Dell PowerConnect B - MLXe 16 Hardware Installation Guide - Page 164

6 Dynamic configuration loading Dynamic configuration loading You can load dynamic configuration commands (these commands do not require a reload to take affect) from a file on a TFTP server into the running configuration file on the router. You can also make configuration changes off-line, then load the changes directly into the running configuration file on the router, without reloading the software. Consider the following factors when using this feature: • Use this feature only to load configuration information that does not require a software reload to take effect. For example, you cannot use this feature to change statically-configured memory (the system-max command). • Do not load port configuration information for secondary ports in a trunk group. Since all ports in a trunk group use the port configuration settings of the primary port in the group, the software cannot implement the changes to the secondary port. Preparing the configuration file Create a copy of the startup configuration file that follows the same syntax rules as the startup configuration file created by the router. When preparing this duplicate startup configuration file consider the following: • The startup configuration file is a script containing CLI configuration commands. The CLI reacts to each command entered from the file in the same way it reacts to the command if you enter it. For example, if the command results in an error message or a change to the CLI configuration level, the software responds by displaying the message, or changing the CLI level. • The software retains the running configuration file currently on the router, and changes this file only by adding new commands from the startup configuration file. If the running configuration already contains a command that is also in the startup configuration file you are loading, the CLI rejects the new command as a duplicate and displays an error message. For example, if the running configuration file already contains a command that configures ACL 1, the software rejects ACL 1 in the startup configuration file, and displays a message that ACL 1 is already configured. • The duplicate startup configuration file can contain global CONFIG commands or configuration commands for interfaces, routing protocols, and so on. You cannot enter User EXEC or Privileged EXEC commands. • Since the default CLI configuration level in a startup configuration file is the global CONFIG level, the first command in the file must be a global CONFIG command or "!". The ! (exclamation point) character means "return to the global CONFIG level". NOTE You can enter text following "! "as a comment. However, the "!" is not a comment marker. It returns the CLI to the global configuration level. NOTE The CLI switches to the global CONFIG level if you load the configuration as a startup configuration instead of the running configuration (using the copy tftp startup-config command or ncopy tftp startup-config command). 152 PowerConnect B-MLXe Hardware Installation Guide 53-1002111-01