Difference between physical interface and controller?

[dyep110581]

Hi Experts,

I’d like to seek and assistance for what’s the difference between physical interface and controller? Or how are they interrelated.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, based on my understanding on Physical Interfaces such as Serial 1/0 for example;

“#Show interface Serial 1/0” and “#Show Controllers E1/T1 1/0”, Are those 2 having different module/card?

Serial if it needs to be connected on CSU/DSU and Controller if the module/card itself has the capabilities of CSU/DSU and could be connected directly on the Smartjack?

Also there are times that when is Issue Controllers E1 1/0, its shows the outputs such as Code violations and etc… but when I Issue the command “# Show IP interface Brief: it doesn’t have the interface Serial 1/0, that’s why I think Controller might be another Physical Card.

Please enlighten me, Thanks In advance.

[nisagar · Accepted solution]

Hi,

In a nut shell on controller's you enable card related feature set like the framing, clocking, line code etc.. On the interface you just assign the encapsulation and an ip address.

Different cards have different configation older generation cards like WIC or HWIC do not have any controllers in them and they rely on an external CSU/DSU to provide the clocking, framing and lincode.

Now if you have an card like the "WIC-1DSU-T1" you do not need any external CSU/DSU you can do all the configration under the interface level( no controllers here).

Suppose you have an "VWIC2-2MFT-T1/E1" then you need to configure card type, then controllers and then the serial interface would pop up.

eg:

card type t1 0 0
controller t1 0/0
 framing esf
 linecode b8zs
 channel-group 1 timeslots 1-12 speed 64
 tdm-group 2 timeslots 13-24

controller t1 0/1
 framing esf
 linecode b8zs
 channel-group 1 timeslots 1-12 speed 64
 tdm-group 2 timeslots 13-24

interface Serial0/0:1
 ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
!
interface Serial0/1:1
 ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0

[dyep110581]

Thanks Nitin!