Using the Device File Systems, Directories, and Files

This chapter describes how to use your device file systems, directories, and files.

Information About Device File Systems, Directories, Files, and External Storage Devices

This section describes the file systems, directories, files, and support provided to the external storage devices on devices.

File Systems

This topic provides information about the file system components supported on a Cisco MDS device. (The syntax for specifying a local file system is filesystem:[//modules/] . )


Note


The default filesystem parameter is bootflash:.


This table describes the file system components that you can use on a Cisco MDS device.

Table 1. File System Components

File System Name

Module

Description

bootflash

sup-active

sup-local

Internal CompactFlash memory located on an active supervisor module. Used for storing image files, configuration files, and other miscellaneous files. The initial default directory is bootflash.

sup-standby

sup-remote

Internal CompactFlash memory located on a standby supervisor module. Used for storing image files, configuration files, and other miscellaneous files.

volatile

Volatile random-access memory (VRAM) located on a supervisor module. Used for temporary or pending changes.

log

Memory on an active supervisor module. Used for storing file statistics logs.

system

Memory on a supervisor module. Used for storing the running configuration file.

debug

Memory on a supervisor module. Used for storing the debug logs.

Directories

You can create directories on bootflash: and external flash memory (slot0:, usb1:, and usb2:). You can create, store, and access files from directories.

Files

You can create and access files from bootflash:, volatile:, slot0:, usb1:, and usb2: file systems. You can only access files from the system: file system. Use the debug: file system to store the debug log files specified using the debug logfile command.

You can download files, such as system image files, from remote servers using FTP, Secure Copy Protocol (SCP), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), and TFTP. You can also copy files from an external server to your device because your device can act as an SCP server.

Working with External Storage Devices

This section describes formatting, mounting, and unmounting of external storage devices on devices.

Formatting an External Flash Device

Insert the external flash device into the active supervisor module in a Cisco MDS device.

To format an external flash device, run the following command:

format {slot0: | usb1: | usb2:}

Example:

switch# format slot0:

Note


You can format an external flash device to erase its contents and restore the device to its factory-shipped state. For information about recovering corrupted bootflash using formatting, see the .


Mounting or Unmounting a USB Drive

Mount or unmount a USB drive automatically by plugging or unplugging the drive from a Cisco MDS device. You can also use the mount or unmount command in either the user EXEC mode or the privileged EXEC mode to mount or unmount the device, respectively.

  • To mount a USB drive on a Cisco MDS device, run the following command:

    mount {usb1: | usb2:}

    Example:

    switch# mount usb1:
  • To unmount a USB drive from a Cisco MDS device, run the following command:

    unmount {usb1: | usb2:}

    Example:

    switch# unmount usb1:

External Storage Device Support Matrix

This section provides information about hardware and software support for external storage device ports on each type of Cisco MDS platform.

Cisco MDS switches support devices formatted with the FAT32 file system.

Platform

PCMCIA

USB1

slot0

First supported

slot0

usb1

usb2

Cisco MDS 9700 Series Multilayer Director

No hardware port

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(1)

Enabled

Enabled

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Director

Enabled

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(1)

No hardware port

Enabled

Enabled

Cisco MDS 9396S 16G Multilayer Fabric Switch

No hardware port

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(13)

No hardware port

Enabled

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switch

No hardware port

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(15)

No hardware port

Enabled

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 9222i Multiservice Modular Switch

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 9148S 16G Multilayer Fabric Switch

No hardware port

Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 6.2(15)

No hardware port

Enabled

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 9148 Multilayer Fabric Switch

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

Cisco MDS 8Gb Fabric Switch for HP BladeSystem c-Class

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

No hardware port

1USB 2.0 or higher devices supported.

Working with Directories

Identifying the Current Directory

To display the name of the current directory, run the following command:

pwd

Example:

switch# pwd

Changing the Current Directory

You can change the current directory for file system operations. The default directory is bootflash:.


Note


The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.


To change to a new directory, run the following command:

cd {directory | filesystem:[//module/][directory]}

Example:

switch# cd slot0:

Creating a Directory

You can create directories in the bootflash: and flash device file systems.


Note


  • The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.

  • The filesystem argument is case sensitive. The directory argument is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and can have a maximum of 64 characters.


