Cisco IOS - Packaging / Feature Sets

Packaging / Feature Sets

Most Cisco products that run IOS also have one or more "feature sets" or "packages", typically eight packages for Cisco routers and five packages for Cisco network switches. For example, Cisco IOS releases meant for use on Catalyst switches are available as "standard" versions (providing only basic IP routing), "enhanced" versions, which provide full IPv4 routing support, and "advanced IP services" versions, which provide the enhanced features as well as IPv6 support.

Each individual package corresponds to one service category, such as

• IP data
• Converged voice and data
• Security and VPN

For additional information about Cisco IOS Packaging see White Paper: Cisco IOS Reference Guide

The exact feature set required for a particular function can be determined using the Cisco Feature Set Browser.

Beginning with the 1900, 2900 and 3900 series of ISR Routers, Cisco has revised the licensing model of IOS. Routers come with IP Base installed, and additional feature pack licenses can be installed as bolt-on additions to expand the feature set of the device. The available feature packs are:

• Data adds features like BFD, IP SLAs, IPX, L2TPv3, Mobile IP, MPLS, SCTP.
• Security adds features like VPN, Firewall, IP SLAs, NAC.
• Unified Comms adds features like CallManager Express, Gatekeeper, H.323, IP SLAs, MGCP, SIP, VoIP.

An Interface Descriptor Block, or simply IDB, is a portion of memory or Cisco IOS internal data structure that contains information such as the IP address, interface state, and packet statistics for networking data. Cisco's IOS software maintains one IDB for each hardware interface in a particular Cisco switch or router and one IDB for each subinterface. The number of IDBs present in a system varies with the Cisco hardware platform type.