
Reload the router to boot the router with new image. To upgrade to the copied IOS image after that image is saved on the flash memory of the router, configure the router to load the new image during bootup by using the boot system command, as shown in the example. This allows the network administrator to quickly copy an image back to a router in case of a corrupted or erased image. To maintain network operations with minimum down time, it is necessary to have procedures in place for backing up Cisco IOS images.

The network TFTP server can be another router, a workstation, or a host system. Using a network TFTP server allows image and configuration uploads and downloads over the network. Widely distributed routers need a source or backup location for Cisco IOS Software images. For any network, it is good practice to keep a backup copy of the Cisco IOS Software image in case the system image on the router becomes corrupted or accidentally erased. Production internetworks usually span wide areas and contain multiple routers. This helps to control the number of IOS images and the revisions to those IOS images, as well as the configuration files that must be maintained. As a network grows, Cisco IOS Software images and configuration files can be stored on a central TFTP server, as shown in the figure. This topic takes that idea one step further with IOS software images. In the previous topic you learned the ways to copy and paste a configuration.

