How to Backup and Restore a Connectrix Cisco MDS Switch Configuration

In this detailed step-by-step guide on MDS switch Configuration Backup and Restore we show you how to copy the running-config into the switches bootflash or a remote server.

Hi everyone. In this video, let us learn how to save the switch configuration, copy the configuration to an internal file system or a remote server, also how to load a saved config file to the running configuration. The Cisco NX-OS software has two types of configuration files Running Configuration and Startup Configuration. The device uses the Startup Configuration during device startup to configure the software features.

The Running Configuration contains the current changes that you make to the Startup Configuration. You can save the Running Config to Startup Config to save your changes for the next time that you reload the device. So, the command is copy running-config startup-config. Each time that you enter a copy running-config startup-config command, a binary file is created and the ASCII file is updated. A valid binary configuration file reduces the overall boot time significantly.

You can copy configuration files to an internal memory as a backup for later use. So, the command is copy running-config bootflash: and specify the name of the file. You can check this by using the command dir. You can copy a configuration file stored in the internal memory to a remote server as a backup or to use for configuring other Cisco NX-OS devices. So, the command is copy running-config scp://<IP>/<filename>. So, we shall save this with the same name.

This prompts you to enter the credentials for your SCP server. You can check your SCP server to find this running configuration file. You can also copy the file saved in bootflash to a remote server using the command copy bootflash:<filename> scp://<IP>/<filename>. So, we shall save this with the name test_run_config. Problems such as memory corruption can occur that make it necessary for you to recover your configuration from a backed-up version.

Once you have a saved config file, it can be loaded onto the switch bootflash and then copied to the running config, or directly to the running config from an external FTP, TFTP, or SCP server. Or if it is already saved in bootflash, it can be loaded from there as well. Downloading the running configuration from a remote server to copy a saved config file from an SCP server directly to running config, run the command copy scp://<IP>/<filename> running-config.

The configuration which was present in the specified file is copied to the switch running config. Now, save the running config to Startup Config. You can also copy a saved config file to the running config from bootflash by using the command copy bootflash:<filename> running-config. Now, save the running config to Startup Config.

Thank you for watching.