To create a new directory, run the following command:

mkdir [filesystem:[//module/]]directory

Example:

switch# mkdir test

Displaying Directory Contents

To display the contents of a directory, run the following command:

dir [directory | filesystem:[//module/][directory]]

Example:

switch# dir bootflash:

Deleting a Directory

You can remove directories from the file systems on a Cisco MDS device.


Note


  • Ensure that the directory is empty before you delete it. If the directory is not empty, you must delete all the files before you delete the directory.

  • The file system and directory names are case sensitive.


To delete a directory, run the following command:

rmdir [filesystem :[//module/]]directory

Example:

switch# rmdir test

Accessing the Directories on a Standby Supervisor Module

You can access all the file systems on a standby supervisor module (remote) from a session on an active supervisor module. This feature is useful when copying files to the active supervisor module that requires similar files to exist, as in the standby supervisor module.

To access the file systems on the standby supervisor module from a session on the active supervisor module, specify the standby supervisor module in the path to the file using either the filesystem://sup-remote/ command, or the filesystem://sup-standby/ command.

Working with Files

Moving a File

Files can be moved from one directory to another directory.

You can use the move command to rename a file by moving the file within the same directory or to another directory.


Note


The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.


To move a file from one directory to another directory, run the following command:

move [filesystem:[//module/][directory /] | directory/]source-filename {{filesystem:[//module/][directory /] | directory/}[target-filename] | target-filename}

Example:

switch# move test old_tests/test1

Note


The target-filename argument is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and can have a maximum of 64 characters. If the target-filename argument is not specified, the filename defaults to the source-filename argument value.



Caution


When you try to move a file from one directory to another, if a file with the same name already exists in the destination directory, that file is overwritten by the moved file.


Copying a File

You can make copies of files, either within the same directory or in another directory.


Note


  • Use the dir command to ensure that enough space is available in the target file system. If enough space is not available, use the delete command to remove the files that are no longer required.

  • The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.


To copy a file, run the following command:

copy [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]source-filename | {filesystem:[//module/][directory/]] | directory/}[target-filename]

Example:

switch# copy test old_tests/test1

Note


  • The source-filename argument is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and can have a maximum of 64 characters. If the target-filename argument is not specified, the filename defaults to the source-filename argument value.

  • The copy command supports FTP, SCP, SFTP, TFTP, and HTTP protocols.


Deleting a File


Caution


If you specify a directory, the delete command deletes the entire directory and all of its contents.



Note


The file system name, directory name, and source-filename argument are case sensitive.


To delete a file, run the following command:

delete {filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/}filename

Example:

switch# delete test old_tests/test1

Displaying a File's Contents

To display a file's contents, run the following command:

show file [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename

Example:

switch# show file bootflash:test-results

Displaying a File's Checksums

You can use checksums to verify a file's integrity.

To display the checksum or MD5 checksum of a file, run the following command:

show file [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename {cksum | md5sum}

Example:

switch# show file bootflash:trunks2.cfg cksum

Compressing and Uncompressing a File

You can compress and uncompress the files on a device using Lempel-Ziv 77 (LZ77) coding.


Note


The file system and directory names are case sensitive.


  • To compress a file, run the following command:

    gzip [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]filename

    Example:

    switch# gzip show_tech

    Note


    After a file is compressed, it has a .gz suffix.


  • To uncompress a file, run the following command:

    gunzip [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]filename .gz

    Example:

    switch# gunzip show_tech.gz

    Note


    The file that has be uncompressed must have the .gz suffix. After the file is uncompressed, it does not have the .gz suffix.


  • To display the contents of the current directory, run the following command:

    dir [filesystem :[//module/][directory]]

    Example:

    switch# dir bootflash:

Displaying the Last Lines in a File


Note


The default number of lines is 10. The range is from 0 to 80 lines.


To display the last lines in a file, run the following command:

tail [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename [lines]

Example:

switch# tail ospf-gr.conf

Redirecting show Command Output to a File

You can redirect the show command output to a file on bootflash:, slot0:, volatile:, or on a remote server.

To redirect the output from a show command to a file, run the following command:

show command > [filesystem:[//module/][directory] | [directory /]]filename

Example:

switch# show tech-support > bootflash:techinfo

Finding Files

You can find files that have names begining with a specific character string in the current working directory and its subdirectories.

