3Com Switch 4210 9-Port, Configuration Manual

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3
C
ONFIGURATION
F
ILE
M
ANAGEMENT
Introduction to
Configuration File
A configuration file records and stores the user settings for a switch. It also enables
users to check switch configurations easily.
Types of configuration
The configuration of a device falls into two types:
■
Saved configuration, a configuration file used for initialization. If this file does
not exist, the device starts up without loading any configuration file.
■
Current configuration, which refers to the user’s configuration during the
operation of a device. When you make configuration changes to your switch,
you are changing the current configuration. You must save these changes for
them to be made permanent, as the current configuration resides in dynamic
random-access memory (DRAM) and is lost when the switch is powered down
or rebooted.
Format of configuration file
Configuration files are saved as text files for ease of reading. The saved
configuration file has the file extension .cfg. The:
■
Saved configuration in the form of commands.
■
Save only non-default configuration settings.
■
commands are grouped into sections by command view. The commands that
are of the same command view are grouped into one section. Sections are
separated by comment lines. (A line is a comment line if it starts with the
character "#".)
■
sections are listed in this order: system configuration section, logical interface
configuration section, physical port configuration section, routing protocol
configuration section, user interface configuration, and so on.
■
End with a return.
The operating interface provided by the configuration file management function is
user-friendly. With it, you can easily manage your configuration files.
Main/backup attribute of the configuration file
Main and backup indicate the main and backup attribute of the configuration file
respectively. A main configuration file and a backup configuration file can coexist
on the device. As such, when the main configuration file is missing or damaged,
the backup file can be used instead. This increases the safety and reliability of the
file system compared with the device that only support one configuration file. You
can configure a file to have both main and backup attribute, but only one file of
either main or backup attribute is allowed on a device.