The Cisco IOS XE code ensures that as much as possible is modular in the device architecture. As such, note that many separate processes are responsible for a host of functions on the Cisco device. Here is a handy list of common individual processes and their function!

• Chassis Manager – Responsible for all chassis management functions, including management of the HA state, environmental monitoring, and FRU state control
• Host Manager – Provides an interface between the IOS process and many of the information-gathering functions of the underlying platform kernel and operating system
• Logger – IOS facing logging services
• Interface Manager – Provides an interface between the IOS process and the per-SPA interface processes on the SIP
• IOS – Implements all forwarding and routing features on the device
• Forwarding Manager – Manages the downloading of configuration to each of the ESPs and the communication of forwarding plane information, such as statistics, to the IOS process
• Pluggable Services – The integration point between platform policy application, such as authentication and the IOS process