How to Prepare for Cisco CCNP R&S

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Cisco’s CCNP R&S track currently has 3 exams, ROUTE, SWITCH and TSHOOT. Pass all 3 exams and you will be CCNP R&S certified. I receive many questions from students asking what the best method is to study these exams and how to prepare themselves. In this article I’ll explain what you will encounter on the exams and the best way to pass the exams.

Knowledge Foundation

Before I dive into CCNP R&S, let’s talk a little bit about CCNA R&S first. I am going to assume that you passed the CCNA exam and now you are looking to become CCNP R&S certified. Before you start with the CCNP material, you should consider if your “knowledge foundation” is strong enough. Most of the topics in CCNP are not new but will be more in-depth than what you learned from CCNA. To illustrate this, take a good look at the Cisco certification pyramid:

Most students don’t pay a lot of attention to this picture but if you take a good look, you’ll see that CCNA is the largest part of the pyramid. If you want to pass the CCNP exams you will have to be absolutely 100% comfortable with the things you learned in CCNA R&S. If it’s been awhile since you became CCNA certified, please do yourself a favor and re-read your CCNA material or do some more CCNA level labs. If you have difficulty doing subnetting questions without a calculator or have no idea anymore how spanning-tree, frame-relay, OSPF and EIGRP work…then CCNP will be a very bumpy ride. If you are familiar with everything from CCNA then CCNP will be a very enjoyable ride! Be honest with yourself, even if you passed the CCNA exam…if you had some difficulties with certain topics, visit those again and make sure you have no knowledge gaps. If you want to learn how to ride a motorcycle, you should start learning how to ride a bike…having said that, let’s look at the CCNP R&S exams!

ROUTE

Let’s start with an overview of all the major ROUTE topics:

• EIGRP Packets and Metrics
• EIGRP Summarization
• EIGRP over Frame-Relay
• EIGRP Authentication
• EIGRP Advanced Features
• OSPF LSA Types
• OSPF Summarization
• OSPF Special Area Types
• OSPF Authentication
• OSPF Virtual Links
• Routing Manipulation
• Redistribution
• BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
• IPv6 Routing Protocols
• IPv6 Tunneling

In short the ROUTE exam is about EIGRP, OSPF, some routing “manipulation”, BGP and IPv6. You already learned about EIGRP and OSPF and a little bit of IPv6 in CCNA so these should be familiar topics, you will learn (a lot) more about them however. For example, in CCNA you learned about OSPF and its LSDB (Link State Database) but in CCNP you will take a close look at all the LSA types that fill the LSDB. You learned about IPv6 in CCNA but now you will also learn some migration and tunneling techniques so you can connect IPv6 networks over existing IPv4 networks. If you forgot about the difference between EIGRP/OSPF and things like “link state” vs “distance vector” then please re-visit the CCNA material before you dive into ROUTE.
My recommendation is to start with the ROUTE exam first, since you will find some routing-related topics in the SWITCH exam while there are no “switch” topics in the ROUTE exam. Also, you won’t need any hardware to study for this exam since you can do everything with the GNS3 router emulator!

SWITCH

Let me show you the major topics of the SWITCH exam:

• VLANs and Trunking
• Private VLANs
• Spanning-Tree Basics
• Rapid Spanning-Tree
• MST (Multiple Spanning-Tree)
• Spanning Tree Toolkit
• Etherchannel (Link Aggregation)
• InterVLAN Routing
• Gateway Redundancy (VRRP, GLBP, HSRP)
• Switch Security
• VoIP / Video on Switched Networks (Quality of Service)
• Wireless

Some of these topics should ring a bell, you learned about VLANs and Trunks from CCNA but you’ll learn some more about them. Spanning-tree should be familiar but you will learn about the different flavors like “rapid” spanning-tree and Multiple spanning-tree in-depth. Etherchannels were mentioned in CCNA but now you’ll learn about the different types and how to configure them. There are also some “multilayer” switch topics like routing between VLANs and creating virtual gateways for clients using VRRP, GLBP and HSRP. In CCNA you learned about port-security which is also in the SWITCH exam but you’ll also learn about DHCP and ARP snooping. Last but not least you will learn how to prepare your switched network for Voice over IP, Video and/or wireless networking.
If you are fuzzy about spanning-tree and its port states like the designated, non-designated, root port, port priority and such…please take a look at the CCNA material again before you start with SWITCH!
To study SWITCH at home you will need some real hardware switches. GNS3 can only emulate routers and the NM-16ESW switch module which doesn’t support rapid spanning tree, multiple spanning-tree or the different etherchannel protocols. You don’t need expensive hardware, my recommendation is to buy 2x Cisco Catalyst 2950 switches and 1x Cisco Catalyst 3550 switch.  Most of it also applies for the CCNP SWITCH exam.

