By the end, you will easily understand:

• How to recognize which CLI mode you are in

• How Cisco and Huawei modes map to each other

• How common tasks look on both platforms

Let’s begin.

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1. Understanding CLI Modes in Cisco and Huawei

Before learning commands, you must understand modes.
Every command you type only works in a specific mode.

Cisco and Huawei handle modes differently:

• Cisco IOS uses clearly named configuration levels (config, config-if, etc.)

• Huawei VRP uses views, all ending with a ] prompt

The following table gives you a quick overview.

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1.1 CLI Modes & Prompts

Concept	Cisco	Huawei
User mode name	User EXEC mode	User View
User mode prompt	Router>	Huawei>
Admin/privileged mode	Privileged EXEC	(No separate mode — depends on user rights)
Admin prompt	Router#	Huawei>
Global configuration mode	Global Config Mode	System View
Global config prompt	Router(config)#	[Huawei]
Interface config mode	Interface Configuration Mode	Interface View
Interface prompt	Router(config-if)#	[Huawei-GigabitEthernet0/0/0]
Routing protocol config mode	Router Configuration Mode	Process View
Routing prompt	Router(config-router)#	[Huawei-ospf-1]
Exit mode	exit, end, Ctrl+Z`	quit, return

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2. Entering Different CLI Modes

These commands help you move into the mode you need.

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2.1 Entering Modes

Function	Cisco Command	Huawei Command
Enter admin mode	enable	N/A (user privilege based)
Enter global config	configure terminal	system-view
Enter interface view	interface g0/0	interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0
Enter OSPF configuration	router ospf 1	ospf 1
Enter VLAN view	vlan 10	vlan 10
Exit sub-mode	exit	quit
Jump to main mode	end or Ctrl+Z	return

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3. How to Identify Which Mode You're In

Sometimes you log into a device and ask yourself:
“Which mode am I in right now?”

Here’s how to identify that instantly.

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3.1 Mode Identification by Prompt

Mode	Cisco Prompt	Huawei Prompt
User mode	>	>
Admin/Privileged	#	> (same prompt, different rights)
Global config	(config)#	]
Interface config	(config-if)#	-GigabitEthernet0/0/0]
Routing config	(config-router)#	-ospf-1]
VLAN view	(config-vlan)#	-vlan10]

Huawei rule:

Any prompt ending with ] means you’re in System View or deeper configuration views.

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4. Device Management Commands

These are your basic “everyday” commands: viewing config, saving, rebooting, etc.

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4.1 Device Management Comparison

Task	Cisco	Huawei
View running config	show running-config	display current-configuration
Save config	write memory / copy run start	save
Show version/system info	show version	display version
Reboot device	reload	reboot
Logout	exit	quit

Important:
Huawei does not automatically save changes.
Always run save before rebooting.

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5. Interface Configuration Differences

Interfaces are where engineers spend the most time.
Here’s a mode-by-mode difference table.

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5.1 Interface Configuration

Task	Cisco	Huawei
Enter interface	interface g0/0	interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0
Assign IP	ip address 10.1.1.1 255.255.255.0	ip address 10.1.1.1 24
Enable interface	no shutdown	undo shutdown
Description	description Uplink	description Uplink
Check interfaces	show ip interface brief	display interface brief

Huawei uses CIDR notation for IP addresses.

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6. VLAN & Layer 2 Switching

VLAN and trunking commands differ quite a bit.

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6.1 VLAN & Switching Mode Comparison

Task	Cisco	Huawei
Create VLAN	vlan 10 name USERS	vlan 10 description USERS
Access mode	switchport mode access	port link-type access
Assign VLAN	switchport access vlan 10	port default vlan 10
Trunk mode	switchport mode trunk	port link-type trunk
Allow VLANs	switchport trunk allowed vlan 10,20	port trunk allow-pass vlan 10 20

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7. Routing: Static Routes & OSPF

Here is how routing configuration differs.

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7.1 Static Routing

Task	Cisco	Huawei
Static route	ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.1.1.1	ip route-static 0.0.0.0 0 10.1.1.1

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7.2 OSPF Configuration

Task	Cisco	Huawei
Enter OSPF view	router ospf 1	ospf 1
Add network	network 10.1.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0	On interface: ospf enable ospf 1 area 0
Show neighbors	show ip ospf neighbor	display ospf peer

Cisco configures OSPF centrally,
Huawei configures OSPF mostly per interface.

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8. Troubleshooting: Ping, ARP, MAC, CPU

Monitoring commands are extremely important for real-world operations.

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8.1 Troubleshooting Command Differences

Task	Cisco	Huawei
Ping	ping 8.8.8.8	ping 8.8.8.8
Traceroute	traceroute 8.8.8.8	tracert 8.8.8.8
ARP table	show arp	display arp
MAC table	show mac address-table	display mac-address
CPU usage	show processes cpu	display cpu-usage
Memory	show memory	display memory
Routing table	show ip route	display ip routing-table

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9. Removing Configuration: “no” vs “undo”

This is the single biggest mindset shift.

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9.1 Remove / Undo Commands

Task	Cisco (uses no)	Huawei (uses undo)
Remove IP	no ip address	undo ip address
Remove VLAN	no vlan 10	undo vlan 10
Disable interface config	no shutdown (to enable)	undo shutdown
Remove OSPF	no router ospf 1	undo ospf 1

Shortcut rule:

Cisco removes config with no,
Huawei removes config with undo.

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Conclusion

Once you understand the mode structure of Cisco and Huawei, switching between the two platforms becomes very natural.
Both follow the same networking principles, but they express them differently:

• Cisco uses short commands and clear mode names (config-if, config-router).

• Huawei uses hierarchical views with prompts ending in ].

• Cisco uses no to remove settings, Huawei uses undo.

• Huawei requires a manual save to keep configuration.

This mode-based comparison and tables should give any engineer—whether coming from Cisco or Huawei—a fast and friendly way to adapt.