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Configuring a catalyst switch

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weight: 999 url: "/Configuration_d'un_Switch_Catalyst/" title: "Configuring a Catalyst Switch" icon: "article" description: "Learn how to configure and manage Cisco Catalyst switches through console, firmware updates, VLAN setup, and more." categories: ["Network", "Cisco", "Infrastructure"] date: "2007-11-20T14:57:00+01:00" lastmod: "2007-11-20T14:57:00+01:00" tags: ["Cisco", "Switch", "Catalyst", "VLAN", "Networking"] toc: true

Connections

Start by connecting the serial port on the PC side and the console port on the switch.

Connection

Launch HyperTerminal and choose a connection on com1 port, or another com port depending on the PC configuration. You need to choose 9600 Bauds The rest doesn't matter much...

What You Need to Know

When launching the terminal, you'll determine several things:

  • The router name (for example: swpar5)
  • A secret
  • A password
  • A virtual terminal password

Then you need to switch to "enable" mode to be able to change the configuration

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enable

The prompt changes from swpar5> to swpar5#

In this mode, you can view the router configuration by typing

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sh run

Resources

Cisco Basic Concepts

If you want to modify this configuration, you need to switch to "conf" mode

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conf t

Result: the prompt changes to swpar5(config)#

The "t" is to indicate that you want to configure the router in terminal mode.

Configuring the IP Address of an Interface

By running sh run, you can see the different interfaces, like this:

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interface FastEthernet0/24
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/1
!
interface GigabitEthernet0/2
!
interface Vlan1
 no ip address 
 no ip route-cache
!
ip http server
!
control-plane
!
!
line con 0
line vty 0 4
 password *xxxxx*
 no login
line vty 5 15

Here we see an interface named Vlan1 that has no IP address, and we notice that the two lines that follow are indented with a space, so we can modify them by typing, in "configuration" mode:

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interface Vlan1

The prompt then changes to swpar5(config-if)# Then type

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ip address 192.168.0.169 255.255.255.0

Then return to enable mode (with the prompt swpar5#) and type:

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wr m

to save

From there, you can access the router's web interface by typing 

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http://192.168.0.169

Firmware Update

Checking Firmware Version

Type

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sh ver

Downloading the Latest Version

Go to cisco.fr --> support --> download software --> software advisor --> Find software compatible with my hardware --> Select your hardware configuration manually --> then choose the router model and download the archive. You have the choice between software that supports CRYPTO (secure https connection) or not.

Installing the New Firmware

It's a .tar archive that needs to be loaded from the router's web interface. Everything is automatic.

Configuring the VTP Domain

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swpar5(config)#vtp mode client     (or server or transparent)
swpar5(config)#vtp domain ulnet-fr

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst4500/12.1/12ew/configuration/guide/vtp.html#wp1032093

Configuring an Interface

Setting trunk mode allows multiple VLANs to pass through a single port between multiple switches:

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swpar5(config-if)#switchport mode trunk

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swpar5(config-if)#switchport nonegotiate

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swpar5(config-if)#auto qos voip trust 

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swpar5(config-if)#macro description cisco-switch

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swpar5(config-if)#spanning-tree link-type point-to-point

Creating a VLAN

Switch to configuration mode, and type 

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swpar5(config)#vlan x

where "x" is an "id" for the VLAN (a number), then choose a name for this VLAN. To do this, in conf mode, type "vlan x"

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swpar5(config-vlan)#name vlan_name

You can verify the VLAN configuration with the command 

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swpar5#sh vlan

Once the VLAN is created, it's better to put it in "no-shutdown" so that it doesn't automatically deactivate:

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swpar5(config-if)#no shutdown

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst2960/software/release/12.2_25_fx/configuration/guide/swvlan.html#wp1273595

Assigning an Interface to a VLAN

Enter configuration mode and choose an interface, for example "interface FastEthernet0/1", and type

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swpar5(config-if)#switchport mode access
swpar5(config-if)#switchport access vlan 3 (if the VLAN is called "vlan 3")

Graphical Mode

Once you have assigned an IP address, you can access the switch's graphical interface via http. When asked for a username and password, you only need to enter the password that you set at the beginning.

Resources