Router Internal Components
Internal Components of Router is given below;
1. CPU: - Executes operating system instructions
2. ROM: - Holds diagnostic software used when router is powered
up. Stores the router's bootstrap program.
3. Flash memory: - holds the operating systems images (Cisco
IOS). The content is retained when the router is restarted.
4. RAM: - Used to store the Routing tables, configuration files,
caching and buffering details. Content is lost when lost router is
switched off or restarted.
5. NVRAM: - Stores the routers startup config files. This may
include IP addresses (routing protocol, hostname of a router).
Data is nonvolatile.
6. Network interfaces: - to connect router to network.
Router Interfaces
Cisco Router modes
A router is a layer 3 device used to forward packet from one network
to another. It forwards the packet through one of its port on the basis
of destination IP address and the entry in the routing table. By using
routing table, it finds an optimized path between the source and
destination network.
Let’s discuss about Cisco router different modes.
Modes of router:
There are mainly 5 modes in router:
1. User execution mode: As soon as the interface up message
appears and press enter, the router> prompt will pop up. This is
called user execution mode. This mode is limited to some
monitoring commands.
2. Privileged mode: As we type enable to user mode, we enter into
Privileged mode where we can view and change the
configuration of router. Different commands like show running-
configuration, show IP interface brief etc can run on this mode
which are used for troubleshooting purpose.
3. Global configuration mode: As we type configure terminal to
the user mode, we will enter into the global configuration mode.
Commands enter in these modes are called global commands and
they affect the running-configuration of the router. In this
mode, different configuration like making local database on
router by providing username and password, can set enable and
secret password etc.
4. Interface configuration mode: In this mode, only
configuration of interfaces is done. Assigning an IP address to
an interface, bringing up the interface are the common tasks
done in this mode.
5. ROMMON mode: We can enter in this mode when we interrupt
boot process of the router. Generally, we enter in this mode
while password recovery process or Backing up of IOS on
device like TFTP server. It is like BIOS mode of a PC.
Entering and exiting in different modes:
Modes Access method prompt Exit method
user login router> use logout
execution command
mode
privilege use enable router# use disable
mode command in user command to
mode enter user mode
global use configure router(config)# use exit
configuration terminal command to
mode command enter into
privilege mode
Interface use interface router(config- use exit
mode command and if) # command to
specify an enter into global
interface in configuration
global mode or use end
configuration command to
mode enter into
privilege mode.
ROMMON press ROMMON 1> use continue
mode ctrl+break key command
while boot
process or use
reload command
in privilege
mode.
Configuration:
The user execution mode:
router>
Entering into privilege mode from user execution mode:
router>enable
router#
Exiting from privilege mode to user execution mode:
router#disable
router>
Entering in global configuration mode from privilege mode:
router#configure terminal
router(config)#
Exiting from global configuration mode to privilege mode:
router(config)#exit
router#
Entering into interface mode from global configuration mode. Here we
have to specify the router’s interface.
router(config)#interface fa0/0
router(config-if) #
Exiting from interface mode to global configuration mode.
router(config-if) #exit
router(config)#
Exiting from interface mode to privilege mode.
router(config-if) #end
router#
Entering into ROMMON mode from privilege mode.
router#reload