Configuration Replace - Cisco Catalyst 9400 System Management Configuration Manual

Configuration Replace and Configuration Rollback

Configuration Replace

The configure replace privileged EXEC command provides the capability to replace the current running
configuration with any saved Cisco IOS configuration file. This functionality can be used to revert to a previous
configuration state, effectively rolling back any configuration changes that were made since the previous
configuration state was saved.
When using the configure replace command, you must specify a saved Cisco IOS configuration as the
replacement configuration file for the current running configuration. The replacement file must be a complete
configuration generated by a Cisco IOS device (for example, a configuration generated by the copy
running-config destination-url command), or, if generated externally, the replacement file must comply with
the format of files generated by Cisco IOS devices. When the configure replace command is entered, the
current running configuration is compared with the specified replacement configuration and a set of diffs is
generated. The algorithm used to compare the two files is the same as that employed by the show archive
config differences command. The resulting diffs are then applied by the Cisco IOS parser to achieve the
replacement configuration state. Only the diffs are applied, avoiding potential service disruption from reapplying
configuration commands that already exist in the current running configuration. This algorithm effectively
handles configuration changes to order-dependent commands (such as access lists) through a multiple pass
process. Under normal circumstances, no more than three passes are needed to complete a configuration
replace operation, and a limit of five passes is performed to preclude any looping behavior.
The Cisco IOS copy source-url running-config privileged EXEC command is often used to copy a stored
Cisco IOS configuration file to the running configuration. When using the copy source-url running-config
command as an alternative to the configure replace target-url privileged EXEC command, the following
major differences should be noted:
• The copy source-url running-config command is a merge operation and preserves all of the commands
• The copy source-url running-config command applies every command in the source file, whether or
• A partial configuration file may be used as the source file for the copy source-url running-config
A locking feature for the configuration replace operation was introduced. When the configure replace
command is used, the running configuration file is locked by default for the duration of the configuration
replace operation. This locking mechanism prevents other users from changing the running configuration
while the replacement operation is taking place, which might otherwise cause the replacement operation to
terminate unsuccessfully. You can disable the locking of the running configuration by using the no lock
keyword when issuing the configure replace command.
The running configuration lock is automatically cleared at the end of the configuration replace operation. You
can display any locks that may be currently applied to the running configuration using the show configuration
lock command.
from both the source file and the current running configuration. This command does not remove commands
from the current running configuration that are not present in the source file. In contrast, the configure
replace target-url command removes commands from the current running configuration that are not
present in the replacement file and adds commands to the current running configuration that need to be
added.
not the command is already present in the current running configuration. This algorithm is inefficient
and, in some cases, can result in service outages. In contrast, the configure replace target-url command
only applies the commands that need to be applied—no existing commands in the current running
configuration are reapplied.
command, whereas a complete Cisco IOS configuration file must be used as the replacement file for the
configure replace target-url command.
System Management Configuration Guide, Cisco IOS XE Bengaluru 17.4.x (Catalyst 9400 Switches)
Configuration Replace
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