Introduction to the Command-Line Interface

The remainder of this chapter focuses on using the command-line interface (CLI) on Cisco switches. There are actually two different operating systems that some Cisco switches support: CatOS and IOS. CatOS is the older style operating system and the IOS is the newer style. The CCNP BCMSN exam focuses on the newer style. So, most of the commands discussed in this and the remaining chapters are IOS commands.

CatOS and IOS Comparison

There are actually three flavors of the operating system for certain Catalyst switches: CatOS, hybrid mode, and native mode (IOS). CatOS configures only Layer 2 switching. For switches that have Layer 3 capabilities, such as the Catalyst 6500 with the MSFC (multilayer switch ...

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