Command Structure

C H A P T E R 2

Command Structure

The command-line interface (CLI) syntax, conventions, and terminology are described in this chapter. Each CLI command referenced in this document is illustrated using the structure outlined below.

This chapter includes the following topics:

Format for CLI Commands

Comments

Special Characters

Format for CLI Commands

Some commands, such as show inventory or clear vlan, do not require parameters. Other commands, such as network parms, have parameters for which you must supply a value. Parameters are positional--you must type the values in the correct order. Optional parameters will follow required parameters. Following are two examples.

network parms <ipaddr> <netmask> [gateway]

In the preceding example, <ipaddr> and <netmask> are the required values for the command, and [gateway] is the optional value for the command.

snmp-server location <loc>

In the second example, <loc> is the required parameter for the command.

Command Conventions

The following conventions apply to the command name:

The command name is displayed in this document in monospace font and must be typed exactly as shown.

Once you have entered enough letters of a command name to uniquely identify the command, pressing the spacebar or Tab key causes the system to complete the word.

Pressing Ctrl-Z returns you to the root-level command prompt.

Parameter Conventions

The following conventions apply to parameters:

Parameters are order dependent.

Variables are displayed in this document in italic font, and must be replaced with a name or number.

To use spaces as part of a name parameter, enclose it in double quotes. For example, the expression “System Name with Spaces” forces the system to accept the spaces.

Parameters might be mandatory values, optional values, choices, or a combination:

<parameter>. The <> (angle brackets) indicate that you must enter a mandatory parameter.

[parameter]. The [] brackets indicate that you may enter an optional parameter in place of the brackets and text inside them.

choice1 | choice2. The | (pipe) indicates that you should enter only one of the parameters.

The {} (braces) indicate that you must choose a parameter from the list of choices.

Values of Common Parameters

The following conventions apply to the values of the common parameters:

ipaddr

This parameter is a valid IP address. You can enter an IP address in the following formats:

a (32 bits)

a.b (8.24 bits)

a.b.c (8.8.16 bits)

a.b.c.d (8.8.8.8)

In addition to these formats, decimal, hexadecimal, and octal formats are supported through the following input formats (where n is any valid hexadecimal, octal, or decimal number):

0xn (CLI assumes hexadecimal format)

0n (CLI assumes octal format with leading zeros)

n (CLI assumes decimal format)

macaddr

The MAC address format is six hexadecimal numbers separated by colons -- for example, 00:06:29:32:81:40.

areaid

You can enter Area IDs in dotted-decimal notation (for example, 0.0.0.1). An area ID of 0.0.0.0 is reserved for the backbone. Area IDs have the same form as IP addresses, but are distinct from IP addresses. You can use the IP network number of the sub-netted network for the area ID.

routerid

You must enter the value of <router id> in 4-digit, dotted-decimal notation (for example, 0.0.0.1). A router ID of 0.0.0.0 is invalid.

slot/port

Enter a valid slot and port number separated by forward slashes. For example, 0/1 represents slot number 0 and port number 1.

logical slot/port

The logical slot and port number value is applicable in the case of a port-channel (LAG). The operator can use the logical slot/port to configure the port-channel.

Character Strings

Use double quotation marks to identify character strings--for example, “System Name with Spaces”. An empty string (“”) is not valid.

Network Addresses

Network addresses define a link to a remote host, workstation, or network. Network addresses use the syntax shown in TABLE 2-1.

TABLE 2-1 Network Address Syntax
Address Type	Format	Range
`ipaddr`	`192.165.11.110`	0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255 (decimal)
`macaddr`	`A7:C9:89:DD:A9:B3`	Hexadecimal digit pairs

Command Completion

Command completion finishes spelling the command when you have typed enough letters of a command to uniquely identify the command word. You can execute the command by pressing the Enter key (command abbreviation) or you can complete the command word by pressing the Tab or spacebar keys (command completion).

The value “Er” designates that the requested value was not internally accessible. This should not happen and indicates that the software is not handling this instance correctly.

The value of “-----” designates that the value is unknown.

Comments

The CLI enables the user to type single-line annotations at the command prompt for use when writing test or configuration scripts and for better readability. The exclamation point (!) character flags the beginning of a comment. The comment flag character can begin a word anywhere on the command line and all input following this character is ignored. Any command line that begins with the character ! is recognized as a comment line and ignored by the parser.

Some examples of comments are provided in the following code.

! Script file for displaying the ip interface
! Display information about interfaces
show ip interface 0/1 !Displays the information about the first interface
! Display information about the next interface
show ip interface 0/2
! End of the script file

Special Characters

Certain key combinations speed up use of the CLI. They are listed in this section. Help for the CLI is available by typing HELP.

TABLE 2-2 Special Characters
Key Combination	Meaning
Del, Backspace	Delete previous character
Ctrl-A	Go to beginning of line
Ctrl-E	Go to end of line
Ctrl-F	Go forward one character
Ctrl-B	Go backward one character
Ctrl-D	Delete current character
Ctrl-H	Display command history or retrieve a command
Ctrl-U, X	Delete to beginning of line
Ctrl-K	Delete to end of line
Ctrl-W	Delete previous word
Ctrl-T	Transpose previous character
Ctrl-P	Go to previous line in history buffer
Ctrl-N	Go to next line in history buffer
Ctrl-Z	Return to root command prompt
Tab, spacebar	Command-line completion
Exit	Go to next lower command prompt