1-11 Configuration File ManagementWhen configuring configuration file management, go to these sections for information you areinterested in:z Introduction to Configuration Filez Configuration Task ListIntroduction to Configuration FileA configuration file records and stores user configurations performed to a switch. It also enables usersto check switch configurations easily.Types of configurationThe configuration of a switch falls into two types:z Saved configuration, a configuration file used for initialization. If this file does not exist, the switchstarts up without loading any configuration file.z Current configuration, which refers to the user’s configuration during the operation of a switch. Thisconfiguration is stored in Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM). It is removed whenrebooting.Format of configuration fileConfiguration files are saved as text files for ease of reading. They:z Save configuration in the form of commands.z Save only non-default configuration settings.z The commands are grouped into sections by command view. The commands that are of the samecommand view are grouped into one section. Sections are separated by comment lines. (A line is acomment line if it starts with the character #.)z The sections are listed in this order: system configuration section, logical interface configurationsection, physical port configuration section, routing protocol configuration section, user interfaceconfiguration, and so on.z End with a return.The operating interface provided by the configuration file management function is user-friendly. With it,you can easily manage your configuration files.Main/backup attribute of the configuration fileMain and backup indicate the main and backup attribute of the configuration file respectively. A mainconfiguration file and a backup configuration file can coexist on the switch. As such, when the mainconfiguration file is missing or damaged, the backup file can be used instead. This increases the safetyand reliability of the file system compared with the switch that only support one configuration file. Youcan configure a file to have both main and backup attribute, but only one file of either main or backupattribute is allowed on a switch.The following three situations are concerned with the main/backup attributes:
