This chapter covers
- Sending files across a network with Trivial File Transfer Protocol and File Transfer Protocol Cisco IOS file systems
- Upgrading Cisco IOS software
A file serves as a digital container in a computer, designed to store a variety of data ranging from text and images to audio, video, and software applications. Files can be of any size, from a few bytes to hundreds of gigabytes or more. Transferring files from one computer to another has been one of the primary functions of networks since their beginning. Over time, this has led to the development of various protocols dedicated to facilitating file transfers over a network.
Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) are two such protocols that have been widely used for this purpose and still are. While TFTP is a simple protocol that is often used to transfer small files in a controlled environment, FTP offers a robust set of features for secure and versatile file transfers. These two protocols are CCNA exam topic 4.9: Describe the capabilities and functions of TFTP/FTP in the network.
TFTP and FTP can both be used to transfer any kind of file over a network, but we’ll focus on one use case that is relevant for anyone working with Cisco routers and switches: transferring IOS files from a file server to upgrade the operating system of a device.