This topic is to discuss the following lesson:
https://networklessons.com/cisco/ccie-routing-switching-written/introduction-cisco-ios-xe/
Keep going with “CCIE Routing & Switching Written” Rene !
I’m counting on you ! There are still many missing topics from blueprint V5.1 - nobody can explain them better than you !
Thanks Amadi, I will! Currently working on the remaining topics…this was one of them.
hi renee,
when i click on courses > certifications > ccie r&s i am unable to see ccie r&s written ?
any help on how i can view both of the sections.
also to clarify is the subsection under ccie r&s for the lab exam and not the written exam ? i will be starting ccie writen soon however wich section should i use … i am confused … other than this i have used this website from the ccna material and it has been very helpful thanks.
Hi Zahir,
I’m currently working on the CCIE R&S written menu, most of the material is there though. Here’s a direct link:
Once it is completed, I will convert the “old” CCIE page to the CCIE R&S lab menu.
Rene
Hi Rene,
Great article.
I have one questions , why both IOS and IOS XE exist within single device (ASR 1000-X) whereas both has same job in different way.Thx
Br/zaman
Hi Zaman,
The 100X-X only runs IOS XE? 
Rene
Hello Rene, can you provide us a video which explain it via labs. And also shows how to upgrade an IOS XE router.
Hi Diallo,
I sometimes use the IOS XE routers in my lab, configuration wise it’s 99% the same as the IOS routers.
Rene
I have read this lesson over and over and it makes absolute no sense to me. i even read Wikipedia and bought other material and i still can not understand this none sense.
can you explain in a better English with examples and pictures or even a video what this none sense mean please.
"
RPBase: provides the operating system software for the route processor.
RPControl: controls the control plane processes that interface between the IOS process and the rest of the platform.
RPAccess: used for access to the router through protocols like SSH / SSL.
RPIOS: provides the Cisco IOS kernel
ESPBase: provides the ESP operating system and control processes, and the ESP software. The ESP (Embedded Services Processor) is responsible for the data plane and all flows through the data plane. It is also responsible for features/tasks like QoS, ACLs, VPNs, Netflow, NAT, etc.
SIPBase: this controls the SIP operating system and control processes. A SIP (Shared Port Adapter Interface Processor) is a carrier card that you insert in a router slot. The SIP can hold one or more SPAs and it provides the connection between the route processor and SPA.
SIPSPA: provides the SPA driver and Field Programmable Device (FPD). The SPA (Shared Port Adapter) is inserted in the subslot of a SIP and provides the interface between the network and SIP.
"
Thank you
Hello Avid
I’ll do my best and hopefully be able to help you understand what is being said.
The traditional IOS files run as a whole. This means that for each feature set that you require, you need a different IOS file. This is why you can have several different IOS files (in some cases several dozen) that are compatible with the same hardware platform, and you must get the IOS that includes all of the features that you need. For example, you may want to run a Cisco 2921 as a voice gateway with SRST capabilities. For this you will need to ensure that the IOS file you download will indeed provide all of these features.
The IOS XE series of operating systems for Cisco devices works differently. It is based on Linux. Linux allows many individual processes to be run on the device. This means that you can have a single IOS XE that includes all of the capabilities and feature sets, and only enable those features that you require, using a licensing mechanism. This way, you don’t have tens or hundreds of IOS versions, but one single one on which each feature set (if it is supported by the hardware) can be enabled.
The list of sub packages described in the lesson are some of the feature sets that can be enabled on the IOS XE software. Many of these are mandatory, such as RPBase, RPControl and RPAccess. There are many other sub packages that provide all of the features available for all of the required applications.
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz
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Thank you soooo much. it is starting to make sense. can you please explain those sub packages in clear English as you did to the concept.
"
RPBase: provides the operating system software for the route processor.
RPControl: controls the control plane processes that interface between the IOS process and the rest of the platform.
RPAccess: used for access to the router through protocols like SSH / SSL.
RPIOS: provides the Cisco IOS kernel
ESPBase: provides the ESP operating system and control processes, and the ESP software. The ESP (Embedded Services Processor) is responsible for the data plane and all flows through the data plane. It is also responsible for features/tasks like QoS, ACLs, VPNs, Netflow, NAT, etc.
SIPBase: this controls the SIP operating system and control processes. A SIP (Shared Port Adapter Interface Processor) is a carrier card that you insert in a router slot. The SIP can hold one or more SPAs and it provides the connection between the route processor and SPA.
