New Switch (Cisco IOS)

This guide covers the initial configuration of a factory-default Cisco switch running IOS.

Note: Cisco switches do not use WinBox. They are managed via CLI (Console/SSH) or occasionally a Web GUI.

1. Initial Access

You can access a factory-default Cisco switch in two ways:

Via Console Port (Out-of-Band):

Connect a Cisco console cable (RJ45 to Serial/USB) to the console port.
Open a terminal emulator (PuTTY, TeraTerm) using 9600 baud rate, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit.
Type enable to enter Privileged EXEC mode.

Via Web GUI (In-Band):

If your Cisco switch model supports a Web GUI, it typically defaults to 192.168.1.254.
Connect your PC to any port and set a static IP of 192.168.1.100 / 24.
Open a browser to https://192.168.1.254.

2. Basic Configuration (CLI)

Enter global configuration mode:
```
configure terminal
```
Set a Hostname:
```
hostname Core-Switch
```

Secure the device:

enable secret MySecurePassword
username admin privilege 15 secret MySecurePassword

3. Creating VLANs and Setting Management IP

! Create a Management VLAN
vlan 99
 name Management

! Assign an IP address to the VLAN
interface vlan 99
 ip address 10.0.99.2 255.255.255.0
 no shutdown

! Set the default gateway
ip default-gateway 10.0.99.1

4. Assigning Ports (Access vs Trunk)

! Configure an Access Port (e.g., for a PC on VLAN 10)
interface GigabitEthernet0/1
 switchport mode access
 switchport access vlan 10

! Configure a Trunk Port (e.g., uplink to router)
interface GigabitEthernet0/24
 switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
 switchport mode trunk
 switchport trunk allowed vlan all

5. Save the Configuration

Critical Step: If you reboot now, all changes are lost. Save the running configuration to the startup configuration:

end
write memory

References & Legal Disclaimer

This material is provided strictly for educational and conceptual purposes. Cisco, Juniper, MikroTik (RouterOS/SwOS), Ubiquiti (UniFi), and D-Link are registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The configurations presented here are based on official vendor documentation, RFC standards (like IETF BGP and OSPF RFCs), and standard networking field practices. Always consult your vendor's official documentation and test in a lab environment before deploying to production.