Configuration types
The configuration loaded at startup is called startup configuration and the configuration that is running on the device is called running configuration.
Startup configuration
The device uses startup configuration to configure software features during startup.
The following are sources of startup configuration:
Initial settings—Initial values or states for parameters. If the device starts up with empty configuration, all parameters use their initial settings at startup.
No commands are available to display the initial settings. For more information about these settings, see the Default sections in the command references.
Factory defaults—Product-specific default settings that are different from initial settings. The factory defaults are included in the .ipe software image file. If you do not configure the device to start up with the initial settings or a startup configuration file, the device loads the factory defaults to configure features at startup. If a parameter is not included in the factory defaults, the device uses its initial settings.
To display the factory defaults, use the display default-configuration command.
Startup configuration file—Configuration file you specify in the Boot menus or CLI for startup. The file is called the next-startup configuration file. After the file is loaded at startup, it is also called the current startup configuration file. For high availability, you can specify two next-startup configuration files, one main and one backup (see "Specifying a next-startup configuration file").
To display the names of the current startup configuration file and the next-startup configuration files, use the display startup command.
To display the contents of the configuration file for the next system startup, use the display saved-configuration command.
Running configuration
The running configuration includes unchanged startup settings and new settings. The running configuration is stored in memory and is cleared at a device reboot or power off. To use the running configuration after a power cycling or reboot, save it to a configuration file.
To display the running configuration, use the display current-configuration command. The displayed configuration does not include parameters that use initial settings.