EECN500 - Network Engineering

Anatomy of a Router / Intro to Cisco IOS

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Objectives
 Learning Objectives
– Upon completion of this chapter, you will
be able to:
– Define the role of the Internetwork
Operating System (IOS).
– Define the purpose of a configuration file.
– Identify several classes of devices that
have the IOS embedded.
– Identify the factors contributing to the set
of IOS commands available to a device.
– Identify the IOS modes of operation.
– Identify the basic IOS commands.
– Compare and contrast the basic show
commands.

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Cisco IOS
 Similar to a personal computer, a router or switch
cannot function without an operating system.
–The Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) is
the system software in Cisco devices.
•It is used for routers, LAN switches, small Wireless
Access Points, and many other devices.
–The IOS operational vary depending on different
devices, the device's purpose and feature set.
•The services provided by the Cisco IOS are accessed
using a command line interface (CLI).
–The IOS file itself is several megabytes in size and is
stored in a memory area called flash.
•Flash memory provides non-volatile storage.
•Using flash memory allows the IOS to be upgraded to
newer versions or to have new features added.
–The IOS is copied into RAM when the device is powered on
and the runs from RAM when the device is operating.
 The Cisco IOS provides the following services:
–Basic routing and switching functions
–Reliable and secure access to network resources
–Network scalability
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Cisco IOS Access Methods: Console
 Console  3 ways to access the CLI:
–Console
–The CLI can be accessed through a console session,
–Telnet or SSH
–Console uses low speed serial connection directly –AUX port
connect computer to console port on the router or switch.
–The console port is accessible even if no networking
services have been configured on the device.
–Examples of console use are:
•The initial configuration of the network device
•Disaster recovery procedures and troubleshooting where
remote access is not possible
•Password recovery procedures
–For many IOS devices, console access does not have
any form of security, by default.
•The console should be configured with passwords to prevent
unauthorized device access.
•The device should be located in a locked room or equipment
rack to prevent physical access.

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 Initial startup of Cisco routers
Router

Console port
Terminal or a
PC with
Rollover cable terminal
emulation
software

Com1 or Com2 serial port

Take the following steps to connect a terminal to the console port on the router:
• Connect the terminal using the RJ-45 to RJ-45 rollover cable and an RJ-45 to
DB-9 or RJ-45 to DB-25 adapter.
• Configure the terminal or PC terminal emulation software for 9600 baud, 8 data
bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow control.
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 Initial startup of Cisco routers

• Important: A console connection is not the

same as a network connection!
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Cisco IOS Access Methods: Telnet and SSH
 Telnet and SSH
–Telnet is a method for remotely accessing a CLI session.
•Telnet sessions require networking services on the device.
•The network device must have at least one active interface configured
with a Layer 3 address, such as an IPv4 address.
•Telnet client can access the vty sessions on the Cisco device.
•For security reasons, the IOS requires that the Telnet session use a
password, as a minimum authentication method.
–Secure Shell (SSH) protocol is a more secure method for remote
device access.
•This protocol provides the or a remote login similar to Telnet, except
that it utilizes more secure network services.
•SSH provides stronger password authentication than Telnet and uses
encryption when transporting session data.
•This keeps the user ID, password, and the details of the management
session private. As a best practice, always use SSH in place of Telnet
whenever possible.
•Most newer versions of the IOS contain an SSH server.
•IOS devices also include an SSH client that can be used to establish
SSH sessions with other devices.
•Similarly, you can use a remote computer with an SSH client to start a
secure CLI session.