SIPSPA: provides the SPA driver and Field Programmable Device (FPD). The SPA (Shared Port Adapter) is inserted in the subslot of a SIP and provides the interface between the network and SIP.
"
Thank you
Hello Avid
The RPBase subpackage is the service or process that runs the route processor. This is the feature that performs routing on the device. This is the part of the software that coordinates routing, and controls the forwarding of packets (routing table and so on…)
The RPControl subpackage is the process that acts as an interface between all other IOS processes and the hardware platform itself. It is like a mediator between the software packages and the hardware.
The RPAccess is the process that runs that allows you to gain access to the device itself. This can be done via protocols such as SSH and Telnet. You can think of this as the SSH or Telnet server to which you connect with your client.
RPIOS is the Cisco IOS kernel. This is the central core of the operating system that is necessary to boot up and run the device. It is necessary to allow all other packages to function.
ESPBase provides the Embedded Services Processor. You can find out a lot more about what this does at the following link.
The SIPBase and SIPSPA are other components that are necessary on platforms that have modules that can be installed in slots.
It’s not necessary to know all of these in detail for any certification, or for most day to day network operation tasks. It’s good however to understand how they function and inter-operate in general so that you can further understand how network devices using the IOS XE enable various features and components.
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz
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All Thanks to Allah finally a satisfying answer. Thank you sooooooooooooooooo much Lazaros i really appreciate your clear detailed explanation. joining this platform was the best Cisco education investment i made.
Thank you!!!
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Hello Avid
I’m so glad I could be of help, and I’m glad you find NetworkLessons useful for you. For whatever other questions you may have, you know where to find us!
Laz
Hi Rene,
Many Thanks to you …
Based on your previous comments …
Why my ASR1001-X router showing these two …
Router-1#show version
Cisco IOS XE Software, Version 03.12.00a.S - Standard Support Release
Cisco IOS Software, ASR1000 Software (X86_64_LINUX_IOSD-UNIVERSALK9-M), Version 15.4(2)S0a, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)
Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport
Why cisco site showing IOS Software for ASR1001-X and I found They didn’t release XE software after 28-july-2017 where as they release Lots of release for IOS for ASR1001-X .Please see screen shot …
If ASR1001-X runs only IOS XE then why CISCO release these lots of IOS software for ASR1001-X Router .Please help me to break the confusing .Thx
BR//ZAMAN
Hello Zaman
The fact that both IOS and IOS-XE information is displayed within the show version output can get confusing. Unfortunately, Cisco doesn’t explain the reason for this very well.
The quick answer is that the ASR1001-X runs IOS-XE software, and as you can see from the output in the Cisco software download center, and in your screenshot above, the latest versions are indeed IOS-XE. So why does the output of the show version command seem to indicate that both are running? Well because they are.
Cisco IOS-XE contains the Cisco IOS Release 15.X within itself. IOS runs as a process within the IOS-XE in what is called an IOS daemon, or IOSd. Many of the features of IOS have been migrated over to IOS-XE, but much of the functionality is still maintained within the traditional IOS software. The output of the show version command simply shows which IOS version is running within the IOS-XE software. Over time, more and more features will be migrated over to the IOS-XE natively, and the IOS will eventually be retired completely. But until then, IOS will run in this way.
So when you are upgrading, you will only look at the IOS-XE versions. The IOS within those is part of the IOS-XE as a whole, so you don’t actually have to deal directly with those IOS versions and features.
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz
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Hi guys,
please allow two questions:
-
I asked my switch distributor for an offer about several 9200-48PXG switches. Now he asks me about which “configuration” he should offer. Any idea what he could mean with this?
Could it be about these modules you describe above (RPBase, RPControl etc)? -
You state that these modules are based on a licensing model, so they obviously are not mandatory (at least some of them). Then you say, that RPBase IS mandatory, but why would I need routing capabilities on my 9200 switch?
Thanks in advance for some hints!
Regards
Stefano
Hello Tim
It’s almost certain that the distributor does not mean the running-configuration or the startup-configuration 
. These switches have options that include multiple modular uplink options, as well as power supply options. What they are most likely referring to is what specific uplink modules and power supply you are looking for. Take a look at the datasheet of this particular device to learn more about the possible options:
This particular lesson is focusing on the IOS XE operating system for routers. For this reason, the RPBase is indeed mandatory for routers. However, the IOS XE supports multiple device types including switches. Needless to say, the licensing model is somewhat different for switches, but the underlying principle is the same. The following Cisco site describes the various products that are supported by the Cisco IOS XE.
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz