Cisco Systems 700 manual Bridges and Routers, Profiles, LANs and WANs

Basic Configuration Concepts

Bridges and Routers

Routers forward packets on to specific network segments based on a logical network address, reducing network traffic by keeping unnecessary packets off network segments by only forwarding packets to segments as required.

A bridge joins individual network segments into a single network. The bridge floods packets on to all the network segments it is connected to. In other words, bridges offer simplicity and routers offer a greater degree of control. Cisco 700 series routers can function as a bridge and a router.

Profiles

Profiles are logically organized sets of commands for each connection that can be customized and stored independently. This allows you to configure your router for more than one connection. There are two types of profiles, permanent and user-defined. The Cisco 700 Series Router Command Reference publication contains an extensive discussion on profiles. It is important to understand the use of profiles before attempting to configure your router.

LANs and WANs

Cisco 700 series routers have a “LAN side” and a “WAN side.” The LAN side of the router is the Ethernet 10BaseT connection where your computer (or another short-range network device) is connected to the router. The WAN side is ISDN. The configuration commands can affect function on one or both sides of the router. Which side is affected depends upon the command and the profile containing the command.

3-2Cisco 700 Series Router Configuration Guide