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Configuration Files
 Network devices depend on two types of software for
their operation: operating system and configuration.
–The operating system facilitates the basic operation of the
device's hardware components.
–Configuration files contain the Cisco IOS commands used
to customize the functionality of a Cisco device.
 A Cisco network device contains two configuration files:
–The running configuration file - used during the current
operation of the device
•Stored in RAM, it is used to operate the device.
•Changes to the running configuration will immediately affect
the operation of the Cisco device.
•After making any changes, the administrator has the option of
saving those changes back to the startup-config file so that they
will be used the next time the device restarts.
•The running configuration is lost if the power is turned off.
–The startup configuration file - used as the backup
configuration and is loaded when the device is started
•The startup configuration file is used during system startup to
configure the device.
•The startup configuration file is stored in NVRAM.
•When the device is turned off, the file remains intact.
•The startup-config files are loaded into RAM each time the
router is started or reloaded. Once the configuration file is
loaded into RAM, it is considered the running configuration.
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Cisco IOS Modes
 The Cisco IOS is a modal operating system.
–The term modal describes a system where there are
different modes of operation, each having its own operation.
–The CLI uses a hierarchical structure for the modes.
 In order from top to bottom, the major modes are:
–User executive mode
–Privileged executive mode
–Global configuration mode
–Other specific configuration modes
 Each mode is to accomplish particular tasks and has a
specific commands that are available in that mode.
–For example, to configure a router interface, the user must
enter interface configuration mode.
–All configurations that are entered in interface configuration
mode apply only to that interface.
–Each mode is distinguished with a distinctive prompt, and
only commands that are appropriate for that mode are
allowed.
–Different authentication can be required for each hierarchal
mode. This controls the level of access that network
personnel can be granted.
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Cisco IOS Modes: Command Prompts
 When using the CLI, the mode is identified by
the command-line prompt that is unique to that
mode.
–The prompt is composed of the words and
symbols on the line to the left of the entry area.
–The word prompt is used because the system is
prompting you to make an entry.
 By default, every prompt begins with the
device name.
–Following the name, the remainder of the
prompt indicates the mode. 1
–For example, the default prompt for the global
configuration mode on a router would be:
•Router(config)#
 As commands are used and modes are
changed, the prompt changes to reflect the
current context.

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Cisco IOS Modes: Primary Modes
 Cisco IOS software separates the EXEC sessions into two
access modes. The privileged EXEC mode has a higher level of
authority in what it allows to be executed.
 The two primary modes of operation are:
–User Executive Mode  Switch>
•This mode is the first entrance into the CLI of an IOS router.
•The user EXEC mode allows only a limited number of basic commands.
•This is often referred to as view-only mode.
•By default, there is no authentication required.
•It is identified by the CLI prompt that ends with the > symbol.
–Privileged EXEC Mode  Switch#
•Also called “enable mode”
•The execution of configuration and management commands requires that
the network administrator use the privileged EXEC mode.
•The privileged EXEC mode can be identified by the prompt ending with
the # symbol.
•By default, privileged EXEC does not require authentication.
•Global configuration mode and all other more specific configuration
modes can only be reached from the privileged EXEC mode.

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Moving between the User EXEC and Privileged EXEC Modes
 The enable and disable commands are used to change
between user EXEC mode and privileged EXEC mode.
–In order to access privileged EXEC mode, use enable command.
•Router>enable
–Once <Enter> is pressed, the router prompt changes to:
•Router#
–The # at the end of the prompt indicates that the router is now in
privileged EXEC mode.
–If password authentication has been configured for the privileged
EXEC mode, the IOS prompts for the password.
•Router>enable
•Password:
•Router#
–The disable command is used to return from the privileged EXEC
to the user EXEC mode.
•For example:
•Router#disable
•Router>

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IOS Command Conventions
 For the syntax for ping command:
–Router>ping IP address
–Example with values:
–Router>ping 10.10.10.5
–The command is ping and the argument is the IP
address.
 Similarly, the syntax for entering the traceroute
commands:
–Switch>traceroute IP address
–Example with values:
–Switch>traceroute 192.168.254.254
–The command is traceroute and the argument is the IP
address.
 Another example, the description command.
–Router(config-if)#description string
–Example with values:
–Switch(config-if)#description Interface to Building a LAN

