Using the Device File Systems, Directories, and Files

This chapter contains the following sections:

Information About the Device File Systems, Directories, and Files

This section describes file systems, directories, and files on the Cisco NX-OS device.

File Systems

The syntax for specifying a local file system is filesystem:[//modules/].
This table describes file systems that you can reference on your device.

Table 1  File System Syntax Components

File System Name

Module

Description

bootflash

sup-active

sup-local

Internal CompactFlash memory located on the 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 the 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 the active supervisor that stores logging file statistics.

system

—

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

debug

—

Memory on a supervisor module used for debug logs.

Directories

You can create directories on bootflash: and external flash memory (slot0:, usb1:, and usb2:). You can navigate through these directories and use them for files.

Files

You create and access files on bootflash:. volatile:, slot0:, usb1:, and usb2: file systems. You can only access files on the system: file systems. You can use the debug: file system for debug log files specified in the debug logfile command.

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

Licensing Requirements for File Systems, Directories, and Files

The following table shows the licensing requirements for this feature:

Product

License Requirement

Cisco NX-OS

Using the file systems, directories, and files requires no license. Any feature not included in a license package is bundled with the Cisco NX-OS system images and is provided at no extra charge to you. For a complete explanation of the Cisco NX-OS licensing scheme, see the Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide.

Working with Directories

This section describes how to work with directories on the Cisco NX-OS device.

Identifying the Current Directory

You can display the directory name of your current directory.

Procedure
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1 pwd


    Example: 
    switch# pwd
     

    Displays the name of your current directory.

     

    Changing the Current Directory

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

    Procedure
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1 pwd


      Example: 
      switch# pwd
              		(Optional)

      Displays the name of your current default directory.

       
      Step 2 cd {directory | filesystem:[//module/][directory]}


      Example: 
      switch# cd slot0:
       

      Changes to a new current directory. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.

       

      Creating a Directory

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

      Procedure
         Command or ActionPurpose
        Step 1 pwd


        Example: 
        switch# pwd
                  		(Optional)

        Displays the name of your current default directory.

         
        Step 2 cd {directory | filesystem:[//module/][directory]}


        Example: 
        switch# cd slot0:
                  		(Optional)

        Changes to a new current directory. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.

         
        Step 3 mkdir [filesystem:[//module/]]directory


        Example: 
        switch# mkdir test
         

        Creates a new directory. The filesystem argument is case sensitive. The directory argument is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and has a maximum of 64 characters.

         

        Displaying Directory Contents

        You can display the contents of a directory.

        Procedure
           Command or ActionPurpose
          Step 1 dir [directory | filesystem:[//module/][directory]]


          Example: 
          switch# dir bootflash:test
           

          Displays the directory contents. The default is the current working directory. The file system and directory names are case sensitive.

           

          Deleting a Directory

          You can remove directories from the file systems on your device.

          Before You Begin

          Ensure that the directory is empty before you try to delete it.

          Procedure
             Command or ActionPurpose
            Step 1 pwd


            Example: 
            switch# pwd
                          		(Optional)

            Displays the name of your current default directory.

             
            Step 2 dir [filesystem :[//module/][directory]]


            Example: 
            switch# dir bootflash:test
                          		(Optional)

            Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.

            If the directory is not empty, you must delete all the files before you can delete the directory.

             
            Step 3 rmdir [filesystem :[//module/]]directory


            Example: 
            switch# rmdir test
             

            Deletes a directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

             

            Accessing Directories on the Standby Supervisor Module

            You can access all file systems on the standby supervisor module (remote) from a session on the active supervisor module. This feature is useful when copying files to the active supervisor modules requires similar files to exist on the standby supervisor module. To access the file systems on the standby supervisor module from a session on the active supervisor module, you specify the standby supervisor module in the path to the file using either filesystem://sup-remote/ or filesystem://sup-standby/.

            Working with Files

            This section describes how to work with files on the Cisco NX-OS device.

            Moving Files

            You can move a file from one directory to another directory.


