VLAN
Simulated a multi-department office network by segmenting devices into VLANs, assigning subnets, and configuring router ports for inter-VLAN routing to enable cross-department communication.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch Configuration CLI
- Router Configuration CLI
- Straight-through Ethernet Cables
- PC Static IP Settings Panel
- Command Line Tools (ping, show vlan brief, show ip interface brief)
Skills Demonstrated:- Creating and assigning VLANs for department-based segmentation
- Calculating and applying subnetting for scalable IP allocation
- Configuring access ports for VLAN membership on a switch
- Using straight-through cabling to connect endpoint devices
- Implementing inter-VLAN routing using separate router interfaces per VLAN
- Assigning gateway IP addresses based on subnet design
- Verifying VLAN-to-VLAN communication using ping tests
- Using CLI commands for hostname config, password hardening, and interface setup
- Interpreting router and switch output to validate configuration
VLAN
Designed a multi-VLAN network using two switches and a router, configured trunk ports and VLANs across switches, and implemented Router on a Stick (ROAS) to enable inter-VLAN communication across departments.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch CLI
- Router CLI
- Straight Through & Crossover Cables
- PC Static IP Configuration Panel
- Command Line Utilties (ping, show vlan brief, show interfaces trunk, show ip interfaces brief)
Skills Demonstrated:- Creating and assigning VLANs for department-based segmentation
- Calculating and applying subnetting for scalable IP allocation
- Creating and configuring trunk ports between switches and to the router for VLAN propagation
- Naming and managing VLANs using best practices
- Simulating a multi-department structure: Sales (VLAN10), HR (VLAN20), Engineering (VLAN30)
- Implementing Router on a Stick (ROAS) with subinterfaces using encapsulation dot1q
- Setting native VLAN to VLAN1001 for trunk security
- Verifying trunk status, VLAN propagation, and ROAS functionality via ping tests
- Demonstrating inter-VLAN connectivity with ping replies across VLANs on different switches
VLAN
Simulated a multi-department office network by segmenting devices into VLANs, assigning subnets, and configuring router ports for inter-VLAN routing to enable cross-department communication.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch CLI
- Router CLI
- Straight Through & Crossover Cables
- PC Static IP Configuration Panel
- Command Line Utilties (ping, show vlan brief, show interfaces trunk, show ip interfaces brief, ip routing)
Skills Demonstrated:- Creating and assigning VLANs for department-based segmentation
- Calculating and applying subnetting for scalable IP allocation
- Creating and configuring trunk ports between switches and to the router for VLAN propagation
- Naming and managing VLANs using best practices
- Simulating a multi-department structure: Sales (VLAN10), HR (VLAN20), Engineering (VLAN30)
- Enabling Layer 3 routing via SVIs on a Multilayer Switch
- Setting native VLAN to VLAN1001 for trunk security
- Verifying trunk status, VLAN propagation, and ROAS functionality via ping tests
- Demonstrating inter-VLAN connectivity with ping replies across VLANs on different switches
STP and RSTP
Configured and manipulated Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) to observe root bridge elections, port roles, load balancing across VLANs, and STP security features like PortFast and BPDU Guard.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch Configuration CLI
- STP Show Commands
- Link Light Indicators
- Crossover and Straight-Through Cables
Skills Demonstrated:- Identifying root bridges and STP port roles
- Configuring root and secondary root bridges for VLAN load balancing
- Modifying STP port costs and port priorities
- Testing root port recalculations due to cost and priority changes
- Enabling and verifying PortFast and BPDU Guard
- Observing STP listening, learning, and forwarding states
STP and RSTP
Analyzed Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) behavior across multiple switches and link types, then configured link types, PortFast, and observed dynamic role and state assignment.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch Configuration CLI
- STP Show Commands
- Link Light Indicators
- Crossover Cables
Skills Demonstrated:- Identifying the root bridge based on priority + VLAN ID and MAC address
- Understanding port roles: root, designated, alternate, backup
- Observing and verifying default RSTP port types (point-to-point, shared, edge)
- Configuring PortFast for end-host connections
- Classifying links as point-to-point or shared based on duplex settings
- Validating configurations with show spanning-tree command
Etherchannel
