Switch Configuration Modes on Cisco Devices

User EXEC Mode

After you access the device, you are automatically in user EXEC command mode. The EXEC commands available at the user level are a subset of those available at the privileged level. In
general, use the user EXEC commands to temporarily change terminal settings, perform basic tests, and list system information…

 Privileged Exec Mode

The privileged command set includes those commands contained in user EXEC mode, as well as the configure privileged EXEC command through which you
access the remaining command modes.
If your system administrator has set a password, you are prompted to enter it before being granted access to privileged EXEC mode. The password does not appear on the screen and is case-sensitive.

The privileged EXEC mode prompt is the device name followed by the pound sign

Switch#
Enter the enable command to access privileged EXEC mode:
Switch> enable
Switch#

Global Configuration Mode

Global configuration commands apply to features that affect the device as a whole.
Use the configure privileged EXEC command to enter global configuration mode. The default is to enter commands from the management console.
When you enter the configure command, a message prompts you for the source of the configuration commands:

Switch# configure
Configuring from terminal, memory, or network [terminal]?

Switch(config)# ?