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Using CLI Help 1: Context-Sensitive Help
 The context-sensitive help provides a list of commands  The IOS has several forms
and the arguments associated with those commands of help available:
within the context of the current mode. –Context-sensitive help
–To access context-sensitive help, enter a question mark, –Command Syntax Check
?, at any prompt.
–Hot Keys and Shortcuts
–There is an immediate response without the need to use
the <Enter> key.
–This can be used when you are unsure of the name for a
command.
 For example,
–To list the commands available at the user EXEC level,
Router>?
–After entering a character sequence, if a question mark is
immediately entered (without a space) the IOS will display
a list of keywords that start with the characters.
Router>sh?
–A final type of context-sensitive help is used to determine
which options, keywords, or arguments are matched with a
specific command (with a space) .
Router#clock set 19:50:00 ?

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Using CLI Help 2: Command Syntax Check
 When a command is submitted by pressing the
<Enter> key, the command line interpreter parses
the command from left to right to determine what
action is being requested.
–The IOS generally only provides negative feedback.
•If the interpreter understands the command, the
requested action is executed.
•if the interpreter cannot understand the command being
entered, it will provide feedback describing what is
wrong with the command.
 There are three different types of error messages:
–Ambiguous command
•Not enough character to recognize the command
–Incomplete command
•Good start on the command, but needs more argument
–Incorrect command
•Part or the whole command is wrong

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Using CLI Help 3: Hot Keys and Shortcuts
 The IOS CLI provides hot keys and shortcuts.
 Tab - To complete the remainder of commands
–When enough of the keyword has been entered, press the Tab
key and the CLI will display the rest of the keyword.
 Ctrl-R - Redisplay the line
–When the IOS is returning a message just as you are typing.
You can use Ctrl-R to refresh the line and avoid to retype.
 Ctrl-Z - Exit configuration mode.
–You may find yourself several levels down. Rather than exit
each mode individually, use Ctrl-Z to return directly to the
privileged EXEC prompt at the top level.
 Up and Down arrows - Using previous commands.
–Use up arrow key (Ctrl P) to display the previously commands.
–Use down arrow key (Ctrl N) to scroll forward through the
history to display the more recent commands.
 Ctrl-Shift-6 - Using the escape sequence.
–Allows the user to interrupt process such as ping or traceroute.
 Ctrl-C - It interrupts the entry of a command and exits the
configuration mode.
–This is useful when entering a command you may decide that
you wish to cancel the command.

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Using CLI Help 3: Hot Keys and Shortcuts
 Abbreviated commands or keywords. Commands
and keywords can be abbreviated to the minimum
number of characters that identifies a unique
selection.
 For example, the configure command can be
abbreviated to conf because configure is the only
command that begins with conf.
–Router#configure terminal
–Router#conf t
 As another example, show interfaces can be
abbreviated like this:
–Router#show interfaces
–Router#show int
–Router#sh int
 The More Prompt
–When a command returns more output than can be
displayed on a single screen, the --More-- prompt
appears at the bottom of the screen.
–Press the Spacebar to view the next portion of output.
–Press the Enter key to display only the next line.
–If any other key is pressed, the output is cancelled and
you are returned to the prompt.
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IOS “Examination” Commands
 In order to verify and troubleshoot network operation, we must
examine the operation of the devices.
 The basic examination command is the show command.

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IOS “Examination” Commands
 show interfaces
–Displays statistics for all interfaces on the device.
–To view the statistics for a specific interface, enter the
show interfaces command followed by the specific
interface slot/port number.
–Router#show interfaces serial 0/1
 show version
–Displays information about the currently loaded
software version, along with hardware information.
•Software Version - IOS software version (stored in flash)
•Bootstrap Version - Bootstrap version (stored in Boot ROM)
•System up-time - Time since last reboot
•System restart info - Method of restart (e.g., power cycle,
crash)
•Software image name - IOS filename stored in flash
•Router Type and Processor type - Model number and
processor type
•Memory type and allocation (Shared/Main) - Main Processor
RAM and Shared Packet I/O buffering
•Software Features - Supported protocols / feature sets
•Hardware Interfaces - Interfaces available on router
•Configuration Register - Sets bootup specifications, console
speed setting, and related parameters.

