100-490 · Question #41
Which type of memory stores the configuration of a router or switch by default?
The correct answer is C. NVRAM. NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) is the default storage location for the startup configuration file of a Cisco router or switch. Non-Volatility: NVRAM retains its contents even when the device loses power. This is essential for storing the startup configuration, which…
Question
Which type of memory stores the configuration of a router or switch by default?
Options
- ARAM
- BROM
- CNVRAM
- Dflash
How the community answered
(58 responses)- A7% (4)
- B3% (2)
- C72% (42)
- D17% (10)
Explanation
NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) is the default storage location for the startup configuration file of a Cisco router or switch. Non-Volatility: NVRAM retains its contents even when the device loses power. This is essential for storing the startup configuration, which contains critical settings like interface configurations, routing protocols, and passwords. Read/Write Capability: Unlike ROM, NVRAM allows you to both read and write data. This makes it possible to modify the configuration and save the changes into NVRAM as the startup
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Fatima Z.Nov 12, 2025The answer is C, NVRAM, and here is the hook that will nail it into your brain forever: NV stands for Non-Volatile, so think "Never Vanishes," and that is exactly what the startup-config does, it survives a power cycle and waits patiently for the router to boot up. RAM is the party animal, it holds your running-config while the device is live but forgets everything the second the power drops, so think "RAM Runs Away." NVRAM is the responsible one that saves your work, ROM just kicks off the boot process and holds the POST routines, and Flash is where the IOS image lives, so none of those three are babysitting your default config. Every time you see "stores configuration by default," picture a sticky note that Never Vanishes, slap an NV on it, and you will land on NVRAM every single time.
Imani T.Nov 25, 2025NVRAM is right, that is where the startup-config lives permanently.
Ola B.Dec 1, 2025I almost marked B for ROM because that is where the bootstrap and POST live, but then I remembered ROM is read-only and the router cannot write your running config there. The whole point of NVRAM is that it holds the startup-config through a power cycle without needing to be read-only, so spin up a router in Packet Tracer, do a "show startup-config" and you will see exactly where that file lives.
Nina C.Dec 24, 2025C is right, and here is the way I had to think through it to make it stick. NVRAM stands for non-volatile RAM, and the "non-volatile" part is the key clue because it means the data survives a power cycle. The router saves your startup-config there, so when it reboots it knows what to do. RAM holds the running-config, but that one disappears the second you pull the power, which caught me off guard the first time I read about it. So if someone asks where the config lives by default, they mean the one that persists, and that is NVRAM every time.
Anjali D.Dec 10, 2025NVRAM is right, though calling it "default" is a bit loose since RAM holds the running config.
Ola B.Dec 11, 2025NVRAM stores the startup config and RAM holds the running config, so if you want to be precise, "default" really only fits if the two have never diverged after a reload.