Diagnosing Problems · Topic 6 of 6

Privilege Levels, Command Help and Auto-Complete

Learn the Cisco IOS user and privileged EXEC modes, privilege levels, how question mark help works, and how auto-complete and short forms save typing.

4 min

In a nutshell

The prompt ending > is user EXEC. The prompt ending # is privileged EXEC.
The enable command moves from user EXEC to privileged EXEC, and disable goes back.
configure terminal enters global configuration. end returns to privileged EXEC.

What it is

The Cisco command line has modes and privilege levels that control what you may do.

A new session starts with limited rights. You move to a higher mode to see more and to make changes.

The command line also has built in help, so you do not need to remember every command. This page uses Cisco IOS and IOS XE.

How it works

You step up through the modes, and the prompt tells you where you are.

Modes and prompts

The prompt shows the device name and the current mode.

Mode	Prompt	What you can do
User EXEC	`Switch>`	Basic checks, and limited show commands
Privileged EXEC	`Switch#`	All show commands, and access to configuration
Global configuration	`Switch(config)#`	Change settings for the whole device
Interface configuration	`Switch(config-if)#`	Change settings for one interface

Moving between modes

Switch> enable
Switch# configure terminal
Switch(config)# interface GigabitEthernet0/1
Switch(config-if)# exit
Switch(config)# end
Switch# disable
Switch>

The enable command moves from user EXEC to privileged EXEC, and may ask for a password.

configure terminal enters global configuration. exit goes back one level, and end returns straight to privileged EXEC. disable returns to user EXEC.

Privilege levels

Cisco devices have privilege levels from 0 to 15. User EXEC is level 1, and privileged EXEC is level 15, which gives full access.

You can check your level with this command.

Switch# show privilege
Current privilege level is 15

Administrators can create levels in between, to give some people a few extra commands without full control. Most entry level work uses only levels 1 and 15.

Getting help with the question mark

Type ? at any point to see what is allowed.

Switch# ?
Switch# show ?
Switch# sh?

A question mark on its own lists the commands available in the current mode. After a command and a space, show ? lists the words that can follow. Directly after letters with no space, sh? lists the commands that start with those letters.

Error messages

The device tells you when a command is wrong.

Message	Meaning
`% Incomplete command.`	You left out a needed word. Press the up arrow and add `?` to see options
`% Invalid input detected at '^' marker.`	A word was mistyped. The caret points to where
`% Ambiguous command:`	The letters you typed match more than one command

Auto-complete and shortcuts

Press the Tab key to complete a partly typed word. For example, typing sh and pressing Tab may complete to show, if only one command begins that way.

You can also type a short form, as long as it is not ambiguous. So show running-config can be written sh run, and configure terminal can be written conf t.

The up arrow brings back earlier commands, and the left and right arrows let you edit them. The command show history lists the commands you recently typed.

What to remember for the exam

Seven facts cover most questions on this topic.

The prompt ending > is user EXEC. The prompt ending # is privileged EXEC.
The enable command moves from user EXEC to privileged EXEC, and disable goes back.
configure terminal enters global configuration. end returns to privileged EXEC.
Privilege levels run from 0 to 15. User EXEC is level 1, and privileged EXEC is level 15.
The ? key shows the available commands or the words that can follow.
The Tab key completes a word, and a short unambiguous form such as sh run is accepted.
% Invalid input detected means a typing error, and % Incomplete command. means a word is missing.

Exam tip

When you are not sure how a command goes on, type the part you know and then a space and a question mark.

Common mistakes

These four errors appear again and again.

Running a privileged command in user EXEC. Move to privileged EXEC with enable first.

Leaving out the space before the question mark. With a space, you see the next words. Without it, you see the commands that start with those letters.

Using an abbreviation that is ambiguous. The device answers with an ambiguous command message. Type more letters.

Forgetting which mode you are in. Read the prompt before you type.

Watch out

Configuration commands change the device at once. Check the prompt and the command before you press Enter.

Check yourself

Work through these three questions.

Which prompt shows privileged EXEC mode, and what command gets you there?
The prompt ends with #, and you reach it from user EXEC with the enable command.
How does show ? differ from sh? in the help system?
With a space, show ? lists the words that can follow show. Without a space, sh? lists the commands that start with sh.
What does the message % Invalid input detected at the caret marker tell you?
It tells you that a word was mistyped, and the caret points to where the error is.

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