Rebooting the Device

Some configuration changes, such as enabling jumbo frame support, require the system to be rebooted before they take effect. However, rebooting the device deletes the Running Configuration, so it is critical that the Running Configuration is saved to the Startup Configuration before the device is rebooted. Clicking Apply does not save the configuration to the Startup Configuration. For more information on files and file types, see the System Files section.

You can back up the configuration by using Administration > File Management > Copy/Save Configuration or clicking Save at the top of the window. You can also upload the configuration from a remote device. See the Download/Backup Configuration/Log section.

There are cases when you might prefer to set the time of the reboot for some time in the future. This could happen for example in one of the following cases:

• You are performing actions on a remote device, and these actions might create loss of connectivity to the remote device. Pre-scheduling a reboot restores the working configuration and enables restoring the connectivity to the remote device. If these actions are successful, the delayed reboot can be cancelled.
• Reloading the device cause loss of connectivity in the network, thus by using delayed reboot, you can schedule the reboot to a time that is more convenient for the users (e.g. late night).

To reboot the device:

1. Click Administration > Reboot.
2. Click one of the Reboot buttons to reboot the device.
• Reboot—Reboots the device. Since any unsaved information in the Running Configuration is discarded when the device is rebooted, you must click Save in the upper-right corner of any window to preserve current configuration across the boot process. If the Save option is not displayed, the Running Configuration matches the Startup Configuration and no action is necessary.

The following options are available:

• Immediate—Reboot immediately.
• Date—Enter the date (month/day) and time (hour and minutes) of the schedule reboot. This schedules a reload of the software to take place at the specified time (using a 24-hour clock). If you specify the month and day, the reload is scheduled to take place at the specified time and date. If you do not specify the month and day, the reload takes place at the specified time on the current day (if the specified time is later than the current time) or on the next day (if the specified time is earlier than the current time). Specifying 00:00 schedules the reload for midnight. The reload must take place within 24 days.

NOTE     This option can only be used if the system time has either been set manually or by SNTP.

• In—Reboot within the specified number of hours and minutes. The maximum amount of time that can pass is 24 days.
• Reboot to Factory Defaults—Reboots the device by using the factory default configuration. This process erases the Startup Configuration file and the backup configuration file.

The mirror configuration file is not deleted when restoring to factory defaults.

• Clear Startup Configuration File—Check to clear the startup configuration on the device for the next time it boots up.

NOTE     Clearing the Startup Configuration File and Rebooting is not the same as Rebooting to Factory Defaults. Rebooting to Factory Defaults is more intrusive.