Cisco Router IOS Startup and Running Configurations Files
Cisco Router IOS Startup and Running Configurations Files
There two major configuration files located in the routers memory. They are named as a start-up configuration file and running configuration file.
All the commands that help to configure routers are stored in the configuration files of the router. There two major configuration files located in the routers memory. They are named as a start-up configuration file and running configuration file. Any changes that are made to the configurations of router are first made in running configuration file. They are later saved to the start up configuration file.
Running configurations are stored in the running configuration file. The running configuration file is stored in the Random Access Memory of the router. Random Access Memory is the volatile memory. It means all the information stored in the Random Access Memory is erased once the router is turned off. Hence, all the configurations that are made on the router are erased when we turn off the router.
Hence, the configurations must be saved in a non-volatile memory to prevent configuration losses. The data from running configuration file is copied to start up configuration file. The start-up configuration is stored in NVRAM. It’s a Non-Volatile Random Access Memory and it does not require any power to store the information. NVRAM has the capacity to store data even when the router is turned off or shut down.
We have to configure a router or a switch in the command line interface. Following Router iOS commands helps us to copy the running configuration to the start-up configuration. Copy command works in EXEC mode of router. Hence, enter EXEC mode of a router. In EXEC mode use the following command to copy the configuration
CISCO-ROUTER# copy running-config startup-config
Or
CISCO-ROUTER# copy run start
CISCO-ROUTER is the host name of router and # prompt indicates that the router is EXEC mode.
Another easy command to copy the configuration is
CISCO-ROUTER# write memory
Any one of the above commands can be used to copy the configuration data.
One can also store the running configuration in the remote PC or server using Trivial File Transfer Protocol. Command to copy running configuration to TFTP server is
CISCO-ROUTER# copy running-config tftp://172.26.26.1/router-config
172.26.26.1 is the IP address of the TFTP server and router-config is the file name of running configuration with which it is being saved on TFTP server.
To copy the data from TFTP server to running configuration of router, the command is
CISCO-ROUTER# copy tftp://172.26.26.1/router-config running-config
172.26.26.1 is IP address of TFTP server and router-config is the name of configuration file stored in the TFTP server.
Command line interface is very user-friendly. It provides command completion after every unique character entered just by pressing tab in the keyboard
Read more
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