Router Basics

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 Router Components
• Bootstrap – stored in ROM microcode – brings router up during
initialisation, boots router and loads the IOS.

• POST – Power On Self Test - stored in ROM microcode – checks for basic
functionality of router hardware and determines which interfaces are
present

• ROM Monitor – stored in ROM microcode – used for manufacturing

testing and troubleshooting

• Mini-IOS – a.k.a RXBOOT/boot loader by Cisco – small IOS ROM used to

bring up an interface and load a Cisco IOS into flash memory from a TFTP
server; can also perform a few other maintenance operations

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 Router Components
• RAM – holds packet buffers, ARP cache, routing table, software and data
structure that allows the router to function; running-config is stored in
RAM, as well as the decompressed IOS in later router models

• ROM – starts and maintains the router

• Flash memory – holds the IOS; is not erased when the router is reloaded;
is an EEPROM [Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory]
created by Intel, that can be erased and reprogrammed repeatedly
through an application of higher than normal electric voltage

• NVRAM – Non-Volatile RAM - holds router configuration; is not erased

when router is reloaded

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 Router Components
• Config-Register
– controls how router boots;
– value can be seen with “show version”
command;
– is typically 0x2102, which tells the router to load
the IOS from flash memory and the startup-
config file from NVRAM

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 Purpose of the Config Register
• Reasons why you would want to modify the
config-register:
– Force the router into ROM Monitor Mode
– Select a boot source and default boot filename
– Enable/Disable the Break function
– Control broadcast addresses
– Set console terminal baud rate
– Load operating software from ROM
– Enable booting from a TFTP server
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 System Startup
• POST – loaded from ROM and runs diagnostics on all router
hardware
• Bootstrap – locates and loads the IOS image; default setting is
to load the IOS from flash memory
• IOS – locates and loads a valid configuration from NVRAM; file
is called startup-config; only exists if you copy the
running-config to NVRAM
• startup-config – if found, router loads it and runs embedded
configuration; if not found, router enters setup mode

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 Overview
• Router configuration controls the operation of
the router’s:
– Interface IP address and netmask
– Routing information (static, dynamic or default)
– Boot and startup information
– Security (passwords and authentication)

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 Where is the Configuration?
• Router always has two configurations:
• Running configuration
– In RAM, determines how the router is currently operating
– Is modified using the configure command
– To see it: show running-config
• Startup confguration
– In NVRAM, determines how the router will operate after
next reload
– Is modified using the copy command
– To see it: show startup-config

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 Where is the Configuration?
• Can also be stored in more permanent places:

– External hosts, using TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol)

– In flash memory in the router

• Copy command is used to move it around

– copy run start copy run tftp

– copy start tftp copy tftp start

– copy flash start copy start flash

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 Router Access Modes
• User EXEC mode – limited examination of router
– Router>
• Privileged EXEC mode – detailed examination of router,
debugging, testing, file manipulation (router prompt changes
to an octothorp)
– Router#
• ROM Monitor – useful for password recovery & new IOS
upload session
• Setup Mode – available when router has no startup-
config file

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 External Configuration Sources
• Console
– Direct PC serial access
• Auxiliary port
– Modem access
• Virtual terminals
– Telnet/SSH access
• TFTP Server
– Copy configuration file into router RAM
• Network Management Software
– e.g. CiscoWorks
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 Changing the Configuration
• Configuration statements can be entered interactively
– changes are made (almost) immediately, to the running configuration
• Can use direct serial connection to console port, or
• Telnet/SSH to vty’s (“virtual terminals”), or
• Modem connection to aux port, or
• Edited in a text file and uploaded to the router at a later time
via tftp; copy tftp start or config net

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 Logging into the Router
• Connect router to console port or telnet to router
router>
router>enable
password
router#
router#?
• Configuring the router
– Terminal (entering the commands directly)
router# configure terminal
router(config)#

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 New Router Configuration Process
• Load configuration parameters into RAM

– Router#configure terminal

• Personalize router identification

– Router#(config)hostname RouterA

• Assign access passwords

– RouterA#(config)line console 0

– RouterA#(config-line)password cisco

– RouterA#(config-line)login
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New Router Configuration Process
• Configure interfaces
– RouterA#(config)interface ethernet 0/0
– RouterA#(config-if)ip address n.n.n.n
m.m.m.m
– RouterA#(config-if)no shutdown
• Configure routing/routed protocols
• Save configuration parameters to NVRAM
– RouterA#copy running-config startup-
config
– (or write memory)
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 Router Prompts – How to tell where you are
on the router
• You can tell in which area of the router’s configuration you are
by looking at the router prompts:

– Router> – USER prompt mode

– Router# – PRIVILEGED EXEC prompt mode

– Router(config) – terminal configuration prompt

– Router(config-if) – interface configuration prompt

– Router(config-subif) – sub-interface configuration

prompt
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 Router Prompts – How to tell where you are
on the router
• You can tell in which area of the router’s configuration you are by looking at
the router prompts:

– Router(config-route-map)# – route-map configuration prompt

– Router(config-router)# – router configuration prompt

– Router(config-line)# – line configuration prompt

– rommon 1> - ROM Monitor mode

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 Configuring your Router
• Set the enable (secret) password:
– router(config)# enable secret “your pswd”
• This MD5 encrypts the password

– The old method was to use the enable password command. But
this is not secure (weak encryption) and is ABSOLUTELY NOT
RECOMMENDED. DO NOT USE!

