In my previous post I was talking about the Secure Copy (SCP) what is it?  , now let’s see how to configure Secure Copy (SCP) in a Cisco Router or a Switch.

In order to configure Secure Copy (SCP) in a Cisco Router make sure the SSH is enabled and its working.

Step 1) Lets enable the SSH and AAA features in the Cisco Device

ITKE-AS1(config)#ip domain-name itke.com

ITKE-AS1(config)#crypto key generate rsa general-keys modulus 512

The name for the keys will be: ITKE-AS1.itke.com

% The key modulus size is 512 bits

% Generating 512 bit RSA keys, keys will be non-exportable…[OK]

ITKE-AS1(config)#

ITKE-AS1(config)#aaa new-model

ITKE-AS1(config)#aaa authentication login default local

ITKE-AS1(config)#aaa authentication exec default local

Step 2) In order to use the SCP feature to manage configuration we must have at least once user account with enough privilege to access it

ITKE-AS1(config)#

ITKE-AS1(config)#username itke privilege 15 password secret itkeleads

Step 3) Now you are ready to enable the SCP server on:

ITKE-AS1(config)#ip scp server enable

Just by following these 3 simple steps we can enable Secure Copy (SCP) in a Cisco router or a Switch. For any further clarifications you can always have a close look at Cisco’s document on Secure Copy (SCP). 

We are all aware of the traditional way of transferring IOS files from and to Cisco Catalyst Switches, Cisco Routers and Cisco PIX/ASA firewall devices using TFPT, FTP and lately https. However there is also one more way to copy the IOS files, which is known as Secure Copy (SCP). The Secure Copy (SCP) is a secure and authenticated method of copying a configuration file or transferring an Image files to Cisco Catalyst Switches, Cisco Routers and Cisco PIX/ASA firewall devices.

Cisco Systems introduced the Secure Copy (SCP) feature in the following IOS releases

PIX/ASA firewalls 7.1 and above, FWSM 3.1 and above.

The Secure Copy (SCP) works on SSH protocol on port 22 which is like an encrypted tunnel. This tool is very useful especially to transfer files for upgrades or to perform safe backups.

In my next post you will find the commands to configure SCP in a Cisco Router and Switch.