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Catalyst 4500 Series, Catalyst 2948G, Catalyst 2948G-GE-TX, and Catalyst 2980G Switches Software Configuration Guide–Release 8.2GLX
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Chapter 2      Using the Command-Line Interface
Accessing the Switch CLI
The Catalyst enterprise LAN switches are multimodule systems. Commands that you enter from the CLI 
might apply to the entire system or to a specific module, port, or VLAN.
You configure the switch using the set and clear commands. Enter the set commands to change switch 
parameters. Use the clear commands (or in some cases, use the set commands) to overwrite or erase 
configuration parameters. Use the show commands to display the current configuration and to monitor 
the switch.
Accessing the Switch CLI
You can access the CLI through the supervisor engine console port or through a Telnet session.
These sections describe how to access the switch CLI:
• Accessing the CLI Through the Console Port, page 2-2
• Accessing the CLI Through Telnet, page 2-3
Accessing the CLI Through the Console Port
Note For complete information on how to connect a terminal to the supervisor engine console port, refer to 
the hardware documentation for your switch.
To access the switch CLI through the console port, you must connect a console terminal to the console 
port through an EIA/TIA-232 (RS-232) cable. Make sure that the terminal is connected to the switch and 
that the terminal is on.
To access the switch CLI through the console port, follow these steps:
Step 1 Connect to the supervisor engine console port using the appropriate application or commands on the 
terminal (for example, using a terminal emulation program on a PC or using the tip command on a UNIX 
system).
Step 2 If the switch is not on, power up the switch. The bootup display should appear on the screen (see the 
“Example of a Catalyst 4003 Bootup Display” section on page 2-9). If the switch is already booted, press 
Enter to see this display:
Cisco Systems, Inc. Console
Enter password:
After you successfully connect to the switch through the console port, you can use normal-mode 
commands to monitor the switch or enter privileged mode to change the configuration. For more 
information, see the “Switch CLI Command Modes” section on page 2-3.