Steps Involves in Cisco Router Configuration Backups

A backup of Configurations is required for troubleshooting the device when necessary, or if the device accidentally gets reset. These Backups are nothing but files (generally text files) stored separately on a Server which is a precautionary measure to protect against the system shutdown and is used to restore or update the configurations on the device making it functional again. There can be several methods to back up and restore Configurations, but we will be seeing the steps involved in Cisco Router Configuration Backup using two protocols: 

1. TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol)
2. FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Setting up a Simple Lab Topology

Here, we will be using a single Router and a server with both TFTP and FTP protocols running. (The server can be found on the End Devices tab in CPT).

👁 TFTP

Step 1: Configuring the IP address on the Router and a loopback interface (to verify our configuration Backup).

Router(config)#int f0/0
Router(config-if)#ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
Router(config-if)#no shut
Router(config)#int loopback 1
Router(config-if)#ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
Router(config-if)#no shut

👁 Image

Step 2: Configuring IP address on Server.

Go to the Desktop tab and then to the IP 
Configuration and add the IP 
address to be configured.

👁 Image

Step 3: Verifying Reachability from Router to Server.

Router#ping 10.0.0.2

👁 Image

Simulation: 

👁 Image

Using TFTP to back up Cisco Router Configuration:

Step 1: Checking the Server’s TFTP Service: 

Go to the Services Tab and then click 
on the TFTP tab available on the list.

👁 Image

Step 2: Copying the Router’s Configuration to our TFTP Server: 

Router#copy running-config tftp:
Address or name of remote host []? 10.0.0.2
Destination filename [Router-confg]? config_backup

Or (we can also copy the startup configuration of the device) using command: 

Router#copy startup-config tftp:

👁 Image

Step 3: Verifying if our Configuration File has been copied to the TFTP Server: 

Go to the Services Tab and then click on the 
TFTP tab to check if our Destination
 filename is present on the list.

👁 Image

Step 4: Since our Configuration has been copied to our Server, let us now delete the configuration from the Router.

To delete Running Configuration: 

Router#reload

To delete Startup Configuration: 

Router#erase starup-config

Step 5: After the Router gets reloaded, connect it to the network it was previously in i.e., enter the IP address to its interface (also add the IP routes if there are different networks and if the Server is present in a different network) and then verify the reachability to the TFTP Server.

Step 6: Backup/Copy the stored Configuration file from the TFTP Server to the Router.

Router#copy tftp: running-config
Address or name of remote host []? 10.0.0.2
Source filename []? Config_backup
Destination filename [running-confg]? running-config

👁 Image

Let's verify if our configuration has been back on our Router from the Server:

Router#show running-config 
| section interface

👁 Image

Verifying Reachability with Server:

Router#ping 10.0.0.2

👁 Image

👁 Image

Using FTP to back up Cisco Router Configuration:

Step 1: Checking the Server’s FTP Service: 

Go to the Services Tab and then 
click on the FTP tab available 
on the list.

👁 Image

Step 2: There is a field with a Username and Password. These two fields are required to add a user’s or device’s credentials with their username and password. The users/devices with these credentials only are allowed to access the FTP server and read/write files etc. (Permission can be set while adding a user in the FTP database, for example – employees should have read-only access to the FTP server, while admin should have the permission to read, write, delete, rename, etc.)

Username: cisco 

Password: cisco@123 

 “Select the Permission(s) and 
 Click Add to add these 
 credentials in the list”

👁 Image

Step 3: Configure the FTP Username and Password on the Router: 

Router>enable
Router#configure terminal
Router(config)#ip ftp username cisco
Router(config)#ip ftp password cisco@123
Router(config)#end

👁 Image

Step 4: Copying the Router’s Configuration to our FTP Server: 

Router#copy running-config ftp:
Address or name of remote host []? 10.0.0.2
Destination filename [Router-confg]? backup-config

Or (we can also copy the startup configuration of the device) using the command: 

Router#copy startup-config ftp:

👁 Image

Step 5: Verifying if our Configuration File has been copied to the FTP Server: 

Go to the Services Tab and 
then click on the FTP tab to 
check if our Destination 
filename is present on the list.

👁 Image

Step 6: Since our Configuration has been copied to our Server, let us now delete the configuration from the Router.

To delete Running Configuration: 

Router#reload

To delete Startup Configuration: 

Router#erase starup-config

Step 7: After the Router gets reloaded, connect it to the network it was previously in i.e., enter the IP address to its interface (also add the IP routes if there are different networks and if the Server is present in a different network) and then verify the reachability to the FTP Server.

Step 8: Backup/Copy the stored Configuration file from the FTP Server to the Router: 

Router#copy ftp: running-config
Address or name of remote host []? 10.0.0.2
Source filename []? Config_backup
Destination filename [running-confg]? running-config

👁 Image

Let's verify if our configuration has been back on our Router from the Server:

Router#show running-config
| section interface

👁 Image

Verifying Reachability with Server:

Router#ping 10.0.0.2

👁 Image