CCNA® Cisco Certified Network Associate: Study Guide, Seventh Edition

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

I sometimes refer to the CLI as “Cash Line Interface” because if you can create advanced configurations on Cisco routers and switches using the CLI, then you’ll get the cash!

Entering the CLI

After the interface status messages appear and you press Enter, the Router> prompt will appear. This is called user exec mode (user mode), and it’s mostly used to view statistics, but it’s also a stepping stone to logging in to privileged mode.

You can only view and change the configuration of a Cisco router in privileged exec mode (privileged mode), which you can enter with the enable command.

Here’s how:

Router>enable

Router#

You now end up with a Router# prompt, which indicates that you’re in privileged mode, where you can ...