TSHOOT

The TSHOOT exam is different compared to what you have seen so far. The ROUTE and SWITCH exams are similar to CCNA, you will get some multiple choice questions, labs, click-all-that-apply questions, etc.
TSHOOT is different as the exam will present you with a (large) network topology that has a number of issues. You don’t have to fix these issues but you have to be able to look at the configurations of the devices and answer what the problem is. If you want to pass this exam there are two things you will have to do:

• Truly understand all the topics that you learned in CCNA, ROUTE and SWITCH.
• Become familiar with the topology that Cisco uses in the TSHOOT exam.

There is no “magic” troubleshooting technique that will help you solve any problem. The only way to become good at troubleshooting is understanding all the protocols and how they work together. You can become good at troubleshooting by doing labs, labs and even more labs!
Cisco released the TSHOOT exam topology to the public, take a good look at it to understand all the different components. You don’t want to see this topology for the first time when you are doing the exam…
Look at all the different protocols that are running, how they work together and the exam will be a LOT easier.

CCNP Study Strategy

You now have an idea what the exams are about, and that it’s best to start with ROUTE, SWITCH and finish with TSHOOT. So where do you start?
Buy some CCNP ROUTE study material like a book or some training videos, whatever you prefer.  While you are studying for ROUTE you have time to browse Ebay or something to “hunt” for your switches that you’ll need for the SWITCH exam.
As you are reading, try to stick to one topic at a time, and don’t read the book from front to back right away. As you are reading and learning about a topic or feature, try to configure it yourself on your GNS3 routers or switches and make sure you understand what you are doing. Look at some show commands, try some debugs. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to do labs, labs and even more labs. Most people make the mistake of trying to “brute force” all the theory in their head and doing not enough labs. 
Doing labs is also a lot more fun than just reading books or watching videos…If you want labs to practice instead of building your own.
Also as you are working your way through a chapter, make sure to take notes:

• Take notes (I use notepad) to write down some of the commands that you have difficulty with remembering. This helps to speed up doing labs.

Once you feel you mastered a topic, move on to the next chapter. Try to focus on 1 item at the time instead of reading about everything at the same time, focusing is your friend when it comes to studying.

FAQ

Q: Is is possible to become CCNP R&S certified with self-study?
A: Definitely yes! Because of GNS3 it’s easy to practice all router protocols on your own computers and with a couple of switches you will have all the equipment you need. It will take self discipline to work yourself through the material since you are not “forced” to be in the classroom and attending a course.
Q: How much studying time does it take to pass the CCNP exams?
A: This is a difficult question to answer as it is different for everyone. It depends on how much experience you have in IT / networking and how easily you can memorize information. Roughly I think it will take anywhere between 100-200 hours or so to study ROUTE and SWITCH each (so that’s 200-400 hours for both!) and TSHOOT maybe 50-100 hours. This includes reading books, perhaps watching videos, doing labs, reviewing notes, etc.
Q: What is the best studying material to use? Classroom training, reading books or watching videos?
A: If you are completely new to a topic then classroom training is probably the best method since you will have someone in front of you that explains everything. When you don’t understand something you can just ask it and it will be explained to you until you understand it. The downside of classroom training is that it’s quite expensive and depending on the other students the course might run too slow or too fast for you. Watching videos also works very well when a certain topic is new to you, I wouldn’t recommend watching them if you are looking to fill some “knowledge gaps” as you will have that “I already know this” feeling when watching the video and get bored easily. Personally I like books best because I can speed up or slow down reading exactly when I want to. Most networking books can be very difficult to get through if something is new to you however. In short, if you are new to something…classroom training will be great. If you go for the self-study path, see if you can watch some videos and then move on to reading books.
Q: How much time should I spend watching videos or reading books vs doing labs?
A: The short answer is that I think you should spend roughly 80% of your time doing labs and 20% of your time watching videos or reading books. 
Q: What hardware should I buy?
A: Don’t buy any hardware for the ROUTE exam, you can do everything with GNS3. For the SWITCH exam the cheapest solution is to buy 2x Cisco Catalyst 2950 switches and 1x Cisco Catalyst 3550 switch.  Most of it applies for the CCNP SWITCH exam as well.
Q: In what order should I do the CCNP R&S exams?
A: I think it’s best to start with ROUTE, then SWITCH and finish with TSHOOT. The reason for this is that you will find some “routing” topics in the SWITCH exam. In CCNP R&S you will learn about multilayer switches in the SWITCH exam so it’s best to understand routing before you approach this topic. Even if you decide to do SWITCH first, it doesn’t matter all too much since multilayer switching will be easy to understand if you passed the CCNA R&S exam.

