Backup Router/Switch Configuration

Backup Router/Switch Configuration

I am going to mention two easy methods to backup router / switch configuration file.

• Using Putty logging
• Using TFTP

Using Putty Logging

1. Open router / switch terminal via putty connection.
2. Enter enable mode (by entering enable command).
3. Enter command terminal length 0 (to display show run commands without breaks)
4. Right click putty and select Change Settings. 
   
5. Select Session
• Logging
• All Session output
• Log File Name – path and filename of the config file.
  


6. Enter command show run on your router/switch.
7. Close the session.

Using TFTP

1. You can transfer file from router/switch to your TFTP server.
2. For TFTP server, you can use open source TFTPD32 application.
• Download Link – http://tftpd32.jounin.net/tftpd32_download.html
3. Configure your TFTPd32 application as shown in screenshot.
   


• Current Directory – Directory where you want to store your configuration file.
4. Enter following command in enable mode of your router / switch.
• Copy running-config tftp:
• Enter the tftp server address – eg. 192.168.0.101
• Enter the file name of the config – eg. r1-config
   
  
  
  
  

Similary you can use this method for copying firewall or other device configurations.

Use a TFTP Server to Backup and Restore a Configuration

This is a step-by-step approach to copy a configuration from a router to a TFTP server, and back to another router. Before you proceed with this method, make sure you have a TFTP server on the network to which you have IP connectivity.

1. At the Router> prompt, issue the enable command, and provide the required password when prompted.
   The prompt changes to Router#, which indicates that the router is now in privileged mode.
2. Copy the running configuration file to the TFTP server:
   

   CE_2#copy running-config tftp:
   Address or name of remote host []? IP address
   Destination filename [ce_2-confg]? backup_cfg_for_my_router
   !!
   1030 bytes copied in 2.489 secs (395 bytes/sec)
   CE_2#

3. Open the configuration file with a text editor. Search for and remove any line that starts with "AAA".
   Note: This step is to remove any security commands that can lock you out of the router.
4. Copy the configuration file from the TFTP server to a new router in privileged (enable) mode which has a basic configuration.
   

   Router#copy tftp: running-config
   Address or name of remote host []? IP Address
   Source filename []? backup_cfg_for_my_router
   Destination filename [running-config]?
   Accessing tftp://10.66.64.10/backup_cfg_for_my_router...
   Loading backup_cfg_for_router from 64.104.207.171 (via FastEthernet0/0): !
   [OK - 1030 bytes]
   
   1030 bytes copied in 9.612 secs (107 bytes/sec)
   CE_2#