The initial connection to the router must be made through the console connector on the router. This is accomplished by use of a rolled-RJ45 cable and a 9 or 25-pin serial connector.

After you have applied Internet Protocol (IP) or other logical addresses, you can access a router by Telnet sessions for configuration.

Routers can also use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) settings to integrate with network management systems (NMS) platforms.

The router has two levels of access: user mode and privileged mode. User mode is a very restricted level of access and allows for only basic functions, whereas privileged mode allows for full configuration and diagnosing capabilities.

Two basic types of commands are available: configuration commands and show commands. You use configuration commands to change the operation of the router and its processes; you use show commands to understand and diagnose the system configuration and operation.

Enter a question mark ( ?) at the command prompt after a particular command to see all the available commands and their configuration parameters.

Commands can be abbreviated by entering only the first few letters of the command you must enter enough characters for the IOS to be able to recognize it.

When you press...