IOS XR Interface Configuration (shutdown/no shutdown) and Verification

How to shutdown / no shutdown an Interface on Cisco IOS XR

These are the commands for disabling and enabling an interface on Cisco IOS XR. Run them in interface configuration mode.

Cisco IOS XR Interface shutdown Configuration
interface [INTERFACE_NAME]
 shutdown

Cisco IOS XR Interface no shutdown Configuration
interface [INTERFACE_NAME]
 no shutdown

Field	Value
[INTERFACE_NAME]	Specify the target interface name (e.g. GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0)

Example: Configuring Interface shutdown

This example shuts down GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0.

Interface shutdown Example
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#configure
Sat Aug  1 14:33:16.300 UTC
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config)#interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#shutdown
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#commit
Sat Aug  1 14:33:26.622 UTC
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#end
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

Example: Configuring Interface no shutdown

This example sets no shutdown on GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0.

Interface no shutdown Example
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#configure
Sat Aug  1 14:34:45.321 UTC
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config)#interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#no shutdown
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#commit
Sat Aug  1 14:34:54.061 UTC
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR(config-if)#end
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

Checking Interface State with show interfaces

You can check the state of an interface with the show interfaces command.

Cisco IOS XR show interfaces Command
show interfaces [INTERFACE_NAME]

Field	Value
[INTERFACE_NAME]	Specify the interface name to check the state of (if omitted, all interfaces are shown)

Example: Checking the shutdown State

When shutdown is configured, it is shown as administratively down.

show interfaces Example (shutdown State)
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0

GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0 is administratively down, line protocol is administratively down
  Interface state transitions: 2
  Hardware is GigabitEthernet, address is 5254.0047.fbf7 (bia 5254.0047.fbf7)
  Description: to GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0.xrd-1
  Internet address is Unknown
  MTU 1514 bytes, BW 1000000 Kbit (Max: 1000000 Kbit)
     reliability 255/255, txload 0/255, rxload 0/255
  Encapsulation ARPA,
  Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s, unknown, link type is force-up
  output flow control is off, input flow control is off
  Carrier delay (up) is 10 msec
  loopback not set,
-- snip --
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

Example: Checking the no shutdown (Operating Normally) State

After no shutdown is configured, if the link is connected it is shown as up / up.

show interfaces Example (up State)
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0

GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0 is up, line protocol is up
  Interface state transitions: 3
  Hardware is GigabitEthernet, address is 5254.0047.fbf7 (bia 5254.0047.fbf7)
  Description: to GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0.xrd-1
  Internet address is Unknown
  MTU 1514 bytes, BW 1000000 Kbit (Max: 1000000 Kbit)
     reliability 255/255, txload 0/255, rxload 0/255
  Encapsulation ARPA,
  Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s, unknown, link type is force-up
  output flow control is off, input flow control is off
  Carrier delay (up) is 10 msec
  loopback not set,
-- snip --
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

Example: Checking the State When no shutdown Is Set but the Cable Is Not Connected

Even with no shutdown configured, if the carrier signal cannot be detected — for example because the cable is disconnected or no SFP is inserted — the interface is shown as is down, line protocol is down, unlike the shutdown state (note that administratively is not present).

show interfaces Example (Cable Not Connected)
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show interfaces gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0

GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0 is down, line protocol is down
  Interface state transitions: 2
  Hardware is GigabitEthernet, address is 5254.0047.fbf7 (bia 5254.0047.fbf7)
  Description: to GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0.xrd-1
  Internet address is Unknown
  MTU 1514 bytes, BW 1000000 Kbit (Max: 1000000 Kbit)
     reliability 255/255, txload 0/255, rxload 0/255
  Encapsulation ARPA,
  Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s, unknown, link type is force-up
  output flow control is off, input flow control is off
  Carrier delay (up) is 10 msec
  loopback not set,
-- snip --
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

The first line, is up, line protocol is up, actually shows two separate states.

Position	Meaning
First (is up / is down / is administratively down)	Layer 1 (physical) state. Reflects the shutdown/no shutdown configuration and carrier (line signal) detection status
Second (line protocol is up / down)	Layer 2 (data link) state. If the first is down, this also goes down accordingly

Combining these two values lets you distinguish between different causes.

First State	Second State	Meaning
administratively down	administratively down	Disabled by `shutdown` configuration
down	down	`no shutdown` is configured, but a carrier signal cannot be detected due to a disconnected cable, missing SFP, etc.
up	up	`no shutdown` is configured and the link is also up normally

administratively down and down look similar at a glance, but the difference is that the former is caused by configuration (shutdown), while the latter is caused by a physical factor (disconnection, etc.). Checking show running-config alongside this lets you determine which is the cause.

Using the show interfaces brief command, you can check the state of all interfaces concisely, one line each.

show interfaces brief Example

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show interfaces brief
Sat Aug  1 14:36:32.883 UTC

               Intf       Intf        LineP              Encap  MTU        BW
               Name       State       State               Type (byte)    (Kbps)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Lo0  admin-down  admin-down           Loopback  1500          0
                Nu0          up          up               Null  1500          0
     Mg0/RP0/CPU0/0  admin-down  admin-down               ARPA  1514    1000000
          Gi0/0/0/0          up          up               ARPA  1514    1000000
          Gi0/0/0/1        down        down               ARPA  1514    1000000
          Gi0/0/0/2  admin-down  admin-down               ARPA  1514    1000000

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

Gi0/0/0/1 has no shutdown configured, but both Intf State and LineP State are down, suggesting a disconnected cable, missing SFP, or similar. Note that this has a different meaning from Gi0/0/0/2’s admin-down (shutdown configured).

Difference in How shutdown / no shutdown Appear in show running-config

When checking the configuration with show running-config, note that shutdown and no shutdown are displayed differently.

When shutdown is configured: a shutdown line is shown within the interface configuration
When no shutdown is configured: a no shutdown line is not shown (the absence of the setting is treated as meaning the interface is enabled)

show running-config Example for the shutdown State

show running-config Example (shutdown State)
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show running-config interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0

interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0
 description to-IOS-XE
 ipv4 address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.252
 shutdown
!

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

show running-config Example for the no shutdown State

show running-config Example (no shutdown State)
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#show running-config interface gigabitEthernet 0/0/0/0

interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0/0
 description to-IOS-XE
 ipv4 address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.252
!

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:IOX-XR#

In the no shutdown state, the shutdown line itself does not exist, so only the other settings appear in show running-config. When checking whether an interface has been unintentionally shut down, it’s a good idea to check whether shutdown appears in show running-config.