Packet Tracer - Explore Device Configuration Using the
CLI (console)
Objectives
In this activity, you will use terminal emulation software to connect to the console of a device
for the purpose of updating the configuration.
Part 1: Connect to the Device Using a Console Connection
Part 2: Copy Configuration Information to the Device
Part 3: Save the Updated Configuration to the Device
Background / Scenario
A new switch, Office-SW2, is being added to the network. Before placing a networking device
into a network, the device must be configured and tested. Many types of networking devices,
such as switches and routers, may not be preconfigured with enough information to make
them accessible through an Ethernet or wireless connection. It may be necessary to load an
initial configuration using another method. A console connection and a terminal emulation
application provide a convenient way to access the device without having to be on an active
network.
Required Resources
Latest Packet Tracer Version
Instructions
Part 1: Connect to the Device Using a Console Connection.
In this part, you will use the terminal emulation program on the laptop to access the command
line interface (CLI) on the Office-SW2 switch and view the configuration information.
Console connections are made between a laptop or computer and the networking device
using a cable designed to provide a direct cable connection. In this Packet Tracer activity, the
cable is identified as Console and is shown as a light blue cable.
Step 1: Use the Terminal Emulation application on the laptop to access the CLI on
the switch.
Use the Terminal Emulation program on the laptop to access the CLI on the switch.
a. Click the Laptop0 on the table in the Physical Workspace.
b. Click the Desktop tab in the configuration window.
c. Open the Terminal application. The Terminal Configuration window contains the settings
that will be used to communicate with the switch. Accept the defaults and click OK.
d. A terminal window will open and the switch console will be displayed. If the switch is not
yet fully powered up, messages may scroll on the screen. Wait until the scrolling stops
and the message “Press RETURN to get started!” appears on the screen.
Press ENTER.
Question:
What prompt appears on the switch console screen?
Answer Area
Switch>
Hide Answer
Step 2: Access the Privileged EXEC mode to view configuration information.
Cisco networking devices open in User EXEC mode by default when accessing the device
through a console connection. User EXEC mode provides access to the device to view
information about the status and operation of the device. In order to alter the configuration on
the device, you must enter the Privileged EXEC mode.
a. At the Switch> prompt, enter a question mark (?) and press ENTER. A list of commands
that are available in User EXEC mode will be displayed.
Question:
What is the last command displayed in the list?
Answer Area
traceroute
Hide Answer
b. To enable the Privilege EXEC mode, type enable at the prompt and press ENTER.
Switch> enable
Switch#
Notice that the prompt has changed to indicate Privileged EXEC mode.
c. Enter a question mark (?) at the prompt. A list of available commands will be displayed. If
the message --More- appears at the bottom of the screen, press the spacebar to
advance to the next screen.
Question:
What is the last command in the list for Privileged EXEC mode?
Answer Area
write
Hide Answer
d. Enter the show running-config command to view the current configuration running on
the device and press ENTER.
Switch# show running-config
The configuration information will display one screen at a time. Press CTRL-C to return to
the switch prompt. The running configuration consists of configuration information that a
Cisco IOS device uses to operate on a network. In this case, because the switch is new,
it has a minimal default configuration.
Part 2: Copy Configuration Information to the Device
In this part, you will copy configuration information into the device. You will change the device
name and set a password for the console connection.
Step 1: Enter global configuration mode.
To configure a device, you must first enter the configuration mode. Enter the
command configure terminal and press ENTER.
Switch# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Switch(config)#
Notice how the switch prompt changes to indicate that you are now in the configuration mode.
Step 2: Copy the commands and paste the commands to the switch.
a. Copy the commands shown below. Select the list of commands below and
press CTRL-C to copy to the clipboard.
hostname Office-SW2
line con 0
password Cisco123
login
end
b. To paste the commands into the switch, right-click at the switch prompt and
select Paste from the drop-down menu. The commands will appear on the console as
shown:
Switch(config)# hostname Office-SW2
Office-SW2(config)# line con 0
Office-SW2(config-line)# password Cisco123
Office-SW2(config-line)# login
Office-SW2(config-line)# end
Office-SW2#
%SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console
The commands are now active on the switch. Commands entered in configuration mode
take effect immediately and become part of the running configuration on the device.
Press ENTER.
Notice that switch prompt has changed to reflect the new name assigned to the device.
Step 3: Test the new configuration settings.
a. The new configuration commands set a password for the console connection. To test that
configuration change, type exit and press ENTER.
b. The screen will refresh and the Press RETURN to get started! message will display.
Press ENTER.
Question:
What message is shown on the console?
Answer Area
User Access Verification, Password:
Hide Answer
c. Enter the password Cisco123 and press ENTER.
Note: The password will not display on the screen. The User EXEC prompt will appear.
Your completion percentage should be 75%.
Part 3: Save the Updated Configuration to the Device
In this part, you will save the configuration changes to permanent memory on the device. If
the configuration changes are not saved, they will be lost if the device loses power or is
intentionally rebooted. When a Cisco IOS devices starts, it reads the configuration file that is
permanent memory and loads it into the running configuration in RAM. Configuration changes
are only made to the running configuration. The changes must be saved so that they will
become available to a device on startup.
Step 1: Use the enable command to enter the Privileged EXEC mode on the
switch.
Office-SW2> enable
Office-SW2#
Step 2: Copy the current running configuration to the startup configuration.
a. Use the copy running-config startup-config command to save the current configuration
running on the device to the startup configuration that will load when the device powers
up. Press ENTER to accept the default filename.
Office-SW2# copy running-config startup-config
Destination filename [startup-config]?
Building configuration...
[OK]
b. To verify that the configuration changes were saved properly, reload the device using
the reload command. Press ENTER to proceed. Reloading the router will reboot the IOS
software and IOS will load the saved configuration file. If the new configuration was made
and saved in permanent memory, the device will prompt you for a password to access
the device console.
Office-SW2# reload
Proceed with reload? [confirm]
c. Press ENTER when the message Press RETURN to get started! appears. If the
configuration was saved successfully, the User Access Verification message will be
displayed.
d. Enter the password Cisco123 at the password prompt. If the password is correct, the
User EXEC prompt will appear.
Your completion percentage should be 100%
End of document
