Cisco Catalyst – Most Useful Commands for Network Engineers

Cisco Catalyst switches are the backbone of many enterprise networks. Whether you are managing Layer 2 access switches or Layer 3 distribution devices, knowing the right commands can make configuration and troubleshooting much faster.
Here’s a complete list of the most useful Cisco Catalyst commands you’ll need in your daily network operations.

1.Basic Device Information

Command	Description
show version	Displays model, IOS version, uptime, and serial number.
show running-config	Shows the active running configuration.
show startup-config	Displays the configuration saved in NVRAM.
show hardware	Lists chassis, fan, and power supply details.
show license summary	Displays feature and license status.

2. Interface and VLAN Commands

Command	Description
show interfaces status	Displays all port statuses (speed, duplex, VLAN).
show interfaces <interface>	Detailed statistics for a specific interface.
show interfaces counters errors	Lists port error counters.
show vlan brief	Displays VLAN configuration summary.
show interfaces trunk	Shows trunk ports and allowed VLANs.
show mac address-table	Displays learned MAC addresses and VLAN associations.

3. IP Configuration & Routing

Command	Description
show ip interface brief	Summarizes IP addresses and interface states.
show ip route	Displays routing table (useful for L3 switches).
ping <destination>	Tests basic connectivity.
traceroute <destination>	Traces path to a remote host.

4. Security & Port Management

Command	Description
show port-security	Displays port security settings on all ports.
show port-security interface <int>	Checks security violations on a port.
shutdown / no shutdown	Disables or enables an interface.
clear port-security sticky	Clears sticky MAC addresses.

5. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Command	Description
show spanning-tree summary	Displays STP mode and instance count.
show spanning-tree vlan <id>	Shows STP status for a specific VLAN.
show spanning-tree root	Displays the current root bridge.

6. Power over Ethernet (PoE)

Command	Description
show power inline	Displays PoE usage per port.
show environment power	Shows total power availability and usage.

7. CDP / LLDP (Neighbor Discovery)

Command	Description
show cdp neighbors	Displays directly connected Cisco devices.
show cdp neighbors detail	Shows detailed information about neighbors.
show lldp neighbors detail	For non-Cisco devices using LLDP.

8. Configuration Management

Command	Description
write memory or copy running-config startup-config	Saves the running configuration.
copy running-config tftp:	Backs up configuration to a TFTP server.
copy tftp: running-config	Restores configuration from TFTP.
write erase	Resets the switch to factory defaults.

9. Troubleshooting Commands

Command	Description
show logging	Displays system logs.
show processes cpu	Shows CPU usage statistics.
show processes memory	Displays memory utilization.
show arp	Lists IP-to-MAC address mappings.
show ip dhcp binding	Displays DHCP-assigned IPs.

10. Stack Management (for Stackable Switches)

Command	Description
show switch	Displays stack members and roles.
switch <number> priority <value>	Sets stack master priority.
show switch stack-ports	Displays stack link status.

Useful CLI Key Shortcuts

Ctrl + A Move cursor to line start

Ctrl + E Move cursor to line end

Ctrl + Z Exit to privileged EXEC mode

show history Displays recent command history