This chapter describes configuring the serial interface for Cisco 800M Series ISRs in the following
sections:
• Configuring the Serial Interface, page 39
• Features Supported by Serial Module, page 39
• Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces, page 41
• How to Configure Serial Interfaces, page 45
• Configuration Examples, page 47
Configuring the Serial Interface
The Cisco 800M Series Integrated Services Router (ISR) provides serial WAN connectivity to remote
sites using Cisco High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), or Frame Relay
encapsulation through the pluggable, serial WAN interface module. The Cisco 800M Series ISR supports
both synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication.
CHA PT ER
4
Features Supported by Serial Module
The Cisco 800M Series ISR has 2 WAN slots that can host single-port serial module or multi-mode 3G
module and supports the following combinations.
• Serial module in slot 0 and 3G module in slot 1
• 3G module in slot 0 and serial module in slot 1
• Serial module in slot 0 and serial module in slot 1
The features supported by the single-port serial module on Cisco 800M Series ISR is given as follows:
• Supports the following encapsulations :
–
HDLC
–
PPP
–
Frame Relay
–
Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)
• Supports the following serial protocols
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Features Supported by Serial Module
–
EIA-232
–
EIA-449
–
EIA-530
–
EIA-530A
–
V. 3 5
–
X.21
• Supports synchronous speed of up to 8 Mbps
• Supports asynchronous speed of up to 115.2 kbps
• Supports network clock synchronization
Cisco 800M Series ISRs use Cisco smart serial connectors. Information about the cables supported by
Cisco 800M Series ISRs are provided in Tab le 4-1 .
Table 4-1Smart Serial Cabling for Cisco 800M Series ISRs
Product NumberCable TypeLengthConnector Type
CAB-SS-V35MT V.35 DTE10 ft (3m)Male
CAB-SS-V35FC V.35 DCE 10 ft (3m)Female
CAB-SS-232MT EIA/TIA-232 DTE 10 ft (3m)Male
CAB-SS-232FCEIA/TIA-232 DTE 10 ft (3m)Female
CAB-SS-449MTEIA/TIA-449 DTE 10 ft (3m)Male
CAB-SS-449FCEIA/TIA-449 DTE 10 ft (3m)Female
CAB-SS-X21MT X.21 DTE10 ft (3m)Male
CAB-SS-X21FCX.21 DTE10 ft (3m)Female
CAB-SS-530MTEIA/TIA-530 DTE 10 ft (3m)Male
CAB-SS-530AMTEIA/TIA-232 DTE 10 ft (3m)Male
Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Table 4-2 describes the LEDs on the Cisco 800M series serial WAN module.
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Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces
Table 4-2LEDs on the Serial WAN Module
LED Name Color/ Status Description
CONNGreenIndicates the interface status
OFF Shows that the line protocol is
LOOP BACK GreenIndicates that the hardware
OFFIndicates that loopback is not
Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces
and shows that line protocol is
up.
down.
loopback status is configured
on the serial interface.
configured.
To configure serial interfaces, you should understand the following concept:
• Cisco HDLC Encapsulation, page 41
• PPP Encapsulation, page 41
• Keepalive Timer, page 43
• Frame Relay Encapsulation, page 44
Cisco HDLC Encapsulation
Cisco High-Level Data Link Controller (HDLC) is the Cisco proprietary protocol for sending data over
synchronous serial links. Cisco HDLC also provides a simple control protocol called Serial Line Address
Resolution Protocol (SLARP) to maintain serial link keepalives. Cisco HDLC is the default for data
encapsulation at Layer 2 (data link) of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) stack for efficient packet
delineation and error control.
NoteCisco HDLC is the default encapsulation type for the serial interfaces.
When the encapsulation on a serial interface is changed from HDLC to any other encapsulation type, the
configured serial subinterfaces on the main interface inherit the newly changed encapsulation and they
do not get deleted.
Cisco HDLC uses keepalives to monitor the link state, as described in the “Keepalive Timer” section on
page 4-43.
