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Cisco Basic IOS Command

Introduction to Cisco IOS CLI (Catalyst

Based IOS)
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Introduction to Cisco IOS CLI (Command-Line

Interface)
Most Cisco devices (including routers and switches) use a CLI (Command Line Interface) to
configure the network device. The CLI is an interface, based on text. You type in configuration
commands and use show commands to get the output from the router or switch. There are also
GUIs (Graphical User Interface) for the routers, switches and firewalls but the majority of the
work is done on the CLI.

This might sound dated but with so many commands that are available to use, the CLI is much
easier to work with than any of the graphical interfaces. It’s also much easier to copy entire
configurations from one device to another.

In this lesson, I’ll explain how to access the CLI and the basics of how Cisco IOS works.

Access to Cisco IOS CLI

Before we can enter any commands, we need access to the CLI. There are three options:

 Console
 Telnet
 SSH

The console is a physical port on the switch that allows access to the CLI. We typically use this
the first time we configure the switch. Telnet and SSH are both options for remote access.

Console Cabling

On the switch, you will find one or two physical connectors for the console. Take a look at the
picture below:
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On the left side of this 2960 Catalyst switch, you see the light blue RJ45 port and a micro -USB
port on the left of it. Older switches only have the RJ45 port, newer switches (and other
devices) often have both options.

Even though it’s an RJ45 port, it’s not an Ethernet port. We use this connection to connect the
switch to a serial port on your computer with the following cable:

This cable is called a Cisco console cable and you will need a serial port on your computer. Modern
computers or laptops don’t have these serial ports anymore so you might have to use a serial-to-USB
cable like this one:
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This cable emulates a serial port and has a USB connection. Once you have connected your
computer to the switch, we can start a terminal application to access the CLI.
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Terminal Emulator

There are many terminal emulator applications. If you are new to this, the best one to start
with is Putty. It’s free and allows you to connect using a serial connection, telnet and SSH. Once
you have downloaded it, you will see the main screen:

Make sure you select the “Serial” option. The default speed is 9600 (baud rate). The COM port will
depend on your computer, it might be COM1 but if you are unsure, check the device manager in
Windows. Click on Start > Run and enter “devmgmt.msc”:
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Here is the device manager:

Above you can see that on my computer, I have to use COM4. Change the COM port and click on Open
to start the console:
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Now is a good time to power on your switch or in case it is already powered on, pull the plug so
it can reload.
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