How to backup vlan's on switch

[dan_track]

Hi

I have a cisco gigabit ethernet switch blade module. It is running IOS version version 12.2(25)SED.

I have made changes to the vlans, i.e added new vlan's. How can I backup the vlan's on here? Can I deploy the backup onto other switches in the same network?

Thanks in advance

Dan

[devang_etcom]

hi dan,,,

when you are having multiple vlan on mulitiple switches... or you can say when you have multiple vlan in one switch and you want to let all the switches to have same vlan information... then it can be fullfill by the VTP...

VTP have three modes...

1. vtp server

2. vtp client

3. vtp transperent...

server can add, delete the vlan where as client cannot... now server sent the BPDU with the vlan information to all other switch... and all other switch in that domain will synchronise their database as per the server BPDU... syncronisation of information again depends on the configration revision number...

let say server have configuration revision number 3... and it send the BPDU to all the switches which are having less configuration revision number will synchronise that vlan information according to server configuration...

so in your network put all your switches in the same domain... and let make one switch as server (select the switch whose information you want to synchronise) but make sure it should have higer revision number...and let all other switch in to the client mode... now make sure each client should have configuration revision number less then the configuration revision number of switch... so each and every client switch follow the server configuration...

and you can have all the information regarding to valn in "vlan.dat" file.

hope this will clear your idea...

rate this post if it helps

regards

Devang

[devang_etcom]

dan also look at this link:http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/cat5000/rel_4_2/config/vlans.htm

regards

Devang

[dan_track]

Hi Devang.

Thanks for your description. I already know about vtp, what I would like to know is how to backup the vlan information.

Any ideas with that.

Thanks

Dan

[devang_etcom]

vlan information is stored in vlan.dat file... then you need to copy that file to your tftp only...

regards

Devang

[dan_track]

Hi Devang

Thanks for that. I thought that the latest IOS stored the vlan into the config script and removed the need for the vlan.dat file. Do you know which IOS version this policy change occurred?

Thanks

Dan

[David Stanford]

If you have CiscoWorks LMS you can also use the RME portion of the application to do this. It addition to backing up the config on switches it will also try to backup the vlan.dat if applicable. It will then be stored in the database and can be restored through the app if need be.