Configuration Files

All configuration settings for the device are handled in the configuration files on the device. These files are saved in the /config directory on the device.

Configuration File Selection Sequence

During the boot process, the device is configured based on a predefined configuration file. The device selects the configuration file based on the sequence shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1: Configuration Selection Sequence

1. /config/juniper.conf.gz—Active configuration file.

2. /config/rescue.conf.gz—Rescue configuration file. This file is created by the router or switch administrator.

3. /config/juniper.conf.1.gz—First rollback configuration.

4. /etc/config/factory.conf—Default factory configuration file.

   The factory.conf file is the initial device configuration file shipped with the system. All configuration settings are returned to the factory default, and access to the device is restricted to the console. For more information about setting up your device from the factory default configuration, see the specific hardware guide for your device.

For SRX Series Services Gateways running Junos OS Release 10.0 or later, the current operational Junos OS configuration is stored in the juniper.conf.gz file. The last three committed configurations are stored in the files juniper.conf.1.gz through juniper.conf.3.gz. The rescue configuration is stored in the rescue.conf.gz file. These files are located in the /config directory. The remaining archived configuration files juniper.conf.4.gz through juniper.conf.49.gz are saved in the /var/db/config directory. Configuration files are located in the SRX series compact flash drive.

To list the configuration files, use the file list /config operational mode command.

/config:
.snap/
db_ext
db_ext-
juniper.conf+.gz
juniper.conf.1.gz
juniper.conf.2.gz
juniper.conf.3.gz
juniper.conf.gz
license/
license-status.db
rescue.conf.gz
usage.db
usage.db.1344499761

Remote Storage of Configuration Files

Configuration files can be stored off the device. This can be helpful if the device encounters a software failure or other problem that forces you to restore the device’s software. Once the software is restored, you can then reload the saved configuration file. For more information about restoring Junos OS, see Loading and Committing the Configuration File.

When the configuration file is stored off the device, you can encrypt the configuration files using the Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption algorithm.