Managing a Cisco Internetwork

By
Sonia Hanif
Roll No.
Cisco Router Components

 Bootstrap - Brings up the router during

initialization
 POST - Checks basic functionality; hardware &
interfaces
 ROM monitor - Manufacturing testing &
troubleshooting
 Mini-IOS - Loads Cisco IOS into flash memory
 RAM - Holds packet buffers, routing tables,
software, stores running-config
Cisco Router Components

 ROM - Starts & maintains the router

 Flash Memory - Holds Cisco IOS, not erased when
the router is reloaded
 NVRAM - Holds router (& switch) configurations,
not erased when the router is reloaded
 Configuration Register - Controls how the router
boots up
Boot Sequence

#1: Router performs a POST

#2: Bootstrap looks for & loads the Cisco
IOS
#3: IOS software looks for a valid
configuration file
#4: Startup-config file (from NVRAM) is
loaded
– If startup-config file is not found, the router will
start the setup mode
Configuration Registers

 Register
– 16-bit software written into NVRAM
– Loads from flash memory & looks for the startup-config file
 Configuration Register Bits
– 16 bits read 15-0, from left to right
– default setting: 0x2102

Register 2 1 0 2
Bit number 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Binary 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

NOTE: 0x means the digits that follow are in hexadecimal

Software Config Meanings
The Boot Field
Checking the Register Value

Router# show version

Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS ™ C2600 Software (C2600-I-M), Version 12.0(3)T3
RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)

[output cut]

Configuration register is 0x2102

Why Change Config Register?

 Force the system into the ROM monitor mode

 Select a boot source & default boot filename
 Enable or disable the Break function
 Set the console terminal baud rate
 Load operating software from ROM
 Enable booting from a TFTP server
Changing Configuration Register

Router(config)#config-register 0x0101
Router(config)#^Z
Router#sh ver

[output cut]
Configuration register is 0x2102 (will be 0x0101 at
next reload)
Recovering Passwords

Step #1: Boot the router & interrupt the boot sequence by
performing a break
Step #2: Change the configuration register to turn on bit 6
(0x2142)
Step #3: Reload the router
Step #4: Enter the privileged mode
Step #5: Copy the startup-config to running-config
Step #6: Change the password
Step #7: Reset the configuration register to the default value
Step #8: Reload the router
Recovering Passwords Steps 1-2

 Step #1: Boot the router & interrupt the boot sequence
by pressing Cntl+break
 Cisco 2600 routers are different than 2500 routers. For
2600 routers:
 Step #2: Change the configuration register to turn on bit
6 (0x2142)
rommon>confreg 0x2142
You must reset or power cycle for new config to take
effect
Recovering Passwords Steps 3-4

Step #3: Reload the router

– Type reset.
– The router will reload & ask if you want to enter
setup mode.
– Answer NO.

Step #4: Enter the privileged mode

Router>enable
Router#
Recovering Passwords Steps 5-8

Step #5: Copy the startup-config to running-config

Router#copy startup-config running-config
Step #6: Change the password
Router#config t
Router(config)#enable secret cisco
Step #7: Reset the configuration register to the
default value
Router(config)#config-register 0x2102
Step #8: Reload the router
Backing up & Restoring the Cisco IOS

 Before you upgrade…..

– Copy the existing IOS to a TFTP host!
 Verify Flash Memory
Router#sh flash
System flash directory:
File Length Name/status
1 8121000 c2500-js-1.112-18.bin
[8121064 bytes used, 8656152 available, 16777216 total]
16384K bytes of processor board System flash (Read
ONLY)
Router#
Backing up the Cisco IOS

#1: Ensure you have good connectivity to

the TFTP host
Router#ping 192.168.0.120

#2: Copy the IOS from flash to the TFTP host

Router#copy flash tftp
 The TFTP host must have a default directory specified
Restoring or Upgrading the Cisco IOS

#1: Ensure you have good connectivity to

the TFTP host
Router#ping 192.168.0.120

#2: Copy the IOS from the TFTP host to flash

Router#copy tftp flash
 The TFTP host must have a default directory specified
 Copying the IOS from a TFTP host to flash requires a router
reboot
Backing up the Configuration

Step #1: Verify the Current Configuration

Router#sh run
Step #2: Verify the Stored Configuration
Router#sh start
– Verify available memory
Step #3: Copy running-config to NVRAM
Router#copy run start
Router#sh start
Step #4: Copy running-config to a TFTP host
Router#copy run tftp
– A second backup
Restoring the Configuration

 Errors made in editing the running-config?