            Caution

            If a file with the same name already exists in the destination directory, that file is overwritten by the moved file.

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

            Procedure
               Command or ActionPurpose
              Step 1 pwd


              Example: 
              switch# pwd
                              		(Optional)

              Displays the name of your current default directory.

               
              Step 2 dir [filesystem:[//module/][directory]]


              Example: 
              switch# dir bootflash
                              		(Optional)

              Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

               
              Step 3 move [filesystem:[//module/][directory /] | directory/]source-filename {{filesystem:[//module/][directory /] | directory/}[target-filename] | target-filename}


              Example: 
              switch# move test old_tests/test1
               

              Moves a file.

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

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

               

              Copying Files

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

              While copying a file to an HTTP server, you can use any valid character, such as ~, in the directory or filename. You can also access public_html directories.

              Cisco NX-OS Release 6.0(2)U4(1) supports the configuration of a non-default port when copying a file to an HTTP server.


              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 unneeded files.

              Procedure
                 Command or ActionPurpose
                Step 1 pwd


                Example: 
                switch# pwd
                                  		(Optional)

                Displays the name of your current default directory.

                 
                Step 2 dir [filesystem:[//module/][directory]]


                Example: 
                switch# dir bootflash
                                  		(Optional)

                Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

                 
                Step 3 copy [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]source-filename | {filesystem:[//module/][directory/]] | directory/}[target-filename]


                Example: 
                switch# copy test old_tests/test1
                 

                Copies a file. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive. The source-filename argument is alphanumeric, case sensitive, and has a maximum of 64 characters. If the target-filename argument is not specified, the filename defaults to the source-filename argument value.

                The directory names and file names can include any valid character such as ~ while copying a file to an HTTP server.

                You can also configure a non-default port when copying a file to an HTTP server by specifying the port number with the server, for example copy http:[//server:port] [/path] /filename.

                The copy command supports ftp, scp, sftp, tftp and http protocols.

                 

                This example shows how to copy a file to an HTTP server using characters such as ~ in the path: 

                switch# copy http://2002:48a3:ca47::48a3:ca47/~users/pat3/patch.45.bin bootflash:t.s vrf management
>   % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
>                                  Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
> 100  177M  100  177M    0     0  9665k      0  0:00:18  0:00:18 --:--:-- 9600k
> Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
> switch#

                Configuring the Source Interface for Copying Files to or from a Remote Server

                You can configure a source-interface while copying files to or from a remote server. The source interface can be:

                • Ethernet

                • Loopback

                • Management

                • Port Channel

                • VLAN

                Procedure
                   Command or ActionPurpose
                  Step 1 copy scheme://server/[url/]filename source-interface type slot/port


                  Example: 
                  copy http://123.45.67.890//index.html bootflash: source-interface ethernet 1/5
                   

                  Configures the source interface to be used while copying a file to or from a remote server.

                  For the scheme argument, you can enter tftp, ftp, scp, http, or sftp. The server argument is the address or name of the remote server, and the url argument is the path to the source file on the remote server.

                  The server, url, and filename arguments are case sensitive.

                   

                  Copying Files to the HTTP Server

                  You can copy a file from boot flash, running configuration, or startup configuration to the HTTP server in the default path of server using the new feature HTTP PUT. The HTTP PUT functionality copies a file into the HTTP server via the default or the management VRF. It uses the HTTP POST method to upload the files and HTTP upload can be done via v4/v6 interface to v4/v6 HTTP server.

                  Procedure
                     Command or ActionPurpose
                    Step 1 pwd


                    Example: 
                    switch# pwd
                                          		(Optional)

                    Displays the name of your current default directory.

                     
                    Step 2 copy bootflash :///<filename> http:// <httpserver-ip> /path source-interface <interface>


                    Example: 
                    switch# copy bootflash:///<filename> http://httpserver-ip/path source-interface <int>
                     

                    Copies the file from the boot flash into the HTTP server via the source interface.

