Five Cisco IOS tips to make you more efficient

Working with Cisco routers and switches is a part of almost every network administrator’s job. Keeping your Cisco equipment configured for optimal performance can be a time-consuming process, but there are a few general rules that will make you a more efficient administrator.In this IT Dojo video, I demonstrate the following time-saving tips for the Cisco IOS:

1. Shortening commands to their fewest unique characters
2. Using timestamps to generate better logs
3. Quickly returning an interface to its default configuration with the default interface command
4. Using the begin or include command to filter command output
5. Running Privileged Mode commands from Global Configuration prompts with the do command

After watching the video, you can learn even more about these five tips in David Davis’ article, “Five Cisco IOS tips to make you more efficient”. From the blog page, you can print the article, save it to your TechRepublic Workspace, e-mail it to a friend or colleague, and even Digg it.

For more Cisco tips and tricks, check out the following TechRepublic Resources:

• Enter commands more efficiently with Cisco command aliases (mentioned in the video)
• Troubleshoot Cisco routers and switches using the debug commands
• Cisco Administration 101: Understand the OSI model to become a better Cisco troubleshooter
• 10 commands you should master when working with the Cisco IOS
• Five things you should know about configuring a Cisco IOS switch
• Effectively filter Cisco router command output
• Learn three tricks for entering Cisco commands more quickly
• 10 things you can do with the Cisco IOS service command
• Get IT Done: 10 ways to mitigate problems using Cisco IOS debug
• Lock down Cisco switch port security
• Configure DHCP on a Cisco router or switch