Final answer:
Connect a notebook to a Cisco router's console port using a rollover cable, which has reverse pinouts to enable a serial connection.
Step-by-step explanation:
To perform administrative maintenance on a Cisco router by connecting your notebook computer to the console port, you should use a rollover cable. This type of cable, also known as a Cisco console cable, has a unique wiring where the pinouts on one end are reversed on the other, enabling a serial connection from a device's RS-232 port to the router's console port. Other cables like crossover, patch, and straight-through cables are used for different network connections and would not fit the purpose of console management.
A straight-through cable is used to connect devices of different types, such as a computer to a router. It has the same pinout arrangement on both ends of the cable.