                     
                    Step 3 copy bootflash :///<filename> http:// <httpserver-ip>/path vrf <default/management>


                    Example: 
                    switch# copy bootflash:///<filename> http://httpserver-ip/path vrf <default/management>
                     

                    Copies the file from the boot flash into the HTTP server via the default or the management VRF interface.

                     
                    Step 4 copy running-config http://<httpserver-ip>/path vrf <default/management>


                    Example: 
                    switch# copy running-config http://httpserver-ip/path vrf <default/management>
                     

                    Copies the running configuration file into the HTTP server via the default or the management VRF interface.

                     
                    Step 5 copy startup-config http://<httpserver-ip>/path vrf <default/management>


                    Example: 
                    switch# copy startup-config http://httpserver-ip/path vrf <default/management>
                     

                    Copies the startup configuration file into the HTTP server via the default or the management VRF interface.

                     

                    This example shows how to copy a file to an HTTP server via the default VRF interface: 

                    switch# copy n3000-uk9-kickstart.6.0.2.U5.0.995.bin http://12.1.2.10/httproot vrf default
Enter username: test 
Enter host password for user 'test': 
301 - Moved permanently to <a href="/httproot/">/httproot/</a>Copy complete, now saving to disk (please wait)...
switch#

                    Deleting Files

                    You can delete a file from a directory.

                    Procedure
                       Command or ActionPurpose
                      Step 1 dir [filesystem:[//module/][directory]]


                      Example: 
                      switch# dir bootflash
                                              		(Optional)

                      Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

                       
                      Step 2 delete {filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/}filename


                      Example: 
                      switch# delete test old_tests/test1
                       

                      Deletes a file. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive. The source-filename argument is case sensitive.

                      Caution   

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

                       

                      Displaying File Contents

                      You can display the contents of a file.

                      Procedure
                         Command or ActionPurpose
                        Step 1 show file [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename


                        Example: 
                        switch# show file bootflash:test-results
                         

                        Displays the file contents.

                         

                        Displaying File Checksums

                        You can display checksums to check the file integrity.

                        Procedure
                           Command or ActionPurpose
                          Step 1 show file [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename {cksum | md5sum}


                          Example: 
                          switch# show file bootflash:trunks2.cfg cksum
                           

                          Displays the checksum or MD5 checksum of the file.

                           

                          Compressing and Uncompressing Files

                          You can compress and uncompress files on your Cisco NX-OS device using Lempel-Ziv 1977 (LZ77) coding.

                          Procedure
                             Command or ActionPurpose
                            Step 1 dir [filesystem:[//module/]directory]]


                            Example: 
                            switch# dir bootflash:
                                                          		(Optional)

                            Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

                             
                            Step 2 gzip [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]filename


                            Example: 
                            switch# gzip show_tech
                             

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

                             
                            Step 3 gunzip [filesystem:[//module/][directory/] | directory/]filename .gz


                            Example: 
                            switch# gunzip show_tech.gz
                             

                            Uncompresses a file. The file to uncompress must have the .gz suffix. After the file is uncompressed, it does not have the .gz suffix.

                             

                            Displaying the Last Lines in a File

                            You can display the last lines of a file.

                            Procedure
                               Command or ActionPurpose
                              Step 1 tail [filesystem:[//module/]][directory/]filename [lines]


                              Example: 
                              switch# tail ospf-gr.conf
                               

                              Displays the last lines of a file. The default number of lines is 10. The range is from 0 to 80 lines.

                               

                              Redirecting show Command Output to a File

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

                              Procedure
                                 Command or ActionPurpose
                                Step 1terminal redirection-mode {ascii | zipped}


                                Example:
                                switch# terminal redirection-mode zipped
                                                                  		(Optional)

                                Sets the redirection mode for the show command output for the user session. The default mode is ascii.

                                 
                                Step 2 show-command > [filesystem:[//module/][directory] | [directory /]]filename


                                Example: 
                                switch# show tech-support > bootflash:techinfo
                                 

                                Redirects the output from a show command to a file.

