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This chapter discusses the objectives, audience, organization, and conventions of the Cisco IOS software documentation. It also discusses how to obtain documentation on Cisco Connection Online and the Documentation CD-ROM.
This Cisco IOS software documentation describes the tasks and commands necessary to configure and maintain your networking device.
The Cisco IOS software documentation is intended primarily for users who configure and maintain networking devices, but are not necessarily familiar with tasks, the relationship between tasks, or the commands necessary to perform particular tasks.
The Cisco IOS software documentation is divided into 12 modules and 2 master indexes. In addition to the main documentation set, there are 4 supporting documents.
The Cisco IOS documentation modules consist of configuration guides and corresponding command reference publications. Chapters in a configuration guide describe protocols, configuration tasks, and Cisco IOS software functionality and contain comprehensive configuration examples. Chapters in a command reference publication provide complete command syntax information. Use each configuration guide in conjunction with its corresponding command reference publication.
The Cisco IOS software documentation set is shown in Figure 1.
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Note The abbreviations next to the book icons are page designators (for example, FC, FR, and so on), which are defined in a key in the index of each document to help with navigation. The bulleted lists under each module describe the major technology areas discussed in their corresponding books. |
Two master indexes provide indexing information for the Cisco IOS software documentation set: an index for the configuration guides, and an index for the command references. In addition, individual books contain a book-specific index.
The following documents support the Cisco IOS software documentation set:
The following is new or changed information since the last release of the Cisco IOS Bridging and IBM Networking publications:
The Cisco IOS Bridging and IBM Networking documentation set consists of the following three volumes in Cisco IOS Release 12.1:
The Cisco IOS Bridging and IBM Networking publications in Cisco IOS Release 12.1 include the following new structural changes:
The following important changes are implemented in Cisco IOS Release 12.1 for the IBM networking technologies:
For additional information about new and changed features in Cisco IOS Release 12.1, refer to the Release Notes for Cisco IOS Release 12.1.
The Cisco IOS documentation set uses the following conventions:
| Convention | Description |
|---|---|
^ or Ctrl | ^ or Ctrl represents the Control key. For example, the key combination ^D or Ctrl-D means hold down the Control key while you press the D key. Keys are indicated in capital letters but are not case sensitive. |
string | A string is a nonquoted set of characters. For example, when setting an SNMP community string to public, do not use quotation marks around the string or the string will include the quotation marks. |
Examples use the following conventions:
| Convention | Description |
|---|---|
| Courier plain shows an example of information displayed on the screen. |
boldface screen | Courier bold shows an example of text that you must enter. |
< > | Angle brackets show nonprinting characters, such as passwords. |
! | An exclamation point at the beginning of a line indicates a comment line. (Exclamation points are also displayed by the Cisco IOS software for certain processes.) |
[ ] | Square brackets show default responses to system prompts. |
The following conventions are used to attract the attention of the reader:
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Caution Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might do something that could result in equipment damage or loss of data. |
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Note Means reader take note. Notes contain helpful suggestions or references to materials not contained in this manual. |
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TimeSaver Means the described action saves time. You can save time by performing the action described in the paragraph. |
Within the Cisco IOS software documentation, the term router is generally used to refer to a variety of networking devices (for example, routers, access servers, and Route Switch Modules). Within examples, routers, access servers, and other networking devices that support Cisco IOS software are shown alternately. These products are used only for example purposes; that is, an example that shows one product does not indicate that other products are not supported.
Command descriptions use the following conventions:
| Convention | Description |
|---|---|
boldface | Boldface text indicates commands and keywords that you enter literally as shown. |
italics | Italic text indicates arguments for which you supply values. |
[x] | Square brackets indicate an optional element (keyword or argument). |
{x} | Braces indicate a required element (keyword or argument). |
[x {y | z}] | Braces and vertical lines within square brackets indicate a required choice within an optional element. |
Cisco Connection Online (CCO) is the primary, real-time support channel for Cisco Systems. Maintenance customers and partners can self-register on CCO to obtain additional information and services.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, CCO provides a wealth of standard and value-added services to customers and business partners of Cisco Systems. CCO services include product information, product documentation, software updates, release notes, technical tips, the Bug Navigator, configuration notes, brochures, descriptions of service offerings, and download access to public and authorized files.
CCO serves a wide variety of users through two interfaces that are updated and enhanced simultaneously: a character-based version and a multimedia version that resides on the World Wide Web (WWW). The character-based CCO supports Zmodem, Kermit, Xmodem, FTP, and Internet e-mail, and it is excellent for quick access to information over lower bandwidths. The WWW version of CCO provides richly formatted documents with photographs, figures, graphics, and video, as well as hyperlinks to related information.
You can access CCO in the following ways:
For a copy of the CCO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), contact cco-help@cisco.com. For additional information, contact cco-team@cisco.com.
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Note If you are a network administrator and need personal technical assistance with a Cisco product that is under warranty or covered by a maintenance contract, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at 800 553-2447, 408 526-7209, or tac@cisco.com. To obtain general information about Cisco Systems, Cisco products, or upgrades, contact 800 553-6387, 408 526-7208, or cs-rep@cisco.com. |
Cisco documentation and additional literature are available in a CD-ROM package, which ships with your product. The Documentation CD-ROM, a member of the Cisco Connection Family, is updated monthly; therefore, it might be more current than printed documentation. To order additional copies of the Documentation CD-ROM, contact your local sales representative or call customer service. The CD-ROM package is available as a single package or as an annual subscription. You can also access Cisco documentation on the World Wide Web at http://www.cisco.com, http://www-china.cisco.com, or http://www-europe.cisco.com.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20 10:18:34 PDT 2000
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