Catalyst 3550 Configuration Modes and Terminology

Configuring a Catalyst 3550 is much like configuring the Cisco IOS Software found in predecessor switches, such as the Cisco Catalyst 3500XL series, or like configuring the combined routing and QoS features found on traditional Cisco IOS on router platforms. The upcoming sections focus on configuring the Catalyst 3550 family of switches with the EMI software installed.

The Catalyst 3550 CLI has different configuration modes and different interfaces types. For instance, routed ports are configured different from switched virtual interfaces, which are different from access ports. Each one of these interfaces is configured from different configuration modes. Therefore, it is important to have a common terminology when discussing the configuration of the Catalyst 3550.