Cisco 2511 - Router - EN User Manual download pdf (Page 5)

2. Router Components

To gain a better understanding for the different configurations that will be

performed on Cisco routers, this section provides a brief overview of the

Cisco router hardware architecture.

A router is a network device that forwards network traffic along optimized

paths. Router uses networks protocols (set of network rules, and algorithms)

to connect different network segments. A router allows users in a network

to share a single connection to the Internet or a WAN.

A router can also be viewed as a specialized computer that it is designed to

forward packets very efficiently. Like a computer, a typical router consists of

the following: CPU, Memory, and System Bus, and network interfaces.

(Figure 2).

Figure 2: Hardware Components of a Router

• CPU – The Central Processing Unit performs the computation and

logical operations.

• Memory – A router has several types of memory. These will be

described in detail shortly.

CPU

ROM

RAM

FLASH

Bus

Interface

Interface Interface Interface

stem Bus

NVRAM

Network

Controlle

Network

Controlle

Network

Controlle

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Cisco 2511 - Router - EN User Manual Page 5