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Ccna2 1

Routers connect different networks and forward data packets between them. They contain hardware like CPUs, RAM, and ROM that run operating system software like Cisco IOS. Routers have multiple network interfaces and use routing tables and protocols to determine the best path for forwarding packets between networks.

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Ashutosh Upadhyay
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44 views

Ccna2 1

Routers connect different networks and forward data packets between them. They contain hardware like CPUs, RAM, and ROM that run operating system software like Cisco IOS. Routers have multiple network interfaces and use routing tables and protocols to determine the best path for forwarding packets between networks.

Uploaded by

Ashutosh Upadhyay
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction

Computer networks - and in a larger context the Internet - allow people to communicate, collaborate, and interact in ways they never did before. At the center of the network is the router. A router connects one network to another network. Therefore, the router is responsible for the delivery of packets across different networks. Router provides:- Ensure 24x7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) availability. To help guarantee network reachability, routers use alternate paths in case the primary path fails. Provide integrated services of data, video, and voice over wired and wireless networks. Mitigate the impact of worms, viruses, and other attacks on the network by permitting or denying the forwarding of packets. It is only because of the router's ability to route packets between networks that devices on different networks can communicate.

Routers are computers


The very first router, used for the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), was the Interface Message Processor (IMP). The IMP was a Honeywell 316 minicomputer. Routers have many of the same hardware and software components that are found in other computers including: CPU,RAM,ROM,OS.

Networking professionals know it is the router that is responsible for forwarding packets from network-to-network, from the original source to the final destination. A router connects multiple networks. This means that it has multiple interfaces that each belong to a different IP network. When a router receives an IP packet on one interface, it determines which interface to use to forward the packet onto its destination. The interface that the router uses to forward the packet may be the network of the final destination of the packet (the network with the destination IP address of this packet), or it may be a network connected to another router that is used to reach the destination network. LANs are commonly Ethernet networks that contain devices such as PCs, printers, and servers. Each network that a router connects to typically requires a separate interface. The primary responsibility of a router is to direct packets destined for local and remote networks by: 1.Determining the best path to send packets. 2. Forwarding packets toward their destination. The router uses its routing table to determine the best path to forward the packet. The routing table also includes the interface to be used to forward the packet. Once a match is found, the router encapsulates the IP packet into the data link frame of the outgoing or exit interface, and the packet is then forwarded toward its destination. The data link encapsulation depends on the type of interface on the router and the type of medium it connects to.

Static routes and dynamic routing protocols are used by routers to learn about remote networks and build their routing tables. CPU: The CPU executes operating system instructions, such as system initialization, routing functions, and switching functions. RAM: RAM stores the instructions and data needed to be executed by the CPU. RAM is used to store these following components: 1. Operating System: The Cisco IOS (Internetwork Operating System) is copied into RAM during bootup. 2. Running Configuration File: all commands configured on the router are stored in the running configuration file, known as running-config. 3. IP Routing Table: his file stores information about directly connected and remote networks. 4. ARP Cache: The ARP cache is used on routers that have LAN interfaces such as Ethernet interfaces. 5. Packet Buffer: Packets are temporarily stored in a buffer when received on an interface or before they exit an interface. ROM: ROM is a form of permanent storage. Cisco devices use ROM to store: 1.The bootstrap instructions 2.Basic diagnostic software 3.Scaled-down version of IOS. ROM uses firmware, which is software that is embedded inside the integrated circuit. Firmware includes the software that does not normally need to be modified or upgraded, such as the bootup instructions.

Flash Memory: Flash memory is nonvolatile computer memory that can be electrically stored and erased. Flash is used as permanent storage for the operating system, Cisco IOS The IOS is permanently stored in flash memory and copied into RAM during the bootup process. NVRAM: NVRAM (Nonvolatile RAM) does not lose its information when power is turned off. NVRAM is used by the Cisco IOS as permanent storage for the startup configuration file (startup-config).

Internetworks Operating System


The operating system software used in Cisco routers is known as Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS). Cisco IOS manages the hardware and software resources of the router, including memory allocation, processes, security, and file systems. Cisco IOS is a multitasking operating system that is integrated with routing, switching, internetworking, and telecommunications functions. Operating systems Cisco IOS has its own user interface. The command line interface (CLI) is a much more common method of configuring Cisco. Upon bootup, the startup-config file in NVRAM is copied into RAM and stored as the running-config file. IOS executes the configuration commands in the running-config. Any changes entered by the network administrator are stored in the runningconfig and are immediately implemented by the IOS.

Router Boot-Up Process


1. Performing the POST The Power-On Self Test (POST) is a common process that occurs on almost every computer during bootup. The POST process is used to test the router hardware. During this self-test, the router executes diagnostics from ROM on several hardware components including the CPU, RAM, and NVRAM. 2. Loading the Bootstrap Program After the POST, the bootstrap program is copied from ROM into RAM. The main task of the bootstrap program is to locate the Cisco IOS and load it into RAM. 3. Locating and Loading Cisco IOS The IOS is typically stored in flash memory, but can also be stored in other places such as a TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) server. Loading the IOS. Some of the older Cisco routers ran the IOS directly from flash, but current models copy the IOS into RAM for execution by the CPU. 4. Locating and Loading the Configuration File After the IOS is loaded, the bootstrap program searches for the startup configuration file, known as startup-config, in NVRAM. If the startup configuration file, startup-config, is located in NVRAM, it is copied into RAM as the running configuration file, running-config.

If a startup configuration file is found in NVRAM, the IOS loads it into RAM as the running-config and executes the commands in the file, one line at a time. The running-config file contains interface addresses, starts routing processes, configures router passwords and defines other characteristics of the router. The show version command can be used to help verify and troubleshoot some of the basic hardware and software components of the router. The show version command displays information about the version of the Cisco IOS software currently running on the router, the version of the bootstrap program, and information about the hardware configuration, including the amount of system memory.

Router Interfaces
Management Ports

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