Adding Comments To A Configuration

[dholder]

Good Evening All,

Last week I replaced a 6513A with a 6509E, and in the process forgot two (2) parameters that I had overlooked, and maybe never moved them over to the 6509A, as no one knew what they did. What they did was support two (2) major applications, and had those down after the move until I added the parameters to the 6509E. So my question: is there a way to enter comments into the configuration so that anyone looking at it would know? And if not, I am looking for any and all suggestions that others use, in keeping up to date configurations with comments.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Dave Holder

[Leo Laohoo]

Interface Description is always a good place to start.

Banners and/or SNMP contact and location is another.

Post-Implementation Documentation is always the most difficult and deemed as a "punishment". I guess a good network implementation would include updating network documentations (including diagrams).

Hope this helps.

[pompeychimes]

In addition to backing up configs to a central location I like to keep a copy of the last three configs in flash. This way i can refer to them quickly with the "more" command. Now that i think about it you could probably keep a text file of important notes in flash and refer to it with the "more" command also. Banners, int descriptions and ACL remarks are also good for relaying important information.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

There are a few places IOS allows you to enter remarks (interface description, ACL remarks), but for clarity, I think it also helps to take advantage of syntax improvements in later IOSs. For instance, using named syntax statements rather than older numbered syntax statements, e.g. named ACLs rather than numbered ACLs, named NBAR custom protocol rather than numbers, etc.

Some later IOSs support a config archive (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_3t/12_3t7/feature/guide/gtrollbk.html) and one archive command will perform a "diff" between two files (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/12_3t/12_3t4/feature/guide/gt_diff.html).