Syntax Symbols

You may see a variety of symbols shown as part of the command syntax.

These symbols explain how to enter the command, and you do not type them as part of the command itself. The following table summarizes command syntax symbols.

Note

Switch Engine software does not support the ampersand (&), left angle bracket (<), or right angle bracket (>) because they are reserved characters with special meaning in XML.

Table 1. Command Syntax Symbols
Symbol	Description
square brackets [ ]	Enclose a required value or list of required arguments. One or more values or arguments can be specified. For example, in the syntax use image [primary \| secondary] you must specify either the primary or secondary image when entering the command. Do not type the square brackets.
braces { }	Enclose an optional value or a list of optional arguments. One or more values or arguments can be specified. For example, in the syntax reboot {time month day year hour min sec} {cancel} {msmslot_id} {slotslot-number \| node-addressnode-address \| stack-topology {as-standby}} you can specify either a particular date and time combination, or the keyword cancel to cancel a previously scheduled reboot. In this command, if you do not specify an argument, the command will prompt asking if you want to reboot the switch now. Do not type the braces.
vertical bar \|	Separates mutually exclusive items in a list, one of which must be entered. For example, in the syntax configure snmp community [readonly \| readwrite] alphanumeric_string you must specify either the read or write community string in the command. Do not type the vertical bar.