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IOS “Examination” Commands
 show arp - Displays the ARP table of the device.
 show mac-address-table - (switch only) Displays the MAC table of a switch.
 show startup-config - Displays the saved configuration located in NVRAM.
 show running-config - Displays the contents of the currently running
configuration file or the configuration for a specific interface, or map class
information.
 show ip interfaces - Displays IPv4 statistics for all interfaces on a router.
 show ip interface brief - This is useful to get a quick summary of the
interfaces and their operational state.
–Router#show ip interface brief
Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
FastEthernet0/0 172.16.255.254 YES manual up up
FastEthernet0/1 unassigned YES unset down down
Serial0/0/0 10.10.10.5 YES manual up up
Serial0/0/1 unassigned YES unset down down

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IOS Configuration Modes
 Global Configuration Mode
–The primary mode is called global configuration.
–The following CLI command is used to take the device
from privileged EXEC mode to the global configuration
end /
mode:
Crtrl-Z
•Router#configure terminal
–Once the command is executed, the prompt changes to
show that the router is in global configuration mode.
•Router(config)# exit
 Specific Configuration Modes
–There are many different configuration modes.
–Each modes configure of a particular function.
•Interface mode - to configure the interfaces (Fa0/0, S0/0/0,..)
•Line mode - to configure the lines (console, AUX, VTY,..)
•Router mode - to configure the routing protocols
–To exit a specific configuration mode and return to global
configuration mode, enter exit at a prompt.
–To leave configuration mode completely and return to
privileged EXEC mode, enter end or use the Ctrl-Z.

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Devices Need Names
 The hostname is used in CLI prompts.
 If the hostname is not explicitly configured, a router
uses the factory-assigned default hostname "Router."
 A switch has a factory-assigned default hostname,
"Switch."
–Imagine if an internetwork had several routers that were
all named with the default name "Router."
–This would create considerable confusion during
network configuration and maintenance.
 Some guidelines for naming conventions:
–Start with a letter
–Not contain a space
–End with a letter or digit
–Have characters of only letters, digits, and dashes
–Be 63 characters or fewer
 The hostnames used in the device IOS preserve
capitalization and lower case characters.
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Limiting Device Access – Password and Banner
 Passwords are the primary defense against unauthorized access to network
devices.The passwords here are:
–Console password - limits access using the console connection
–Enable password - limits access to the privileged EXEC mode
–Enable secret password - encrypted, limits access to the privileged EXEC mode
–VTY password - limits device access using Telnet
•As good practice, use different authentication passwords for each of these levels of
access.
 The use of easily guessed passwords is a security issue. Consider these key points
when choosing passwords:
–Use passwords that are more than 8 characters in length.
–Use a combination of upper and lowercase and/or numeric sequences in passwords.
–Avoid using the same password for all devices.
–Avoid using common words such as password or administrator, because these are easily
guessed.
 Note: In most of the labs, we will be using simple passwords such as cisco or class.
–These passwords are considered weak and easily guessable and should be avoided in a
production environment.
–We only use these passwords for convenience in a classroom setting.

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Limiting Device Access – Console Password
 The console port of a device has special privileges.
–The console port of network devices must be secured.
–This reduces the chance of unauthorized personnel
physically plugging a cable into the device and gaining
device access.
 The following are used to set a password:
–Switch(config)#line console 0
–Switch(config-line)#password password
–Switch(config-line)#login
•From global configuration mode, the command line console 0
is used to enter line configuration mode for the console.
•The zero is used to represent the first (and in most cases only)
console interface for a router.
•The command, password password specifies a password.
•The login command configures the router to require
authentication upon login. When login is enabled and a
password set, there will be a prompt to enter a password.
–Once these three commands are executed, a password
prompt will appear each time a user attempts to gain
access to the console port.
–When prompted for a password, the password characters
will not appear when you type.
•This is done for security purposes - many passwords are
gathered by prying eyes.

