UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

i'm installing tftp because I work for the networking dept here and we have a very secure unix box downstairs that has a tftp server and has the final back up's of all our ios' on our cisco's switches. I wanted a more lienant server that I ran so that we could put temp files and ios' that we were still playing with first before we put it on the more secure on downstairs.

it's pretty much just for back up purposes of our switches

This is what I guessed, backup of Cisco IOS and/or Cisco config files. That is precisely where my expertise in TFTP originates

To backup the IOS, you will have to touch a file (and give open permissions) to the same name of the file you are saving. When you do a 'write net' on the Cisco boxes, it will ask for the name/ip of the TFTP server AND the name of the file (the Cisco IOS gives a default). That file MUST exist in the TFTP directory of the server.

So before you do a 'write net' you much touch a file with the same name as the file you are writing. For example, on the server:

Code:

cd /etc/tftp
touch cisco-ios-dec-05-v11.03a
chmod 666 cisco-ios-dec-05-v11.03a

On the router you would then 'write net' file name, cisco-ios-dec-05-v11.03a. (use your own file names). The confusion most people have is that the file must exist in the TFTP directory in order to write it from a device, like the Cisco IOS. To read the file (get), you must know the exact name of the file you are 'getting'. Same is true for Cisco configurations:

Code:

cd /etc/tftp
touch router-bigmomma-new-access-lists-dec-06
chmod 666 router-bigmomma-new-access-lists-dec-06

I forget the exact Cisco syntax, so if you need help in that area, please login to the router from an X or other GUI telnet session and use the mouse to capture the screen (Cisco console) and upload to this thread. I can help you through the 'write net' and other commands between the Cisco IOS and your UNIX TFTP platform.

[Edited by Neo on 12-07-2000 at 06:35 PM]