Creating a custom default configuration

The custom default configuration feature provides the ability to initialize a switch to a different state from the factory default state when you delete the active configuration file. The factory default configuration is not changed. If a custom configuration file has been created and the active configuration file is deleted, the switch will boot up using the custom configuration file.

The feature provides the ability to:

Procedure
  1. Use a customized configuration file as a default configuration file
  2. Enable the switch to start up with the specified default configuration

The existence of a custom default configuration file does not affect the results of loading a remotely stored configuration file onto the switch.

Using a custom default configuration, you can configure the features you want to be in the default configuration. When the active configuration is deleted using the erase startup command, the active configuration is removed and the custom default configuration file will be used upon bootup. The standard default configuration file remains and is used if there is no custom default configuration.

NOTE: This feature does not change the system defaults. The custom default configuration file is automatically used when the startup configuration file is erased. It has no effect on what is loaded onto the switch when a remotely stored configuration file is restored.

The default configuration file can be customized using commands at the CLI prompt or by copying a configuration file with the desired configuration using TFTP, USB, or XMODEM copy commands. The existing default configuration file also can be transferred from the switch using these commands.

To start creating the configuration file to be used as the custom default configuration file, enter the commands that configure the features desired and then save the configuration file using the write memory command. The following example is as shown.

Creating a config file with the desired features
switch(config)# spanning-tree
switch(config)# interface 4 flow-control

switch(config)# write memory

This configuration, which enables flow control on interface 4, and also spanning tree on the switch, is stored in the startup configuration file.

To save this configuration as the custom default configuration, the startup configuration file is copied to the default configuration file, as shown following.

Copying the startup configuration file to the custom default configuration file
switch(config)# copy startup-config default-config