Cisco Express Forwarding

Understanding and troubleshooting CEF in Cisco routers and switches

Nakia Stringfield, CCIE® No. 13451/Russ White, CCIE No. 2635/Stacia McKee

How does a router switch a packet? What is the difference between routing a packet, switching a frame, and packet switching? What is the Cisco® Express Forwarding (CEF) feature referred to in Cisco documentation and commonly found in Cisco IOS® commands? CEF is a general term that describes the mechanism by which Cisco routers and Catalyst® switches packet-switch (route) frames. CEF is found in almost all Cisco routers and Catalyst switches, and understanding how CEF operates can improve the performance, scalability, and efficiency of your network.

Cisco Express Forwarding demystifies the internal workings of Cisco routers and switches, making it easier for you to optimize performance and troubleshoot issues that arise in Cisco network environments. This book addresses common misconceptions about CEF and packet switching across various platforms, helping you to improve your troubleshooting skills for CEF- and non-CEF-related problems.

The first part of the book provides an overview of packet-switching architectures and CEF operation and advanced features. It also covers the enhanced CEF structure and general troubleshooting. The second part of the book provides case studies that focus on the common topics that have been problematic for customers and those supporting Cisco networks.

Full of practical examples and configurations, this book draws on years of experience to help you keep your Cisco networks running efficiently.

Learn the key features of packet-switching architectures
Understand the basics of the CEF architecture and operation
Examine the enhanced CEF structure, which improves scalability
Learn how to troubleshoot in software-switching environments
Understand the effect of CEF on a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Supervisor 720
Configure and troubleshoot load sharing with CEF
Evaluate the effect of CEF in an MPLS VPN environment
Review CEF design considerations that impact scalability

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

Category: Networking

Covers: Routing and Switching