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Limiting Device Access – Enable and Enable Secret Passwords
 To provide additional security, use enable password
or enable secret command to establish
authentication before accessing privileged EXEC
(enable) mode.
–Always use the enable secret command, not the older
enable password command, if possible.
 The following commands are used to set the
passwords:
–Router(config)#enable password password
–Router(config)#enable secret password
 If no enable password or enable secret password is
set, the IOS prevents privileged EXEC access from a
Telnet session.
–Without an enable password having been set, a Telnet
session would appear this way:
•Switch>enable
•% No password set
•Switch>
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Limiting Device Access – VTY Password
 The vty lines allow access to a router via Telnet.
–By default, many Cisco devices support 5 VTY lines that are
numbered 0 to 4.
–A password needs to be set for all available vty lines.
–The same password can be set for all connections.
–However, it is often desirable that a unique password be set for
one line to provide a fall-back for administrative entry to the
device if the other connections are in use.
 The following commands are used to set a password:
–Router(config)#line vty 0 4
–Router(config-line)#password password
–Router(config-line)#login
 By default, the IOS includes the login command on the VTY
lines. This prevents Telnet access to the device without first
requiring authentication.
–If, by mistake, the no login command is set, which removes the
requirement for authentication, unauthorized persons could
connect to the line using Telnet. This would be a major security
risk.

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Encrypting Password Display
 Another useful command prevents passwords from
showing up as plain text when viewing the
configuration files.
–This is the service password-encryption command.
–This command causes the encryption of passwords to
occur when a password is configured.
 The service password-encryption command applies
weak encryption to all unencrypted passwords.
–This encryption does not apply to passwords as they
are sent over media only in the configuration.
–The purpose of this command is to keep unauthorized
individuals from viewing passwords in the configuration
file.
 Once the encryption has been applied, removing the
encryption service does not reverse the encryption.

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 Configuring router passwords (cont.)

WARNING
 service password-encryption uses a Cisco Level 7 encryption which is very
easy to decrypt.
 For the GetPass! software www.boson.com
 However, the enable secret <password> uses a stronger encryption method and
cannot be easily hacked.

and !
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Configuring router passwords (cont.)

Doesn’t work for enable secret!

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Limiting Device Access – Banner Messages
 Banners can be an important part of the legal process in the
event that someone is prosecuted for breaking into a device.
Some legal systems do not allow prosecution, or even the
monitoring of users, unless a notification is visible.
 Here are some examples information to include in a banner:
–"Use of the device is specifically for authorized personnel."
–"Activity may be monitored."
–"Legal action will be pursued for any unauthorized use."
–Any wording that implies that a login is "welcome" or "invited" is
not appropriate.
 The IOS provides multiple types of banners. One common
banner is the message of the day (MOTD).
–The banner motd command requires the use of delimiters to
identify the content of the banner message.
–One or more lines of text are entered to represent the banner
message.
–A second occurrence of the delimiting character denotes the end
of the message.
 Switch(config)#banner motd # message #

