Is CEF a default switching path on cisco routers?

[mesuti]

I read an article (not cisco authorised) that said, "CEF is enabled at global level, but disabled at interface level on cisco routers".

Isn't the Fast-Switching the default Switching path on all routers?

And as I know if CEF is not enabled on all interfaces (no ip route-cache cef) it can't form the adjancency table and can't do its job.

Am I wrong?

Thank you.

[liviu.gheorghe]

You are correct, fast-switching is the default switching path on Cisco routers.

You have to enable CEF global, with the command ip cef. Once enabled, CEF becomes the preffered switching path.

Cheers

[ruwhite]

CEF is the default switching method as of 12.0--in fact, fast switching doesn't even exist in the unicast path in more recent images.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/iosswrel/ps1831/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a00800ca6c7.html

Might be of help here.

:-)

Russ.W

[mesuti]

It writes that the default switching path is CEF after 12.0 releases, but I tested in my test routers, I erased startup-config and when it loaded the CEF was not running.

Router#show ip cef

%CEF not running

Prefix Next Hop Interface

Router#show version

Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software

IOS (tm) 3600 Software (C3640-JK8S-M), Version 12.2(17), RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc3)

Copyright (c) 1986-2003 by cisco Systems, Inc.

Compiled Thu 15-May-03 17:03 by srani

and can you explain me "CEF is enabled at global level, but disabled on interface level by default on cisco routers"

Thank You very much

[ruwhite]

The 3600 was not available at the time that document was released--you'll have to go into later code for CEF to be the default, probably the T train or the S train, I would think.

As for CEF being enabled by default globally, and not the default at the interface level, I don't know of any release where that is true. When I look at the 7200's and 2600's I have in the lab, they all show cef running by default, at the global and interface levels.

Russ.W