hello, can anyone tell me the easiest way of backing up a cisco router config and flash to a PC....

have looked on cisco site but not found anything yet

 

Get the Cisco TFTP server down from their site and use the command 'copy run tftp' and 'copy flash tftp'

Alt if you have linux or Solaris find your own !

Very useful and scriptable...

Ids

 

Or use the PumpKIN TFTP server which is (a) small and (b) works well.

OTOH if you want the 'simplest' method (and you've only got a few routers) then 'sh run' and cut-n-paste the results into Notepad works well too

[Edited by carl - 7/22/2002 1:27:40 PM]

 

You'll need a CCO login to download Cisco's TFTP server. however, I ( and several others I know) have had problems with the cisco TFTP server for large files over 10mb or so. There are plenty of other freebie TFTP servers about for Windows. Do a search on Google if you need to find an alternative.

Deano

 

http://www.klever.net/kin/pumpkin.html

 

thanks chaps, have successfully got the router talking to the German stock exchange and now backed up... many thanks again

 

Don't forget to "copy running start" aswell (or "wr mem" for the those still living with IOS 10.0 )

Deano

 

'wr' is much better -- only two characters

 

is running start the same as startup-config ???

 

running is the config in memory while start config is the written (saved) config.

 

Or to expand slightly further....

When you configure a Cisco router the running config is stored in DRAM (normal PC style memory). If you power-cycle the router that config will be lost and you will have to start again. To Store it on the router, you need to copy the running config to something more permanent. This would be (in most cases) "NVRAM". The config used for sarting the router is set by the system to be the file "startup-config" in NVRAM.

Hence "copy running start" is short for "copy running-config startup-config" which will ensure that when net started the router will be in the same state as it is now. You have also taken the sensible step of copying the config to a central store aswell. "copy running-config tftp" so that if hardware breaks etc and your config on the current router is lost - you can simply copy it back again.

Most routers also have "flash" memory. This is either flash memory on the main board or additional flash PCMCIA cards. (More recently they are starting to use ATA flash disks.). These can be used to store copies of the config (e.g. in case you want to back out several changes) or more usually the IOS image used for the router.

This is the software the router is actually running and for Cisco routers you have lots (and lots) of options. Its also a "good" idea to copy the IOS image file to somewhere safe aswell.

to do this, do "dir" - find the filename. then copy <flash-device>:<filename> tftp

The flash device would for a small router normally be just "flash".

With the range of cisco products there are exeptions and additions to all of this (bootflash blah blah) but thats the basics.

See http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/...htm#xtocid2106 for a fuller (better) explanation.

Deano