Creating configuration files can aid in your switch configuration. 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.

Use these guidelines when creating a configuration file:

•

We recommend that you connect through the service port when using configuration files to
configure the switch. If you configure the switch from a Telnet session, IP addresses are not
changed, and ports and modules are not disabled.

•

If no passwords have been set on the switch, you must set them on each switch by entering the
enable secret secret-password global configuration command. Enter a blank line for this command.
The password is saved in the configuration file as clear text.

•

If passwords already exist, you cannot enter the enable secret secret-password global configuration
command in the file because the password verification will fail. If you enter a password in the
configuration file, the switch mistakenly attempts to execute the passwords as commands as it
executes the file.

Note

The copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} system:running-config privileged EXEC command loads the
configuration files on the switch as if you were entering the commands at the command line. The switch
does not erase the existing running configuration before adding the commands. If a command in the
copied configuration file replaces a command in the existing configuration file, the existing command
is erased. For example, if the copied configuration file contains a different IP address in a particular
command than the existing configuration, the IP address in the copied configuration is used. However,
some commands in the existing configuration might not be replaced or negated. In this case, the resulting
configuration file is a mixture of the existing configuration file and the copied configuration file, with
the copied configuration file having precedence.

To restore a configuration file to an exact copy of a file stored on a server, copy the configuration file
directly to the startup configuration (by using the copy {ftp: | rcp: | tftp:} nvram:startup-config
privileged EXEC command), and reload the switch.