3-1. Prompts and Banners Switch prompts help users identify the device they are managing by providing a useful name at each command-line entry point. In most switch operating systems, the prompt will follow the system or host name, but can be altered. System banners both identify switches and provide information about security policies and monitoring procedures. The configuration of prompts and banners is optional.
Configuration of Prompt 1. | (Optional) Configuring the prompt.
- a. Configure a prompt by setting a device name:
COS | set system name string
| IOS | (global) hostname string
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By default the host name for an IOS device is Switch or Router, depending on the function (Layer 2 or Layer 3) of the switch. COS switches have no name, so the default prompt is console.
NOTE In early Catalyst operating systems (COS 3.2 and below), setting the system name had no effect on the prompt. To configure the prompt on a COS device running these versions of software, refer to Step 1b. - b. Specifically configure a prompt:
COS | set system prompt string
| IOS | (global) prompt string
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By default, the host name for an IOS device is Switch or Router, depending on the function (Layer 2 or Layer 3) of the switch. COS switches have no name, so the default prompt is console.
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Configuration of Banner 1. | (Optional) Configure a Message of the Day (MOTD) banner.
MOTD banners are not required to make any system operational; however, they are extremely useful for identifying any security policies pertaining to accessing network devices. For COS devices, this is a way to identify the switch without logging in to the device.
- a. Configure an MOTD banner:
COS | set banner motd & string &
| IOS | (global) banner motd & string &
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The banner text is typed in between delimiting characters (in the table, the ampersand [&]). The delimiting character is typed at the beginning and end of the banner, which can include multiple lines, line breaks, and words. The delimiting character can be any character that is not part of the banner text.
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NOTE Banners are limited in size by device and operating system. There is no consistent number or limitation. The old 1900 and 2800 series switches have a limitation of 400 characters or 20 lines. The latest version of the COS has a limitation of 3070 characters.
Feature Example This example shows a typical configuration for setting the system name, prompt, and banner. An example of the Catalyst OS configuration follows: Console (enable)>set system name Core_Switch1 Core_Switch1 (enable)>set banner motd * This is Core_Switch1 for the XYZ corporation. You have accessed a restricted device, unauthorized logins are prohibited. * Core_Switch1 (enable)>
An example of the Supervisor IOS configuration follows: Switch(config)#hostname Core_Switch1 Core_Switch1(config)#banner motd * This is Core_Switch1 for the XYZ corporation. You have accessed a restricted device, unauthorized logins are prohibited. * Core_Switch1(config)#end Core_Switch1#copy running-config startup-config
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