                                 

                                Finding Files

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

                                Procedure
                                   Command or ActionPurpose
                                  Step 1 pwd


                                  Example: 
                                  switch# pwd
                                                                      		(Optional)

                                  Displays the name of your current default directory.

                                   
                                  Step 2 cd {filesystem:[//module/][directory] | directory}


                                  Example: 
                                  switch# cd bootflash:test_scripts
                                                                      		(Optional)

                                  Changes the default directory.

                                   
                                  Step 3 find filename-prefix


                                  Example: 
                                  switch# find bgp_script
                                   

                                  Finds all filenames in the default directory and in its subdirectories beginning with the filename prefix. The filename prefix is case sensitive.

                                   

                                  Working with Archive Files

                                  The Cisco NX-OS software supports archive files. You can create an archive file, append files to an existing archive file, extract files from an archive file, and list the files in an archive file.

                                  Creating an Archive Files

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

                                  • bzip2

                                  • gzip

                                  • Uncompressed

                                  The default is gzip.

                                  Procedure
                                     Command or ActionPurpose
                                    Step 1 tar create {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [absolute] [bz2-compress] [gz-compress] [remove] [uncompressed] [verbose] filename-list
                                     

                                    Creates an archive file and adds files to it. The filename is alphanumeric, not case sensitive, and has a maximum length of 240 characters.

                                    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 used 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 defaults 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 Cisco NX-OS 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 Cisco NX-OS software should list the files as they are added to the archive. By default, the files are listed as they are added.

                                     

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

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

                                    Appending Files to an Archive File

                                    You can append files to an existing archive file on your Cisco NX-OS device.

                                    Before You Begin

                                    You have created an archive file on your Cisco NX-OS device.

                                    Procedure
                                       Command or ActionPurpose
                                      Step 1 tar append {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [absolute] [remove] [verbose] filename-list
                                       

                                      Adds files to an existing archive file. The archive filename is not case sensitive.

                                      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 Cisco NX-OS software should delete the files from the filesystem after adding them to the archive. By default, the files are not deleted.

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

                                       

                                      This example shows how to append a file to an existing archive file:

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

                                      Extracting Files from an Archive File

                                      You can extract files to an existing archive file on your Cisco NX-OS device.

                                      Before You Begin

                                      You have created an archive file on your Cisco NX-OS device.

                                      Procedure
                                         Command or ActionPurpose
                                        Step 1 tar extract {bootflash: | volatile:}archive-filename [keep-old] [screen] [to {bootflash: | volatile:}[/directory-name]] [verbose]
                                         

                                        Extracts files from an existing archive file. The archive filename is not case sensitive.

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

                                        The screen keyword specifies that the Cisco NX-OS 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 has a maximum length of 240 characters.

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

                                         

                                        This example shows how to extract files from an existing archive file:

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

                                        Displaying the Filenames in an Archive File

                                        You can display the names of the files in an archive files using the tar list command.

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

                                        The archive filename is not case sensitive. 

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

                                        Examples of Using the File System

                                        This section includes example of using the file system on the Cisco NX-OS device.

                                        Accessing Directories on Standby Supervisor Modules

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

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

                                        Moving Files

                                        This example shows how to move a file on an external flash device: 

                                        switch# move slot0:samplefile slot0:mystorage/samplefile

                                        This example shows how to move a file in the default file system: 

                                        switch# move samplefile mystorage/samplefile

                                        Copying Files

                                        This example shows how to copy the file called samplefile from the root directory of the slot0: file system to the mystorage directory:

                                        switch# copy slot0:samplefile slot0:mystorage/samplefile

                                        This example shows how to copy a file from the current directory level:

                                        switch# copy samplefile mystorage/samplefile

                                        This example shows how to copy a file from the active supervisor module bootflash to the standby supervisor module bootflash:

                                        switch# copy bootflash:system_image bootflash://sup-2/system_image

                                        You can also use the copy command to upload and download files from the slot0: or bootflash: file system to or from a FTP, TFTP, SFTP, or SCP server.