Configured Layer 2 and Layer 3 EtherChannels using LACP, PAgP, and static mode across Cisco switches, optimizing bandwidth and enabling IP-based load balancing.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Switch and Route CLI
- EtherChannel Summary and Load-Balance Commands
- Ping Utility
- Trunk and Routed Interfaces
Skills Demonstrated:- Configuring Layer 2 EtherChannels using LACP (active mode)
- Configuring Layer 2 EtherChannels using PAgP (desirable mode)
- Implementing Layer 3 static EtherChannel with routed ports
- Verifying EtherChannel states using summary commands
- Modifying and confirming EtherChannel load-balancing behavior
- Establishing IP routing and configuring static routes for inter-VLAN communication
- Testing end-to-end connectivity across the topology
OSPF
Configured basic OSPF on four routers with loopback interfaces, passive-interface rules, and a default route advertisement to demonstrate OSPF adjacency, LSDB structure, and routing behavior.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Route CLI
- OSPF Show Commands
- Ping Utility
Skills Demonstrated:- Creating and configuring loopback interfaces
- Configuring OSPF using multiple approaches
- Setting OSPF passive interfaces for non-routing interfaces
- Advertising a default route using default-information originate
- Understanding OSPF router ID selection
- Using OSPF show commands to analyze protocol behavior
- Verifying full OSPF neighbor adjacency and LSDB contents
- Observing route propagation and load balancing via OSPF metrics
OSPF
Configured OSPF across a multi-router topology and resolved adjacency, timer, and default route issues to ensure full route propagation and external connectivity.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Route CLI
- OSPF Show Commands
- Ping Utility
Skills Demonstrated:- Configuring serial interfaces and setting clock rates
- Enabling OSPF via interface and network commands
- Troubleshooting OSPF adjacency failures
- Resolving mismatched OSPF network types and timer settings
- Verifying OSPF neighbor relationships and LSDB entries
- Configuring and validating default route propagation with Type 5 LSAs
- Testing end-to-end connectivity including external pings
IPv6
Configured IPv6 addresses using EUI-64 on router interfaces, enabled link-local addressing without manual configuration, and set up static IPv6 routes to enable communication between PCs in different subnets.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Router CLI
- Context-Sensitive Help
- Ping Utility
Skills Demonstrated:- Calculating and configuring EUI-64-based IPv6 addresses
- Understanding MAC address manipulation for EUI-64 interface IDs
- Enabling IPv6 unicast routing on Cisco devices
- Activating link-local addressing using the ipv6 enable command
- Identifying and using link-local addresses for static routes
- Creating fully specified IPv6 static routes
- Configuring IPv6 addresses and default gateways on PCs
- Testing end-to-end IPv6 connectivity using ping
CDP and LLDP
Used Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) to map out a multi-device network topology, then transitioned to Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) to accommodate multi-vendor environments by enabling transmit and receive on relevant interfaces.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Router CLI
- Switch CLI
- CDP Show Commands
- LLDP Configuration Commands
- IPCONFIG Command
- Interface Status Command
Skills Demonstrated:- Using CDP to discover directly connected Cisco devices
- Mapping network topologies by analyzing CDP neighbor and interface status
- Identifying and labeling interfaces using CLI commands
- Disabling CDP selectively on end-device interfaces
- Enabling LLDP globally and per-interface on Cisco devices
- Understanding LLDP’s role in multi-vendor environments
- Practicing interface-based discovery with LLDP show commands
- Configuring transmit and receive settings for LLDP interfaces
- Interpreting MAC address tables and interface states
NTP
Configured Network Time Protocol (NTP) across routers and a server to synchronize clocks in a Cisco Packet Tracer network. The lab included manual time and time zone setup, NTP client-server relationships, authentication, and fallback configurations for accurate timekeeping.
Tools:- Cisco Packet Tracer
- Router CLI
- NTP Show Commands
- Clock Configuration Commands
- Fast-Forward Simulation
Skills Demonstrated:- Manually setting system time and time zones on Cisco routers
- Configuring routers to synchronize with external NTP servers
- Enabling NTP authentication and defining trusted keys
- Setting up fallback NTP master role on routers using NTP master command
- Synchronizing downstream routers to an authenticated NTP source
- Verifying NTP associations and stratum levels with show commands
- Using NTP update-calendar to sync hardware clock (where supported)
- Understanding limitations of Packet Tracer regarding calendar and NTP features
