Configure banners in IOS
Banners are displayed to users accessing the IOS device. They often contain some legal information, such as informing a person that only authorized users are allowed to access the device.
The most widely used banners are the Message Of The Day (MOTD) banners. They are shown before the login prompt to users accessing the device. Because this banner is displayed to all terminals connected, it is useful for sending messages that affect all users (such as the system shutdowns).
The MOTD banner is configured in the global configuration mode by using the banner motd DELIMITING_CHARACTER TEXT DELIMITING_CHARACTER command. The delimiting character informs the device that the message is done and can be anything you like (it is usually a pound sign – #). Here is an example:
The banner above will be displayed before the login prompt to all users connecting to the device:
You can also configure a login banner. This banner will appear after the MOTD banner but before the login prompt. It is configured using the global configuration command banner login DELIMITING_CHARACTER TEXT DELIMITING_CHARACTER.
Another type of a banner you can configure is the exec banner. This banner is displayed after the user has been authenticated. The global configuration command banner exec DELIMITING_CHARACTER TEXT DELIMITING_CHARACTER is used to create the exec banner. The exec banner is displayed to the user after the authentication process.
