Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series, Configuration Manual

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In standalone mode, the Cisco Configuration Engine supports an embedded directory service. In this mode,
no external directory or other data store is required. In server mode, the Cisco Configuration Engine supports
the use of a user-defined external directory.
Figure 42: Cisco Configuration Engine Architectural Overview
Configuration Service
The Configuration Service is the core component of the Cisco Configuration Engine. It consists of a
Configuration Server that works with Cisco IOS CNS agents on the switch. The Configuration Service delivers
device and service configurations to the switch for initial configuration and mass reconfiguration by logical
groups. Switches receive their initial configuration from the Configuration Service when they start up on the
network for the first time.
The Configuration Service uses the CNS Event Service to send and receive configuration change events and
to send success and failure notifications.
The Configuration Server is a web server that uses configuration templates and the device-specific configuration
information stored in the embedded (standalone mode) or remote (server mode) directory.
Configuration templates are text files containing static configuration information in the form of CLI commands.
In the templates, variables are specified by using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) URLs that
reference the device-specific configuration information stored in a directory.
The Cisco IOS agent can perform a syntax check on received configuration files and publish events to show
the success or failure of the syntax check. The configuration agent can either apply configurations immediately
or delay the application until receipt of a synchronization event from the configuration server.
Consolidated Platform Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS Release 15.2(4)E (Catalyst 2960-X Switches)
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Information About Configuring the Configuration Engine