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 Managing Configuration Files
 After making changes to a configuration, consider 3 options:
 Make the Changed Configuration the New Startup Configuration
–Because the running configuration is stored in RAM, it is temporarily active
while the Cisco device is powered on.
–Saving the running configuration to the startup configuration in NVRAM
preserves the changes as the new startup configuration.
–Switch#copy running-config startup-config
 Return the Device to Its Original Configuration
–If changes made to the running configuration do not have the desired effect, it
is necessary to restore the previous configuration.
–Assuming that we have not overwritten the startup configuration with the
changes, we can replace the running configuration with the startup configuration.
–This is best done by using the reload command.
–When initiating a reload, a prompt will appear to ask whether to save the
changes made. To discard the changes, enter n or no.  Router#reload
 Removing All Configurations  System configuration has been
modified. Save? [yes/no]: n
–If undesired changes are saved to the startup configuration, this requires
erasing the startup configuration and restarting the device.  Proceed with reload? [confirm]
–Router#erase startup-config.  *Apr 13 01:34:15.758: %SYS-5-
–Reload the device to remove the current running configuration file RELOAD: Reload requested by
console. Reload Reason:

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Backing Up Configurations Offline
 Configuration files should be stored as backup files
in the event of a problem.
–Configuration files can be stored on a Trivial File
Transfer Protocol (TFTP) server, a CD, a USB
memory stick, or a floppy disk stored in a safe place. enter
–A configuration file should also be included in the
network documentation.
 Backup Configuration on TFTP Server
–Use either the copy running-config tftp or copy
startup-config tftp command and follow these steps:
NIC
•1. Enter the copy running-config tftp command.
•2. Enter the IP address of the host where the
configuration file will be stored.
•3. Enter the name to assign to the configuration file.
•4. Answer yes to confirm each choice.
•See the figure to view this process.

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Backup Configurations with Text Capture (HyperTerminal)
 Configuration files can be saved/archived to a text
document. This sequence of steps ensures that a
working copy of the configuration files is available for
editing or reuse later.
 When using HyperTerminal, follow these steps:
–1. On the Transfer menu, click Capture Text.
–2. Choose the location.
–3. Click Start to begin capturing text.
–4. Once capture has been started, execute the show
running-config or show startup-config command at the
privileged EXEC prompt. Text displayed in the terminal
window will be placed into the chosen file.
–5. Stop the capture process
–6. View the output to verify that it was not corrupted.
 See the figure for an example.

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Restoring Text Configurations
 A configuration file can be copied from storage to a device.
When copied into the terminal, the IOS executes each line of
the configuration text as a command.
–This means that the file will require editing to ensure that
encrypted passwords are in plain text and that non-command text
such as "--More--" and IOS messages are removed.
–Further, at the CLI, the device must be set at the global
configuration mode to receive the commands from the text file
being copied.
 When using HyperTerminal, the steps are:
–1. Locate the file to be copied into the device and open the text
document.
–2. Copy all of the text.
–3. On the Edit menu, click paste to host.
 The text in the file will be applied as commands in the CLI
and become the running configuration on the device.

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Configuring Interfaces
 Throughout this chapter, we have discussed
commands that are generic to IOS devices.
–Some configurations are specific to a type of
device.
–One such configuration is the configuration of
interfaces on a router.
 Because the purpose of a router is to
interconnect different networks, each interface
on a router has its own unique IPv4 address.
–The address assigned to each interface exists
in a separate network devoted to the
interconnection of routers.

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Configuring Interfaces: Ethernet Interfaces
 Router Ethernet interfaces are used as the
gateways for the end devices on the LANs
directly connected to the router.
–Each Ethernet interface must have an IP address
and subnet mask to route IP packets.
 To configure an Ethernet interface follow these
steps:
–Router#config t
–Router(config)#interface FastEthernet 0/0
–Router(config-if)#ip address ip_address netmask
–Router(config-if)#no shutdown
•Enabling the Interface
–By default, interfaces are disabled.
–To enable an interface, enter no shutdown command.
•If an interface needs to be disabled for maintenance
or troubleshooting, use the shutdown command.

