Using TELNET to backup Cisco Router and Switch's configuration

Aboriginal Art and Ponds, in Hualian County, Taiwan

I believe you agree that you hardly attach a console cable to your routers or switches in daily maintenance. Your network devices are always locked up on a rack in a room so far away! TELNET is a more frequently used software on Windows.

To backup configuration of a Cisco router or switch, I share with you a tip using TELNET. (However, this tip is only applicable on Windows XP!) If your PC comes with Windows Vista or 7, you should install TELNET client first.

TELNET -F log-file.txt 192.168.1.1

where "log-file.txt" is the screen capture file name. "192.168.1.1" is your router/switch's management IP address. You should be very familiar with what to do next after you login!

For example, you might want to issue the following commands:

enable
terminal length 0
show run
show start

In above commands we set the "terminal length" purposely to zero to stop output paging with lots of annoying "--- MORE ---".

Now everything including the configurations you want to backup is "captured" in "log-file.txt". Not bad, isn't it?