Configuration Guide for Cisco IOS XE Gibraltar 16.10.x

Quick guide from the manual

This guide provides instructions for managing configuration files on Cisco IOS XE devices. Key tasks include copying configuration files between the router and network servers (TFTP, FTP, RCP), managing configuration archives, performing rollbacks, and applying software maintenance upgrades (SMU). Users should be familiar with the Cisco IOS command-line interface (CLI) before proceeding.

Managing Configuration Files

Configuration files are essential for customizing device functionality. There are two primary types:

• Startup configuration (startup-config): Used during system startup, stored in NVRAM.
• Running configuration (running-config): Contains the current configuration, stored in RAM.

You can copy configurations to or from network servers using the copy command. Protocols supported include TFTP, FTP, and RCP. For configurations exceeding NVRAM size, use the service compress-config command to store them in a compressed format.

Configuration Performance Enhancements

To improve performance on systems with large configurations, the following features are available:

• Parser Cache: Dynamically caches and reuses simplified parse graphs to speed up the processing of large configuration files.
• Configuration Generation Performance Enhancement: Caches interface configuration information in system memory to reduce the time required to collect running configuration data.
• Configuration Partitioning: Allows you to retrieve and display only specific parts of the running configuration (e.g., specific interfaces or access lists) rather than the entire configuration.

Configuration Security and Access

To prevent concurrent configuration changes by multiple users, you can use the Exclusive Configuration Change Access feature. This locks the configuration mode, ensuring that only one user can make changes at a time. Access session locking further ensures that commands entered by the lock owner have execution priority.

Configuration Replace and Rollback

The configuration replace and rollback feature allows you to revert to a previous configuration state. This requires a configuration archive to be set up using the archive command. Once configured, you can use the configure replace command to replace the current running configuration with a saved file. The configure confirm command can be used to require confirmation of changes within a specified time frame, automatically rolling back if confirmation is not received.

Configuration Change Notification and Logging

The system can track configuration changes on a per-session and per-user basis. You can enable configuration logging to track commands, the user who applied them, and the time they were applied. Notifications can be sent to a remote syslog server.

Software Maintenance Upgrade (SMU)

SMUs are packages used to provide patches or security resolutions. The installation process involves three main steps:

1. Add: Copy the SMU package to the device and run compatibility checks.
2. Activate: Install the package and trigger a process restart or reload.
3. Commit: Make the changes persistent across reloads.

You can also roll back, deactivate, or remove SMUs if necessary.