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Configuring Interfaces: Serial Interfaces
 Serial interfaces are used to connect WANs to router.
–Each connected serial interface must have an IP
address and subnet mask to route IP packets.
 Configure the IP address with the commands:
–Router(config)#interface Serial 0/0/0
–Router(config-if)#ip address ip_address netmask
 Serial interfaces require a clock signal to control the
timing of the communications.
–In most environments, a DCE device such as a
CSU/DSU will provide the clock.
–By default, Cisco routers are DTE devices, but they can
be configured as DCE devices.
–On serial links that are directly interconnected, as in our
lab environment, one side must operate as DCE to
provide a clocking signal:
•Router(config)#interface Serial 0/0/0
•Router(config-if)#clock rate 56000
•Router(config-if)#no shutdown

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Configuring a Switch Interface
 A LAN switch is an intermediary device that
interconnects segments within a network. Therefore,
the physical interfaces on the switch do not have IP 1
addresses.
–Switch interfaces are also enabled by default. As shown
in the Switch 1 figure, we can assign descriptions but do
not have to enable the interface.
 In order to be able to manage a switch, we assign
addresses to the device to it. With an IP address
assigned to the switch, it acts like a host device.
–The address for a switch is assigned to a virtual
interface represented as a Virtual LAN interface (VLAN).
–In most cases, this is the interface VLAN 1.
–we enable this interface with no shutdown command.
 Like any other host, the switch needs a gateway
address to communicate outside of the local network.
–As shown in the Switch 2 figure, we assign this gateway
with the ip default-gateway command. Only needed for the management traffic, but
not for the regular data frame forwarding.
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Testing Local Network
 Successfully pinging remote hosts verifies that
both the local host and the remote host are
configured correctly. (* May not work in XP *)
–If a host responds with Destination Unreachable,
and continue to ping the other hosts on the LAN.
–Another failure message is Request Timed Out.
This indicates that no response was made to the ping
attempt (XP firewall will generate this output).
 Extended Ping (From the router)
–Router#ping
–Protocol [ip]:
–Target IP address:10.0.0.1
–Repeat count [5]:
–Datagram size [100]:
–Timeout in seconds [2]:5
–Extended commands [n]: n

 Note that entering "y" to the "Extended commands"

prompt provides more options that are useful in
troubleshooting.
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Testing Gateway and Remote Connectivity
 The next step in the testing sequence is to use
the ping command to verify that a local host can
connect with a gateway address.
–This is extremely important because the gateway
is the host's entry and exit to the wider network.
–If the gateway IP address is not available, use
the ipconfig command to discover the gateway IP
address.
–c:\>ping 10.0.0.254
 If the gateway test fails,
–verify the gateway address with the network
administrator to ensure that the proper address is
being tested.
–If all devices are configured properly, check the
physical cabling to ensure that it is secure and
properly connected.

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Learning About the Nodes on the Network
 If an appropriate addressing scheme exists, identifying IPv4
addresses for devices in a network should be a simple task.
 Identifying the physical (MAC) addresses, however, can be a
daunting task.
–You would need access to all of the devices and sufficient time
to view the information, one host at a time.
–Because this is not a practical option in many cases, there is an
alternate means of MAC address identification using the arp
command.
–The arp command provides for the mapping of physical
addresses to known IPv4 addresses.
•C:\>arp -a
 The ARP cache can be cleared by using the arp -d
command, in the event the network administrator wants to
repopulate the cache with updated information.
–Note: The ARP cache is only populated with information from
devices that have been recently accessed. To ensure that the
ARP cache is populated, ping a device so that it will have an
entry in the ARP table.

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Learning About the Nodes on the Network
 Switch Connections
 One additional tool that can be helpful is a mapping of
how hosts are connected to a switch.
–This mapping can be obtained by issuing the show
mac-address-table command.
•Sw1-2950#show mac-address-table
–This table in the figure lists the MAC address of the
hosts that are connected to this switch.
–Like other output in the command window, this
information can be copied and pasted into a file.
 An analysis of this table also reveals that the Fa0/23
interface is either a shared segment or is connected
to another switch.
–Several MAC addresses are representing multiple
nodes.
–This is an indication that a port is connected to another
intermediary device such as a hub, wireless access
point, or another switch.

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