PPP Encapsulation
PPP is a standard protocol used to send data over synchronous serial links. PPP also provides a Link
Control Protocol (LCP) for negotiating properties of the link. LCP uses echo requests and responses to
monitor the continuing availability of the link.
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Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces
NoteWhen an interface is configured with PPP encapsulation, a link is declared down and full LCP
negotiation is re-initiated after five echo request (ECHOREQ) packets are sent without receiving an echo
response (ECHOREP).
PPP provides the following Network Control Protocols (NCPs) for negotiating properties of data
protocols that will run on the link:
• IP Control Protocol (IPCP) to negotiate IP properties
• Multiprotocol Label Switching control processor (MPLSCP) to negotiate MPLS properties
• Cisco Discovery Protocol control processor (CDPCP) to negotiate CDP properties
• IPv6CP to negotiate IP Version 6 (IPv6) properties
• Open Systems Interconnection control processor (OSICP) to negotiate OSI properties
Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
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Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
PPP uses keepalives to monitor the link state, as described in the “Keepalive Timer” section on
page 4-43.
PPP supports the following authentication protocols, which require a remote device to prove its identity
before allowing data traffic to flow over a connection:
• Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)—CHAP authentication sends a challenge
message to the remote device. The remote device encrypts the challenge value with a shared secret
and returns the encrypted value and its name to the local router in a response message. The local
router attempts to match the remote device’s name with an associated secret stored in the local
username or remote security server database; it uses the stored secret to encrypt the original
challenge and verify that the encrypted values match.
• Microsoft Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (MS-CHAP)—MS-CHAP is the Microsoft
version of CHAP. Like the standard version of CHAP, MS-CHAP is used for PPP authentication; in
this case, authentication occurs between a personal computer using Microsoft Windows and a Cisco
router or access server acting as a network access server.
• Password Authentication Protocol (PAP)—PAP authentication requires the remote device to send a
name and a password, which are checked against a matching entry in the local username database
or in the remote security server database.
Use the ppp authentication command in interface configuration mode to enable CHAP, MS-CHAP, and
PAP on a serial interface.
Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces
NoteEnabling or disabling PPP authentication does not effect the local router’s willingness to authenticate
itself to the remote device.
Multilink PPP
Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (MLPPP) is supported on the Cisco 800M Series ISR serial interface.
MLPPP provides a method for combining multiple physical links into one logical link. The
implementation of MLPPP combines multiple PPP serial interfaces into one multilink interface. MLPPP
performs the fragmenting, reassembling, and sequencing of datagrams across multiple PPP links.
MLPPP provides the same features that are supported on PPP Serial interfaces with the exception of
QoS. It also provides the following additional features:
• Fragment sizes of 128, 256, and 512 bytes
• Long sequence numbers (24-bit)
• Lost fragment detection timeout period of 80 ms
• Minimum-active-links configuration option
• LCP echo request/reply support over multilink interface
• Full T1 and E1 framed and unframed links
Keepalive Timer
Cisco keepalives are useful for monitoring the link state. Periodic keepalives are sent to and received
from the peer at a frequency determined by the value of the keepalive timer. If an acceptable keepalive
response is not received from the peer, the link makes the transition to the down state. As soon as an
acceptable keepalive response is obtained from the peer or if keepalives are disabled, the link makes the
transition to the up state.
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Information About Configuring Serial Interfaces
NoteThe keepalive command applies to serial interfaces using HDLC or PPP encapsulation. It does not apply
to serial interfaces using Frame Relay encapsulation.
For each encapsulation type, a certain number of keepalives ignored by a peer triggers the serial interface
to transition to the down state. For HDLC encapsulation, three ignored keepalives causes the interface
to be brought down. For PPP encapsulation, five ignored keepalives causes the interface to be brought
down. ECHOREQ packets are sent out only when LCP negotiation is complete (for example, when LCP
is open).
Use the keepalive command in interface configuration mode to set the frequency at which LCP sends
ECHOREQ packets to its peer. To restore the system to the default keepalive interval of 10 seconds, use
the keepalive command with the no keyword. To disable keepalives, use the keepalive disable
command. For both PPP and Cisco HDLC, a keepalive of 0 disables keepalives and is reported in the
show running-config command output as keepalive disable.
