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Cisco ME 3400 Ethernet Access Switch Software Configuration Guide
OL-9639-07
Appendix B      Working with the Cisco IOS File System, Configuration Files, and Software Images
Working with Configuration Files
  • Certain configuration commands, such as those pertaining to physical components of a networking 
device (for example, physical interfaces), cannot be added or removed from the running 
configuration. 
  –
A configuration replacement operation cannot remove the interface interface-id command line 
from the running configuration if that interface is physically present on the device. 
  –
The interface interface-id command line cannot be added to the running configuration if no 
such interface is physically present on the device. 
  • When using the configure replace command, you must specify a saved configuration as the 
replacement configuration file for the running configuration. The replacement file must be a 
complete configuration generated by a Cisco IOS device (for example, a configuration generated by 
the copy running-config destination-url command).
Note If you generate the replacement configuration file externally, it must comply with the format of files 
generated by Cisco IOS devices. 
Configuring the Configuration Archive
Using the configure replace command with the configuration archive and with the archive config 
command is optional but offers significant benefit for configuration rollback scenarios. Before using the 
archive config command, you must first configure the configuration archive. Starting in privileged 
EXEC mode, follow these steps to configure the configuration archive:
Command Purpose
Step 1
configure terminal Enter global configuration mode.
Step 2
archive Enter archive configuration mode.
Step 3
path url Specify the location and filename prefix for the files in the configuration 
archive.
Step 4
maximum number (Optional) Set the maximum number of archive files of the running 
configuration to be saved in the configuration archive.
number—Maximum files of the running configuration file in the configuration 
archive. Valid values are from 1 to 14. The default is 10.
Note Before using this command, you must first enter the path archive 
configuration command to specify the location and filename prefix for 
the files in the configuration archive.
Step 5
time-period minutes  (Optional) Set the time increment for automatically saving an archive file of 
the running configuration in the configuration archive.
minutes—Specify how often, in minutes, to automatically save an archive file 
of the running configuration in the configuration archive.
Step 6
end Return to privileged EXEC mode.
Step 7
show running-config Verify the configuration.
Step 8
copy running-config 
startup-config
(Optional) Save your entries in the configuration file.