Nexus 7000 : startup-config

Nexus 7000 has a surprising feature when it comes to installing startup configurations:  You can install any startup-config you want, as long as it's the running-config.


The Nexus 7000 platform stores the startup configuration in some sort of binary or compiled state, not a flat ascii file like you'd find on an IOS device.  I think that when you 'copy running-config startup-config' on the Nexus, your running config gets nvgened, compiled and written, rather than just nvgened and written as would happen on IOS.


Frustratingly, you can't copy to the startup-config from any source other than running-config:

N7K# copy bootflash:my-config startup-config
This command is deprecated. To obtain the same results, please use
the sequence 'write erase' + 'reload' + 'copy  running-config' +
'copy running-config startup-config'.

There is some documentation which indicates otherwise, but it's been updated.  The only supported way to load a fresh configuration on a Nexus 7000 is the one recommended in the error message above.


Thank goodness for terminal servers.