When LCP is running on the peer and receives an ECHOREQ packet, it responds with an ECHOREP
packet, regardless of whether keepalives are enabled on the peer.
Keepalives are independent between the two peers. One peer end can have keepalives enabled; the other
end can have them disabled. Even if keepalives are disabled locally, LCP still responds with ECHOREP
packets to the ECHOREQ packets it receives. Similarly, LCP also works if the period of keepalives at
each end is different.
Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Frame Relay Encapsulation
When Frame Relay encapsulation is enabled on a serial interface, the interface configuration is
hierarchical and comprises the following elements:
• The serial main interface comprises the physical interface and port. If you are not using the serial
interface to support Cisco HDLC and PPP encapsulated connections, then you must configure
subinterfaces with permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) under the serial main interface. Frame Relay
connections are supported on PVCs only.
• Serial subinterfaces are configured under the serial main interface. A serial subinterface does not
actively carry traffic until you configure a PVC under the serial subinterface. Layer 3 configuration
typically takes place on the subinterface.
• When the encapsulation on a serial interface is changed from HDLC to any other encapsulation type,
the configured serial subinterfaces on the main interface inherit the newly changed encapsulation
and they do not get deleted.
• Point-to-point PVCs are configured under a serial subinterface. You cannot configure a PVC directly
under a main interface. A single point-to-point PVC is allowed per subinterface. PVCs use a
predefined circuit path and fail if the path is interrupted. PVCs remain active until the circuit is
removed from either configuration. Connections on the serial PVC support Frame Relay
encapsulation only.
NoteThe administrative state of a parent interface drives the state of the subinterface and its PVC. When the
administrative state of a parent interface or subinterface changes, so does the administrative state of any
child PVC configured under that parent interface or subinterface.
To configure Frame Relay encapsulation on serial interfaces, use the encapsulation (Frame Relay VC-bundle) command.
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Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Frame Relay interfaces support two types of encapsulated frames:
• Cisco (default)
• IETF
Use the encap command in PVC configuration mode to configure Cisco or IETF encapsulation on a
PVC. If the encapsulation type is not configured explicitly for a PVC, then that PVC inherits the
encapsulation type from the main serial interface.
NoteCisco encapsulation is required on serial main interfaces that are configured for MPLS. IETF
encapsulation is not supported for MPLS.
Before you configure Frame Relay encapsulation on an interface, you must verify that all prior
Layer 3 configuration is removed from that interface. For example, you must ensure that there is no IP
address configured directly under the main interface; otherwise, any Frame Relay configuration done
under the main interface will not be viable.
LMI on Frame Relay Interfaces
How to Configure Serial Interfaces
The Local Management Interface (LMI) protocol monitors the addition, deletion, and status of PVCs.
LMI also verifies the integrity of the link that forms a Frame Relay UNI interface. By default, cisco LMI
is enabled on all PVCs.
If the LMI type is cisco (the default LMI type), the maximum number of PVCs that can be supported
under a single interface is related to the MTU size of the main interface. Use the following formula to
calculate the maximum number of PVCs supported on a card:
(MTU - 13)/8 = maximum number of PVCs
NoteThe default setting of the mtu command for a serial interface is 1504 bytes. Therefore, the default
numbers of PVCs supported on a serial interface configured with cisco LMI is 186.
How to Configure Serial Interfaces
This section contains the following tasks:
• Configuring a Synchronous Serial Interface, page 45
• Configuring Asynchronous Serial Interface, page 46
Configuring a Synchronous Serial Interface
To configure a synchronous serial interface, perform the tasks in the following sections. Each task in the
list is identified as either required or optional.
• Specifying a Synchronous Serial Interface, page 46 (Required)
• Specifying Synchronous Serial Encapsulation, page 46 (Optional)
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How to Configure Serial Interfaces
Specifying a Synchronous Serial Interface
To specify a synchronous serial interface and enter interface configuration mode, use the following
commands in global configuration mode.
