modules vs interface

[karthick raja]

can any one explain me , what is the differenece between modules vs interface vs slots

[Peter Paluch]

Hello,

An interface is a particular port that provides a network communication capability. Physically, it is a socket into which you can plug an appropriate cable - Ethernet cable, phone cable for DSL connection, coaxial cable for CATV, serial cable for diverse WAN technologies, ISDN cables, etc.

A module is a pluggable card that you can insert into a router that contains the circuitry to provide you with one or more interfaces of the same kind. In other words, a module carries one or more interfaces and allows you to extend the connectivity of your router according to your needs.

Check out the following picture taken from the Cisco's document:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5949/datasheet_c78-491363.html

What you see here are two modules. The HWIC-1DSU-T1 has one T1 interface, the HWIC-2T has two serial interfaces (you can see one or two connectors on the faceplate).

A slot is the empty space in the router into which a module can be inserted. In other words, it is the socket into which you insert module cards. Different router models have different numbers of slots so smaller routers have, say, two slots (i.e. you can insert at most two modules into them) while bigger routers can have 4 or even 8 slots to be populated by modules.

Best regards,

Peter

[karthick raja]

Peter Thank you  for your quick turnaround time. it's clear now

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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A module is a pluggable card that you can insert into a router that contains the circuitry to provide you with one or more interfaces of the same kind. In other words, a module carries one or more interfaces and allows you to extend the connectivity of your router according to your needs.

NB: (I know Peter knows this, but for others who might not . . .) Most often modules do provide interfaces of the same kind, but there are exceptions (i.e. where all interfaces are not exactly alike).  Also, some modules provide features not related to interfaces (e.g. 6500 service modules).  Also some cards that can be placed into slots themselves take modules or smaller cards.