• Ensure that all passwords stored on router are (weakly)

encrypted rather than clear text:
– router(config)# service password-encryption

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 Configuring Your Router
• To configure interface you should go to interface configuration
prompt
router(config)# interface ethernet0 (or 0/x)

router(config-if)#

• Save your configuration

– router#copy running-config startup-config

– (or write memory)

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 Configuring Your Router
• Global:
enable secret e2@fnog
• Interface:
interface ethernet 0/0
ip address n.n.n.n m.m.m.m
• Router:
router ospf 1
network n.n.n.n w.w.w.w area 0
• Line:
line vty 0 4
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 Global Configuration
• Global configuration statements are
independent of any particular interface or
routing protocol, e.g.:

– hostname e2-@fnog
– enable secret tracke2
– service password-encryption
– logging facility local0
– logging n.n.n.n
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 Global Configuration
• IP specific global configuration statements:
ip classless
ip name-server n.n.n.n
• Static Route Creation
ip route n.n.n.n m.m.m.m g.g.g.g
n.n.n.n = network block
m.m.m.m = network mask denoting block size
g.g.g.g = next hop gateway destination packets
are sent to
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 The NO Command
• Used to reverse or disable commands e.g

ip domain-lookup
no ip domain-lookup

router ospf 1
no router ospf 1

ip address [Link] [Link]

no ip address
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 Interface Configuration
• Interfaces are named by slot/type; e.g.:
– ethernet0, ethernet1,... Ethernet5/1
– Serial0/0, serial1 ... serial3
• And can be abbreviated:
– ethernet0 or eth0 or e0
– Serial0/0 or ser0/0 or s0/0

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 Interface Configuration
• Administratively enable/disable the interface
router(config-if)#no shutdown
router(config-if)#shutdown

• Description
router(config-if)#description
ethernet link to admin building
router

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 Global Configuration Commands
• Cisco global config should always include:
ip classless
ip subnet-zero
no ip domain-lookup
• Cisco interface config should usually include:
no shutdown
no ip proxy-arp
no ip redirects
• Industry recommendations are at
[Link]

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 Looking at the Configuration
• Use “show running-configuration” to see the
current configuration

• Use “show startup-configuration” to see the

configuration in NVRAM, that will be loaded
the next time the router is rebooted or
reloaded

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 Interactive Configuration
• Enter configuration mode, using “configure terminal”

– Often abbreviated to “conf t”

• Prompt gives a hint about where you are:

router#configure terminal
router(config)#ip classless
router(config)#ip subnet-zero
router(config)#int e0/1
router(config-if)#ip addr n.n.n.n m.m.m.m
router(config-if)#no shut
router(config-if)#^Z

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 Disaster Recovery – ROM Monitor
• ROM Monitor is very helpful in recovering
from emergency failures such as:
– Password recovery
– Upload new IOS into router with NO IOS installed
– Selecting a boot source and default boot filename
– Set console terminal baud rate to upload new IOS
quicker
– Load operating software from ROM
– Enable booting from a TFTP server

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 Getting to the ROM Monitor
• Windows using HyperTerminal for the console session
– Ctrl-Break

• FreeBSD/UNIX using Tip for the console session

– <Enter>, then ~# OR
– Ctrl-], then Break or Ctrl-C

• Linux using Minicom for the console session

– Ctrl-A F

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 Disaster Recovery:
How to Recover a Lost Password
• Connect your PC’s serial port to the router’s
console port
• Configure your PC’s serial port:

– 9600 baud rate

– No parity
– 8 data bits
– 1 stop bit
– No flow control
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 Disaster Recovery:
How to Recover a Lost Password
• Your configuration register should be 0x2102; use
“show version” command to check
• Reboot the router and apply the Break-sequence
within 60 seconds of powering the router, to put it
into ROMMON mode

Rommon 1>confreg 0x2142

Rommon 2>reset

– Router reboots, bypassing startup-config file

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 Disaster Recovery:
How to Recover a Lost Password
Type Ctrl-C to exit Setup mode

Router>enable
Router#conf m OR copy start run (only!!!)
Router#show running OR write terminal
Router#conf t
Router(config)enable secret forgotten
Router(config)int e0/0…
Router(config-if)no shut
Router(config)config-register 0x2102
Router(config)Ctrl-Z or end
Router#copy run start OR write memory
Router#reload

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