Cisco, Router can communicate; hosts cannot

As an IT administrator, it is essential to understand how network devices interact with each other, and why sometimes devices can communicate with each other but not with hosts. When this occurs, it can be difficult to identify the root cause of the issue. In this article, we will discuss a common issue where a Cisco router can communicate with other devices, but hosts cannot.

The first step in addressing this issue is to identify whether the router is able to communicate with the hosts. To do this, an administrator can use the ‘ping’ command to send an ICMP Echo request packet to the hosts. If the router receives an ICMP Echo reply packet from the hosts, then the router is able to communicate with the hosts. If the router does not receive a reply packet, then there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

If the router is unable to communicate with the hosts, the next step is to determine if the issue is due to a configuration or hardware issue. To do this, the administrator should check the configuration of the router and the settings of the hosts. If the configuration of the router is correct, then the issue may be due to a hardware issue. This could include a faulty cable, NIC, or switch.

Once the root cause of the issue has been identified, the administrator can take steps to resolve the issue. If the issue is due to a configuration issue, the administrator will need to modify the settings of the router or the hosts. If the issue is due to a hardware issue, the administrator will need to replace the faulty component.

If the router is able to communicate with other devices, but not with hosts, it is important to understand why this is happening. This can help the administrator to identify and resolve the issue quickly. In this case, the issue is likely due to a configuration or hardware issue. By using the ‘ping’ command to test the router’s connectivity to the hosts, and by checking the configuration and hardware of the router and the hosts, the administrator can identify the root cause of the issue and take steps to resolve it.