How to use Easy Help Features on Cisco Routers and Switches?

How to use Easy Help Features on Cisco Routers and Switches?

            Cisco routers and switches provide you an easy way to help you while  configuring your router by showing you all possible commands supported at that specific mode. So you do not have to remenber all the lengthy commands as this feature takes you to a simple chose-the-right-answer position. All these ways ara similarly applicable irrespective of router’s mode. There are three great places of using Cisco IOS’s help features, which are listed below:

1)               To list all commands available for a particular command mode, enter a question mark (?) at that prompt. Like

Router #?

  access-enable    Create a temporary Access-List entry

  access-profile     Apply user-profile to interface

  calendar             Manage the hardware calendar

                   …… (a long list of supported commandss)

2)               To obtain a list of commands that begin with a particular character string, enter the abbreviated command entry immediately followed by a question mark (?). This form of help is called word help, because it lists only the keywords or arguments that begin with the abbreviation you entered. e.g.

Router# co?
     configure connect copy 

3)               To list a command's associated keywords or arguments, enter a question mark (?) in place of a keyword or argument on the command line. This form of help is called command syntax help, because it lists the keywords or arguments that apply based on the command, keywords, and arguments you have already entered. e.g.

Router# cofigure ?

     memory                   Configure from NV memory

     network                    Configure from a TFTP network host

     overwrite-network   Overwrite NV memory from TFTP host

     terminal                    Configure from the terminal

    

Another great feature:  If you enter an incorrect command, the caret symbol (^) and help response indicate the error. Notice that the caret symbol character is displayed at the point in the command string where the IOS detected that you entered an incorrect command, keyword, or argument.
This error location facility together with the interactive help system allows you to find and correct syntax errors easily.