With IFS, all files can be viewed and classified (image, text file, and so on), including files on remote servers. For example, you may want to determine the size and type of an image on a remote server before you copy it to ensure that it is a valid image. You can also display a configuration file on a remote server to verify that it is the correct configuration file before you load the file on the router.

With IFS, the file system user interface is no longer platform-specific. Commands have the same syntax, regardless of which platform is used. Thus, you can use the same commands for all of your routers.

However, not all commands are supported on all platforms and file systems. Because different types of file systems support different operations, certain commands are not available for all file systems. Platforms will support commands for the file systems they use.

IFS minimizes the required prompting for many commands, such as the copy EXEC command. You can enter all of the required information in the command line, rather than needing to provide information when the system prompts you for it. For example, if you want to copy a file to an FTP server, on a single line you can specify the specific location on the router of the source file, the specific location of the destination file on the FTP server, and the username and password to use when connecting to the FTP server. However, to have the router prompt you for the needed information, you can still enter the minimal form of the command.

Depending on the current configuration of the fileprompt global configuration command and the type of command you entered, the router may prompt you for confirmation, even if you have provided all the information in the command. In these cases, the default value will be the value entered in the command. Press Return to confirm the values.

With IFS, you can navigate to different directories and list the files in a directory. On newer platforms, you can create subdirectories in Flash memory or on a disk.

To specify a file on a network server, use one of the following forms:

• ftp: [[ // [username[ :password@location] /directory] /filename

• rcp: [[ // [username@location] /directory] /filename

• tftp: [[ //location] /directory] /filename

The location can be an IP address or a host name. The username variable, if specified, overrides the username specified by the iprcmdremote-username or ipftpusername global configuration command. The password overrides the password specified by the ipftppassword global configuration command.

The file path (directory and filename) is specified relative to the directory used for file transfers. For example, on UNIX file servers, TFTP pathnames start in the /tftpboot directory, and rcp and FTP paths start in the home directory associated with the username.

The following example specifies the file named c7200-j-mz.112-current on the TFTP server named myserver.cisco.com. The file is located in the directory named /tftpboot/master.

tftp://myserver.cisco.com/master/c7200-j-mz.112-current

The following example specifies the file named mill-config on the server named enterprise.cisco.com. The router uses the username liberty and the password secret to access this server via FTP.

ftp://liberty:secret@enterprise.cisco.com/mill-config

Use the prefix:directory/filenamesyntax to specify a file located on the router. You can use this form to specify a file in Flash memory or NVRAM.

For example, nvram:startup-config specifies the startup configuration in NVRAM, and flash:configs/backup-config specifies the file named backup-config in the configs directory of Flash memory.

When referring to a file system instead of a file, use the prefix:form. This form specifies the file system itself, rather than a file in the file system. Use this form to issue commands on file systems themselves, such as commands to list the files in a file system or to format the file system.

For example, slot0: can indicate the first Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association (PCMCIA) Flash memory card in slot 0.

The URL prefix specifies the file system. The list of available file systems differs by platform and operation. Refer to your product documentation or use the showfilesystems EXEC command to determine which prefixes are available on your platform. File system prefixes are listed in the table below.

Note	Maintenance Operation Protocol (MOP) servers are no longer supported as file systems.

In all commands, the colon is required after the file system name. However, commands that did not require the colon previously will continue to be supported, although they will not be available in the context-sensitive help.

Use the context-sensitive help to determine which file systems can be used for a particular command. In the following example, the context-sensitive help displays which file systems can be used as sources for the copy EXEC command. The output will vary based on the platform.

Router# copy ?
  /erase      Erase destination file system.
  bootflash:  Copy from bootflash: file system
  flash:      Copy from flash: file system
  ftp:        Copy from ftp: file system
  null:       Copy from null: file system
  nvram:      Copy from nvram: file system
  rcp:        Copy from rcp: file system
  system:     Copy from system: file system
  tftp:       Copy from tftp: file system

For most commands, if no file system is specified, the file is assumed to be in the default directory, as specified by the cd command.

Router# pwd
slot0:
Router# dir
Directory of slot0:/
 
  1  -rw-     4720148   Aug 29 1997 17:49:36  hampton/nitro/c7200-j-mz
  2  -rw-     4767328   Oct 01 1997 18:42:53  c7200-js-mz
  5  -rw-         639   Oct 02 1997 12:09:32  foo
  7  -rw-         639   Oct 02 1997 12:37:13  the_time
 
20578304 bytes total (3104544 bytes free)
Router# cd nvram:
Router# dir
Directory of nvram:/
 
  1  -rw-        2725              <no date>  startup-config
  2  ----           0              <no date>  private-config
  3  -rw-        2725              <no date>  underlying-config
 
129016 bytes total (126291 bytes free)

You can use tab completion to reduce the number of characters you need to type for a command. Type the first few characters of the filename, and press the Tab key. If the characters are unique to a filename, the router will complete the filename for you. Continue entering the command as normal and press Return to execute the command.

In the following example, the router completes the filename startup-config because it is the only file in the nvram: file system that starts with “s”:

Router# show file info nvram:s<tab>
Router# show file info nvram:startup-config<Enter>

If you use tab completion without specifying any characters, the router uses the first file in the file system.

Router# show file info nvram:<tab>
Router# show file info nvram:private-config<Enter>

For many commands, you can get a listing of the files in a file system on the router by using the context-sensitive help. In the following example, the router lists the files in NVRAM:

Router# show file info nvram:?
nvram:private-config  nvram:startup-config  nvram:underlying-config

On Class A Flash file systems, you can delete individual files using the delete EXEC command and later recover these files with the undelete EXEC command. The delete command marks the files as “deleted,” but the files still take up space in Flash memory. To permanently delete the files, use the squeeze EXEC command. The squeeze command removes all of the files marked “deleted” from the specified Flash memory device. These files can no longer be recovered. To erase all of the files on a Flash device, use the format EXEC command.

On Class B Flash file systems, you can delete individual files with the delete EXEC command. The delete command marks the file as “deleted.” The file is still present in Flash memory and takes up space. To recover the file, use the undelete EXEC command. To reclaim any space in Flash memory, you must erase the entire Flash file system with the erase EXEC command.

On Class C Flash memory file systems, you can delete individual files with the delete EXEC command. Files cannot be reclaimed once they have been deleted. Instead, the Flash file system space is reclaimed dynamically. To erase all of the files in Flash, use the format EXEC command.

You can display a list of the contents of a file system before manipulating its contents. For example, before copying a new configuration file to Flash memory, you may want to verify that the file system does not already contain a configuration file with the same name. Similarly, before copying a Flash configuration file to another location, you may want to verify its filename for use in another command.