A factory-default Cisco switch needs a small set of baseline commands before it’s ready for production use — hostname, management access, VLANs, and trunk ports. This walks through that baseline configuration on IOS.
Before You Begin
Connect via console cable for this initial setup rather than relying on network access — you don’t yet have a guaranteed working management IP.
Step 1 — Set hostname and basic security
Step 2 — Create VLANs
Step 3 — Assign access and trunk ports
Step 4 — Set a management IP and save
Assign a management VLAN IP
Configure an IP address on the management VLAN interface (e.g. VLAN 1 or a dedicated management VLAN) so you can reach the switch remotely afterward.
Useful Commands
enablenconfigure terminalnhostname SW-Office-01nenable secret YourStrongPasswordvlan 10n name Officenexitninterface gigabitEthernet0/1n switchport mode accessn switchport access vlan 10copy running-config startup-configWatch the Video
Prefer watching? This tutorial covers the same steps.
A ground-up walkthrough of initial Cisco switch configuration — hostname, VLANs, trunk ports, and saving the configuration.
Watch on YouTube →Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between running-config and startup-config?
running-config is the switch’s active configuration in memory; startup-config is what loads on boot. Changes only persist across reboots after you copy running-config to startup-config.
Conclusion
This baseline — hostname, secured access, VLANs, access/trunk ports, and a saved configuration — is the starting point for nearly every Cisco switch deployment, ready to be layered with more advanced features as needed.
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