To find all the files beginning with the filename prefix in the default directory and in its subdirectories, run the following command:

find filename-prefix

Example:

switch# find bgp_script

Note


The filename prefix is case sensitive.

Working with Archive Files

Creating an Archive File

You can create an archive file and add files to it. You can specify the following compression types:

  • bzip2

  • gzip

  • Uncompressed

The default compression type is gzip.


Note


The filename is alphanumeric, not case sensitive, and can have a maximum of 240 characters.


To create an archive file and add files to it, run the following command:

tar create {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [absolute] [bz2-compress] [gz-compress] [remove] [uncompressed] [verbose] filename-list

This example shows how to create a gzip compressed archive file:

switch# tar create bootflash:config-archive gz-compress bootflash:config-file

The absolute keyword specifies that the leading backslash characters (\) should not be removed from the names of the files added to the archive file. By default, the leading backslash characters are removed.

The bz2-compress , gz-compress , and uncompressed keywords determine the compression utility to use when files are added or later appended to the archive, and the decompression utility to use when extracting the files. If you do not specify an extension for the archive file, the default extensions are as follows:

  • For bz2-compress , the extension is .tar.bz2.

  • For gz-compress , the extension is .tar.gz.

  • For uncompressed , the extension is .tar.

The remove keyword specifies that the software should delete the files from the file system after adding them to the archive. By default, the files are not deleted.

The verbose keyword specifies that the software should list the files as they are added to the archive. By default, the files are listed as they are added.

Appending Files to an Archive File

You can append files to an existing archive file on a device.


Note


The archive filename is not case sensitive.

To add files to an existing archive file, run the following command:

tar append {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [absolute] [remove] [verbose] filename-list

Example:

switch# tar append bootflash:config-archive.tar.gz bootflash:new-config

The absolute keyword specifies that the leading backslash characters (\) should not be removed from the names of the files added to the archive file. By default, the leading backslash characters are removed.

The remove keyword specifies that the software should delete the files from the file system after adding them to the archive. By default, the files are not deleted.

The verbose keyword specifies that the software should list the files as they are added to the archive. By default, the files are listed as they are added.

Extracting Files from an Archive File

You can extract files from an existing archive file on a device.


Note


The archive filename is not case sensitive.


To extract files from an existing archive file, run the following command:

tar extract {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [keep-old] [screen] [to {bootflash: | volatile:}[/directory-name]] [verbose]

Example:

switch# tar extract bootflash:config-archive.tar.gz

The keep-old keyword indicates that the software should not overwrite files with the same name as the files being extracted.

The screen keyword specifies that the software should display the contents of the extracted files to the terminal screen.

The to keyword specifies the target file system. You can include a directory name. The directory name is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and can have a maximum of 240 characters.

The verbose keyword specifies that the software should display the names of the files as they are extracted.

Displaying the Filenames in an Archive File


Note


The archive filename is not case sensitive.


To display the file names in an archive file, run the following command:

tar list {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename

Example:


switch# tar list bootflash:config-archive.tar.gz
config-file
new-config

Examples of Using a File System

This section includes examples of using a file system on a device.

Accessing Directories on a Standby Supervisor Module

This example shows how to list the files on a standby supervisor module:


switch# dir bootflash://sup-remote
   12198912     Aug 27 16:29:18 2003  m9500-sf1ek9-kickstart-mzg.1.3.0.39a.bin
    1864931     Apr 29 12:41:59 2003  dplug2
      12288     Apr 18 20:23:11 2003  lost+found/
   12097024     Nov 21 16:34:18 2003  m9500-sf1ek9-kickstart-mz.1.3.1.1.bin
   41574014     Nov 21 16:34:47 2003  m9500-sf1ek9-mz.1.3.1.1.bin 

Usage for bootflash://sup-remote
   67747169 bytes used
  116812447 bytes free
  184559616 bytes total

This example shows how to delete a file on a standby supervisor module:


switch# delete bootflash://sup-remote/aOldConfig.txt
            

Performing ISSU or ISSD Using a USB Drive

This example shows how to perform an In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) or In-Service Software Downgrade (ISSD) using a system image or kickstart image from a USB drive:

switch# install all system usb1:m9300-s1ek9-mzg.6.2.13.FM.0.65.bin.S0 kickstart usb1:m9300-s1ek9-kickstart-mzg.6.2.13.FM.0.65.bin.S0