CommandPurpose
Router(config)# interface serial wic/slot/port
Specifies the serial interface and enters interface configuration
mode.
Example:
Router# interface serial 0/0/0
Specifying Synchronous Serial Encapsulation
By default, synchronous serial lines use the High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) serial encapsulation
method, which provides the synchronous framing and error detection functions of HDLC without
windowing or retransmission. The serial interfaces support the following serial encapsulation methods:
• HDLC
Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
• Frame Relay
• PPP
To define the encapsulation method, use the following command in interface configuration mode.
Encapsulation methods are set according to the type of protocol or application you configure in the
Cisco IOS software.
For configuration examples, see the “Configuration Examples” section on page 4-47.
Configuring Asynchronous Serial Interface
You can use the physical-layer async command to change the interface mode from the default
synchronous mode to asynchronous mode
SUMMARY STEPS
1. physical-layer async
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Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
DETAILED STEPS
Command or ActionPurpose
Step 1
physical-layer async
Example:
Router(config-if)# physical-layer async
NoteYou cannot use the physical-layer async command for frame-relay encapsulation.
When you make a transition from asynchronous mode to synchronous mode in serial interfaces, the
interface state becomes down by default. You should then use the no shutdown option to bring the
interface up.
Configuration Examples
Configuration Examples
Specifies the mode of a low-speed interface as either
synchronous or asynchronous.
Example: PPP Configuration:
This example shows how to configure PPP encapsulation with CHAP authentication.
This example shows how to configure PPP encapsulation with PAP authentication.
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# hostname R1
R1(config)# username R2 password cisco
R1(config)# interface serial 0/0/0
R1(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
R1(config-if)# ppp authentication PAP
R1(config-if)# ppp pap sent-username R1 password cisco
R1(config-if)# end
Router> enable
Router#configure terminal
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Configuration Examples
Router(config)# hostname R2
R2(config)# username R1 password cisco
R2(config)# interface serial 0/0/0
R2(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
R2(config-if)# ppp authentication PAP
R2(config-if)# ppp pap sent-username R2 password cisco
R2(config-if)# end
Example: Frame Relay Configuration
This example shows how to configure frame relay encapsulation on a serial interface.
Router1>enable
Router1#configure terminal
Router1(config)# interface Serial 0/0/0
Router1(config-if)# ip address 50.50.50.1 255.255.255.0
Router1(config-if)# encapsulation frame-relay
Router1(config-if)# no keepalive
Router1(config-if)# frame-relay interface-dlci 50
Router1(config-if)# end
Router2>enable
Router2#configure terminal
Router2(config)# interface Serial 0/2/0
Router2(config-if)# ip address 50.50.50.2 255.255.255.0
Router2(config-if)# encapsulation frame-relay
Router2(config-if)# no keepalive
Router2(config-if)# clock rate 2000000
Router2(config-if)# frame-relay interface-dlci 50
Router2(config-if)# end
Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Example: MLPPP Configuration
This example shows how to configure Multilink PPP on a serial interface.
Router1> enable
Router1# configure terminal
Router1(config)# interface Multilink 1
Router1(config-if)# ip address 120.120.120.1 255.255.255.0
Router1(config-if)# no ip route-cache
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink group 1
Router1(config-if)# end
Router1(config)# interface Serial 0/2/0
Router1(config-if)# no ip address
Router1(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
Router1(config-if)# no ip route-cache
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink group 1
Router1(config-if)# end
Router1(config)# interface Serial 0/2/1
Router1(config-if)# no ip address
Router1(config-if)# encapsulation ppp
Router1(config-if)# no ip route-cache
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink
Router1(config-if)# ppp multilink group 1
Router1(config-if)# end
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Chapter 4 Configuring the Serial Interface
Example: Asynchronous Serial Configuration
This example shows how to configure a serial interface on asynchronous mode.
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface serial 0/0/0
Router(config-if)# physical-layer async
Router(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
Router(config-if)# async mode dedicated
Router(config-if)# end
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