startup-config 

The copy running-config startup-config command is an alias to the previous command and is used frequently throughout this guide.

To cancel the copy operation initiated by another switch, use the following command:

switch# system startup-config abort

To cancel the operation locally and throughout the fabric, enter Ctrl-c on the console or Telnet session of the initiator switch.