Confirguring Your Cisco Router

Configuring Your Cisco Router

There are several different methods available for configuring your Cisco router. It can be done over a network using a TFTP server, through the boot up menu interface, or the menu interface provided by using the ‘setup’ command. This is a basic overview of how to configure the operating system only. If you have only just turned on your Cisco router, it will be not be configured in any way. If you are new to configuring routers, you should start by checking out the ‘show’ command. First use the ‘enable’ command, and then try multiple ‘show’ commands and study the results.

To begin the configuration of your Cisco router, begin by entering configuration mode by entering the ‘config’ command while in parent mode. In this mode, you can set system wide options also known as global configurations. The first thing you should do is name your router by using the ‘hostname’ command. This will help you to more readily identify it. Other options you can perform while in global configuration mode include designating the DNS server and setting the password for privileged mode. Your commands will not be entered until you hit ‘control-z’. You can do this after each command you enter, or simply when you’ve finished a string of commands to set all of them at once.

Next, look at how you can configure Cisco router interfaces. This is a very straightforward and simple technique that can be accomplished by using the ‘media type slot#/port#’ command. The ‘media type’ portion of the command refers to the type of media that the port is an interface for. The slot# is applicable only to routers that have slots for installing modules. The port# refers to the port in reference to the other ports available in the module. If your router does not have slots, than your command will be simply ‘media type port#.’

You should know that IP routing is automatically enabled for Cisco routers. If it has been disabled, you can turn it back on by entering ‘config’ mode and entering the ‘ip routing’ command. A router may assign packets using one of two methods. The first involves the administrator assigning static routes and the second involves using a dynamic routing protocol. Static routes are generally used for simple networks. Routing protocols on the other hand are particularly complex and enable routers to learn the routes that are available to them.  If, in the process of configuration, you discover you need more memory, PC Wholesale carries a full line of Cisco Approved and third party dram and flash memory for Cisco routers.