3com 9000 SX User Manual

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You may see a variety of symbols shown as part of the command 
syntax. These symbols explain how to enter the command, and you do 
not type them as part of the command itself. Table 3 summarizes 
command syntax symbols.

Table 3   Command Syntax Symbols

angle brackets < >

Enclose a variable or value. You must specify the variable or value. For example, in 
the syntax

config vlan <name> ipaddress <ip_address>

you must supply a VLAN name for <name> and an address for <ip_address> when 
entering the command. Do not type the angle brackets.

square brackets [ ]

Enclose a required value or list of required arguments. One or more values or 
arguments can be specified. For example, in the syntax

disable vlan [<name> | all]

you must specify either the VLAN name for <name>, or the keyword “all” when 
entering the command. Do not type the square brackets.

vertical bar |

Separates mutually exclusive items in a list, one of which must be entered. For 
example, in the syntax

config snmp community [read | write] <string>

you must specify either the read or write community string in the command. Do not 
type the vertical bar.

braces { }

Enclose an optional value or a list of optional arguments. One or more values or 
arguments can be specified. For example, in the syntax

show vlan {<name> | all}

you can specify either a particular VLAN or the keyword “all.” If you do not specify 
an argument, the command will show all VLANs. Do not type the braces.

SW9000.BK  Page 4  Wednesday, April 1, 1998  11:00 AM