Briefly describe the four steps to basic router configuration.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Before you set up a router you need to gather information from your ISP concerning the WAN side of the router, then you must connect to the router per the manufacturer's instructors. Then you can begin Step 1: setting up the WAN side. If you paid for a static IP, you will enter this into the WAN setting in the router configuration utility. If you are setting up a home router, the WAN side most likely uses DHCP to receive its IP address, so you would select DHCP or "automatic" in the WAN settings. In Step 2, you set up the LAN side of the router. You chose a network ID (usually selecting this from the private IP address pool). Then you will assign the LAN side an address from the network ID. Step 3 involves establishing routes, which many routers will do automatically. If you must add more routes, you can add them using the router configuration utility. On a Cisco router, this may require using the correct IOS command. Finally, Step 4, Configure a Dynamic Protocol, only applies if this is not a home router and is on a network with several routers. You must do this for each NIC and may only require turning on the dynamic protocol.