Getting started with Cisco IOS devices

Nowadays, almost all electronic devices have some form of firmware to help them execute tasks. In most instances, there is an operating system that's used to provide the user with a lot of functionality. Similar to a typical laptop computer or a smartphone, there are hardware components such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), also referred to as the processor, that are used to execute arithmetic calculations and provide control over the computer. There is also Random Access Memory (RAM), which is used to temporarily store data while the CPU accesses it, and there is a storage unit where you can store the operating system and other types of data while the device is powered off.

However, without an operating system such as Windows, MAC, or even Linux, the components of the computer will not be able to work together to execute functions defined by the user. To put it simply, the operating system provides a process for controlling the hardware...