Connecting the router to a PC and turning it on
Although connecting the router to a PC and turning it on may seem an easy task, it is counted as one of the most important ones when working with routers. To ease that job, this section provides you with the right information on how to connect your router to your PC, turn on the router, and establish an initial session with the router.
Router LED indicators
Like switches, routers also use LED indicators, as shown in Figure 6.1, to providea way to monitor their activity and performance. Unlike switches, routers have far more less ports in the front panel (some Cisco router models do not have any at all), and LED indicators in the rear panel are usually placed next to ports and interfaces. Thus, it will not be difficult to identify ifan LED is on, indicating an active interface, or if an LED is off, indicating a problem with the interface:
Figure 6.1. LED indicators on router's front panel
Console access
Like a switch, before configuring basic router...
