Secure Copy Protocol

The Secure Copy (SCP) feature provides a secure and authenticated method for copying device configurations or device image files. SCP relies on Secure Shell (SSH), an application and protocol that provide a secure replacement for the Berkeley r-tools suite (Berkeley university’s own set of networking applications). In addition, SCP requires that authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) authorization be configured so that the device can determine whether the user has the correct privilege level. Example 11-17 provides the procedure to configure a Cisco device for SCP server-side functionality. This configuration assumes that AAA has already been configured on the device.

Example 11-17 SCP Configuration

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CCNA-Router# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
CCNA-Router(config)# ip scp server enable
CCNA-Router(config)# exit

SCP enables a user with appropriate authorization to copy any file that exists in the Cisco IOS File System (IFS) to and from a device by using the copy command. An authorized administrator may also perform this action from a workstation.