                                        Deleting a Directory

                                        You can remove directories from the file systems on your device.

                                        Before You Begin

                                        Ensure that the directory is empty before you try to delete it.

                                        Procedure
                                           Command or ActionPurpose
                                          Step 1 pwd


                                          Example: 
                                          switch# pwd
                                                                                      		(Optional)

                                          Displays the name of your current default directory.

                                           
                                          Step 2 dir [filesystem :[//module/][directory]]


                                          Example: 
                                          switch# dir bootflash:test
                                                                                      		(Optional)

                                          Displays the contents of the current directory. The file system, module, and directory names are case sensitive.

                                          If the directory is not empty, you must delete all the files before you can delete the directory.

                                           
                                          Step 3 rmdir [filesystem :[//module/]]directory


                                          Example: 
                                          switch# rmdir test
                                           

                                          Deletes a directory. The file system and directory name are case sensitive.

                                           

                                          Displaying File Contents

                                          This example shows how to display the contents of a file on an external flash device: 

                                          switch# show file slot0:test
configure terminal 
interface ethernet 1/1 
no shutdown 
end 
show interface ethernet 1/1

                                          This example shows how to display the contents of a file that resides in the current directory: 

                                          switch# show file myfile

                                          Displaying File Checksums

                                          This example shows how to display the checksum of a file:

                                          switch# show file bootflash:trunks2.cfg cksum 
583547619

                                          This example shows how to display the MD5 checksum of a file:

                                          switch# show file bootflash:trunks2.cfg md5sum 
3b94707198aabefcf46459de10c9281c

                                          Compressing and Uncompressing Files

                                          This example shows how to compress a file: 

                                          switch# dir
    1525859     Jul 04 00:51:03 2003 Samplefile 
...
switch# gzip volatile:Samplefile
switch# dir
     266069     Jul 04 00:51:03 2003 Samplefile.gz 
...

                                          This example shows how to uncompress a compressed file: 

                                          switch# dir
     266069     Jul 04 00:51:03 2003 Samplefile.gz 
... 
switch# gunzip samplefile
switch# dir
    1525859     Jul 04 00:51:03 2003 Samplefile 
...

                                          Redirecting show Command Output

                                          This example shows how to direct the output to a file on the bootflash: file system: 

                                          switch# show interface > bootflash:switch1-intf.cfg

                                          This example shows how to direct the output to a file on external flash memory: 

                                          switch# show interface > slot0:switch-intf.cfg

                                          This example shows how to direct the output to a file on a TFTP server: 

                                          switch# show interface > tftp://10.10.1.1/home/configs/switch-intf.cfg
Preparing to copy...done

                                          This example shows how to direct the output of the show tech-support command to a file: 

                                          switch# show tech-support > Samplefile
Building Configuration ... 
switch# dir
    1525859     Jul 04 00:51:03 2003 Samplefile 
Usage for volatile://
    1527808 bytes used
   19443712 bytes free
   20971520 bytes total

                                          Finding Files

                                          This example shows how to find a file in the current default directory:

                                          switch# find smm_shm.cfg
/usr/bin/find: ./lost+found: Permission denied 
./smm_shm.cfg 
./newer-fs/isan/etc/routing-sw/smm_shm.cfg 
./newer-fs/isan/etc/smm_shm.cfg

                                          Default Settings for File System Parameters

                                          This table lists the default settings for the file system parameters.

                                          Table 2 Default File System Settings

                                          Parameters

                                          Default

                                          Default filesystem

                                          bootflash:

                                          Additional References for File Systems

                                          This section includes additional information related to the file systems.

                                          Related Documents for File Systems

                                          Related Topic

                                          Document Title

                                          Licensing

                                          Cisco NX-OS Licensing Guide

                                          Command reference

                                          Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Fundamentals Command ReferenceCisco Nexus 3000 Series NX-OS Command Reference