C3550 multiple-fs file

[esserw]

C3550-i5q3l2-mz.122-25.SE.bin.

Does anybody knows wat the multiple-fs file is doing in flash:/?

Just to satisfy my curiosity.

[pradeepde]

They are the files part of the Visual Switch Manager (VSM). This VSM provides web based GUI for configuring the device and also has the Cluster Management Suite, used for creating and managing the cluster.

[Xerg]

They are going to be a very small part. The output on a 3560X switch with WebGUI enabled and working.

S3560X#dir nvram:
Directory of nvram:/

513 -rw- 3188 <no date> startup-config
514 ---- 1916 <no date> private-config
515 -rw- 3188 <no date> underlying-config
1 ---- 86 <no date> persistent-data
2 -rw- 0 <no date> ifIndex-table
3 -rw- 559 <no date> IOS-Self-Sig#1.cer
4 -rw- 559 <no date> IOS-Self-Sig#2.cer

524288 bytes total (515036 bytes free)

S3560X#dir flash:
Directory of flash:/

2 -rwx 3188 Jan 2 2006 04:03:55 +00:00 config.text
3 -rwx 156 Jan 2 2006 00:10:01 +00:00 express_setup.debug
4 -rwx 1916 Jan 2 2006 04:03:55 +00:00 private-config.text
573 -rwx 4120 Jan 2 2006 00:01:40 +00:00 multiple-fs
6 drwx 512 Dec 21 2016 19:11:11 +00:00 c3560e-universalk9-mz.152-4.E

57671680 bytes total (25483264 bytes free)

The files startup-config, private-config indeed are files config.text, private-config.text sitting on flash: and mapped to the virtual NVRAM. The underlying-config is a copy of the startup-config. The ifIndex-table file relates to a SNMP identifier Interface Index (ifIndex) value. Apparently, a persistent-data file relates to ifIndex too.

At rest, we have IOS-Self-Sig#1.cer and IOS-Self-Sig#2.cer which are obviously the crypto certificates.

The multiple-fs represents the persistent-data, ifIndex-table, IOS-Self-Sig#1.cer, IOS-Self-Sig#2.cer files and possibly something else hidden related to WebGUI but apparently it may be only the crypto sertificates in case of ip http secure-server enabled (at least one of them emerged after crypto key generate rsa command was issued).

[Xerg]

According to the official documentation:

On the switch platforms such as Catalyst 2950, 2960, 3550, 3560, 3650, 3750, 3850, the NVRAM is not truly physically present. Instead, a part of the FLASH memory is used to store the NVRAM contents. In other words, on these switch platforms, the NVRAM is only simulated using a part of the FLASH.

Files that appear to reside in NVRAM (use dir nvram: to display its contents) are in fact stored in FLASH. Some of them are stored as standalone files in FLASH, such as flash:config.text that maps to nvram:startup-config, or flash:private-config.text that maps to nvram:private-config and stores sensitive information such as RSA keys, master password encryption key etc. Deleting any of these files from FLASH will cause the corresponding mapped file in simulated NVRAM to also be deleted or its apparent length in NVRAM to be truncated to zero, and vice versa. Another files in NVRAM, such as self-generated X.509 certificates or own directories and files, are all stored in the flash:multiple-fs file.

HTH

Serge