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The IOS User Interface
The
Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS)
is the kernel of Cisco routers and most switches.
In case you didn’t know, a kernel is the basic, indispensable part of an operating system that allocates
resources and manages things such as low-level hardware interfaces and security.
The Cisco IOS is a proprietary kernel that provides routing, switching, internetworking,
and telecommunications features. The first IOS was written by William Yeager in 1986,
and it enabled networked applications. It runs on most Cisco routers as well as an everincreasing
number of Cisco Catalyst switches, like the Catalyst 2950/2960 and 3550/3560
series switches.
These are some important things that the Cisco router IOS software is responsible for:
- Carrying network protocols and functions
- Connecting high-speed traffic between devices
- Adding security to control access and stop unauthorized network use
- Providing scalability for ease of network growth and redundancy
- Supplying network reliability for connecting to network resources
You can access the Cisco IOS through the console port of a router, from a modem into the
auxiliary (or Aux) port, or even through Telnet. Access to the IOS command line is called an
EXEC session
.
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