 You can copy the startup-config to the running-
config
 Router# copy start run
 Or, copy from TFTP host to the running-config or
startup-config
 Router# copy tftp run
 Router# copy tftp start
 The configuration file is ASCII. Any text editor will
enable changes
Erasing the Configuration

 When the router reboots it will be in setup

mode
 Deletes the contents of NVRAM
 Router#erase startup-config
Using Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP)

 A Cisco proprietary protocol

 Designed to collect information about directly
attached & remote devices
– Hardware information
– Protocol information
 Useful in troubleshooting & documenting the
network
Getting CDP Timers & Holdtime Info

 CDP Timer: How often CDP packets are transmitted to

all active interfaces
 CDP Holdtime: The amount of time that the device will
hold packets received from neighbor devices
Router#sh cdp
Global CDP information
Sending CDP packets every 60 seconds
Sending a holdtime value of 180 seconds
Router#config t
Router(config)#cdp timer 90
Router(config)#cdp holdtime 240
Getting Neighbor Information

 Shows information about directly connected

devices
 CDP packets are not passed through Cisco
switch
 Can only see what is directly attached
Router#sh cdp nei
or
Router#sh cdp neighbor detail
 Can be turned off completely or by port
Getting Interface Traffic & Port Info

 Interface Traffic Information:

– CDP packets sent & received
– Errors with CDP
Router#sh cdp traffic
 Port & Interface Information:
– Encapsulation on the line
– Timer & Holdtime for each interface
Router#sh cdp interface
Telnet

 A virtual terminal protocol

 Part of the TCP/IP suite
 Allows connections to remote devices
– Gather information
– Run programs
 The VTY passwords must be set on the routers
VTY Password

 Setting VTY passwords:

Router#config t
Router(config)#line vty 0 4
Router(config)#login
Router(config)#password cisco
Router(config)#^Z
Router#172.16.10.2
Trying 172.16.10.2 … Open
User Access Verification
Password:
RouterB>
Enable Mode Password

 VTY password is the user mode (>) password - not the

enable mode (#) password
 With no enable/enable secret password set, the
following happens:
RouterB>en
% No password set
RouterB>
 This equates to good security!
Telnet Commands

 Telnetting into Multiple Devices

Ctrl+Shift+6 (release) X
 Checking Telnet Connections
Router#sh sessions
 Checking Telnet Users
Router#sh users
 Closing Telnet Sessions
RouterB>exit
RouterB>disconnect
Resolving Hostnames

 Want to use a hostname rather than an IP

address to connect to a remote host?
 Device must be able to translate the
hostname to an IP address
 Build a host table on each router, or
 Build a Domain Name System (DNS) server
Building a Host Table

 Provides name resolution only on the router on which it

is built
 Default TCP port number: 23
[ip host name tcp_port_number ip_address]
Router(config)#ip host RouterB 172.16.10.2
Router(config)#ip host switch 192.168.0.148
Router#sh hosts

Router#RouterB
RouterB#(Ctrl+Shift+6) (X)
Router#switch
Using DNS to Resolve Names

 Used when you have many devices on your

network
 Making DNS work…
– ip domain-lookup
 Turned on by default
– ip name-server xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
 Sets the IP address of the DNS server (up to 6)
– ip domain-name yournetwork.com
 Appends the domain name to the hostname
Check Network Connectivity

 Ping - Displays the minimum, average, & maximum

times it takes for a ping packet to find spedified system
and then return
Router#ping RouterB
 Trace - Shows the path a packet takes to get to remote
device
Router#trace RouterB