Learning path

Cisco switching

5 labs2.2 hours270 pointsbeginner

Configure a Cisco switch from the first login to secured ports and VLANs carried across a trunk. Then find and fix a dead port and a VLAN that will not carry traffic.

1. 1

   Configure a switch from scratchNext

   Take a brand-new switch from factory settings to ready for work. Name it, protect it with passwords, give it an address, check it can reach the gateway, and save your work.

   beginner25 min

2. 2

   Secure the switch ports

   Lock down a switch the way a real network does. Limit which devices can plug into each port, shut off the ports nobody uses, and save the result.

   beginner25 min

3. 3

   Troubleshoot: a desk went dead overnight

   One desk lost its network connection and nobody touched the switch. Find out why the switch shut the port down, fix the cause and not just the symptom, and bring the port back.

   intermediate25 min

4. 4

   Split a switch into VLANs

   Split one switch into separate Sales and Engineering networks with VLANs, then carry both across a trunk to a second switch.

   intermediate30 min

5. 5

   Troubleshoot: Engineering cannot reach the file server

   After a weekend network change, nobody in Engineering can reach the file server and a new hire cannot get on the network at all. Read the switch, find what the change missed, and put it right.

   intermediate25 min