Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The command used to copy the running configuration to the startup configuration is “copy running-config startup-config,” which is often abbreviated to “copy run start.” This command is essential because it ensures that the current active configuration, which defines how the device operates, is saved to non-volatile memory. This allows the configuration to be retained across device reboots.

In practice, configurations can change during the operational period of the device. Without executing this command after making changes to the running configuration, all modifications would be lost when the device is restarted, returning it to the last saved configuration stored in the startup configuration.

The other commands do not fulfill the same purpose. For instance, “copy start run” is incorrectly ordered for the intended action, as it copies the startup configuration to the running configuration instead. “Write memory” serves a similar purpose as it is another command used to save the running configuration, but it is not the specific command which clearly indicates copying from running to startup. “Save configuration” is not a standard command in Cisco IOS; instead, users typically use the recognized commands that directly specify the action of copying configurations.

This understanding is crucial for efficient device management and ensuring configurations persist as desired across device reboots.