Chapter 10: Introducing Cisco Hardware and Software
Exam Objectives
Identifying software components in Cisco devices
Describing the characteristics and purpose of the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS)
Identifying Cisco network management software products and their purpose
Identifying hardware components in Cisco devices
Reviewing best practices for selecting Cisco hardware and software products for a specific network design
Describing system memory organization on Cisco devices
Describing device configurations on Cisco switches and routers
Using the Cisco IOS command-line interface (CLI)
Use Cisco graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
Read this chapter to get acquainted with Cisco hardware and software products. You find out about the main hardware components of Cisco devices. You discover software that runs on Cisco devices, including the Cisco Internetwork Operating System, shortly known as IOS. You read about the characteristics and purpose of Cisco IOS. You see that the same IOS can be used to manage both Layer 2 Cisco switches and Layer 3 Cisco routers. You also see how to use the IOS command-line interface (CLI) as well as the graphical user interface (GUI) to manage Cisco devices. Context-sensitive help is discussed as well.
Introducing Cisco Products
You probably know the difference between hardware and software:
♦ Hardware: Physical devices that you install, connect to a power supply, and interconnect with network cables. In the Cisco world and in the context of ...
