Tag Archives: copy

Cisco – Restoring MDS configurations from somewhere else

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We recently had to replace a Cisco MDS 9124e in our lab. I used to use this method to copy and restore configuration files to MDS switches.

switch# copy tftp://192.168.0.20/switch.cfg startup-config
Trying to connect to tftp server......
Connection to server Established. Copying Started.....
|
TFTP get operation was successful
This command is deprecated. To obtain the same results, please use
the sequence 'write erase' + 'reload' + 'copy <file> running-config' + 'copy running-config startup-config'.

It was rough, but it used to work. So now I do this.

switch# copy tftp://192.168.0.20/switch.cfg bootflash:
Trying to connect to tftp server......
Connection to server Established. Copying Started.....
|
TFTP get operation was successful
switch# dir
      15155    Feb 05 21:37:37 2013  switch.cfg

write erase
reload
copy switch.cfg running-config
copy run start

It makes sense, as the write erase and reload commands make you think about what you’re doing, and you need to be sure that you want to overwrite the running or startup config.

Brocade interop mode 0

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I had the joy of finishing off a data migration project on the weekend. The final step was to remove some McData Spherion 4500 FC switches from a stretched fabric. Normally, I’d just move some cables and ISLs about and rip out the switches (do you like my calculated approach to infrastructure projects?). However, in this instance, the McData switches were the last ones in the fabric and the fabric was running McData OpenFabric mode (aka interop mode 3). Pulling out the switches wasn’t really a problem, as the Brocade SilkWorm 300 switches that were left just took over and kept things going under interop mode 3. Cool, let’s get out of here now …

The problem was that the client really wanted to go back to native mode. So we were running versions 6.1.0c and 6.2.0c on the Brocade switches, and version 9.7.2 on the McData switches. When I changed the switches back to interop mode 0 (aka “native” mode), the zoning information all went and disappeared. 96 zonesets, 63 aliases and 1 configuration save later we were all up and running again. But I did think that maybe I could have saved myself 3 hours of copy and paste if I’d somehow done things a little smarter.