Summary

After reading this article I am sure you will have many other questions, things that I didn’t even think about when I wrote this. Feel free to ask anything and I will update this article to answer your question(s)!

Cisco Router Boot up Process :

Cisco Router Boot up Process :

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In this article we will learn about the main components of a Cisco router and how the boot process takes place.
Types of memory
Generally Cisco routers (and switches) contain four types of memory:
Read-Only Memory (ROM): ROM stores the router’s bootstrap startup program, operating system software, and power-on diagnostic test programs (POST).
Flash Memory: Generally referred to simply as “flash”, the IOS images are held here. Flash is erasable and reprogrammable ROM. Flash memory content is retained by the router on reload.
Random-Access Memory (RAM): Stores operational information such as routing tables and the running configuration file. RAM contents are lost when the router is powered down or reloaded. By default, routers look here first for an Internetwork Operating System (IOS) file during boot.
Non-volatile RAM (NVRAM): NVRAM holds the router’s startup configuration file. NVRAM contents are not lost when the router is powered down or reloaded.

Some comparisons to help you remember easier:
+ RAM is a volatile memory so contents are lost on reload, where NVRAM and Flash contents are not.
+ NVRAM holds the startup configuration file, where RAM holds the running configuration file.
+ ROM contains a bootstrap program called ROM Monitor (or ROMmon). When a router is powered on, the bootstrap runs a hardware diagnostic called POST (Power-On Self Test).
Router boot process
The following details the router boot process:
1. The router is powered on.
2. The bootstrap program (ROMmon) in ROM runs Power-On Self Test (POST)
3. The bootstrap checks the Configuration Register value to specify where to load the IOS. By default (the default value of Configuration Register is 2102, in hexadecimal), the router first looks for “boot system” commands in startup-config file. If it finds these commands, it will run boot system commands in order they appear in startup-config to locate the IOS. If not, the IOS image is loaded from Flash . If the IOS is not found in Flash, the bootstrap can try to load the IOS from TFTP server or from ROM (mini-IOS).
4. After the IOS is found, it is loaded into RAM.
5. The IOS attempts to load the configuration file (startup-config) from NVRAM to RAM. If the startup-config is not found in NVRAM, the IOS attempts to load a configuration file from TFTP. If no TFTP server responds, the router enters Setup Mode (Initial Configuration Mode).

And this is the process we can see on our screen when the router is turned on:

In short, when powered on the router needs to do:
1. Run POST to check hardware
2. Search for a valid IOS (the Operating System of the router)
3. Search for a configuration file (all the configurations applied to this router)
Specify how much RAM, NVRAM and Flash of a router

Also, from the information shown above, we can learn some information about router’s model, RAM, Flash, NVRAM memories as shown below:

Note: The “show version” command also gives us this information.
All the above information is straight-forwarding except the information of RAM. In some series of routers, the RAM information is displayed by 2 parameters (in this case 60416K/5120K). The first parameter indicates how much RAM is in the router while the second parameter (5120K) indicates how much DRAM is being used for Packet memory. Packet memory is used for buffering packets.
So, from the output above we can learn:
Amount of RAM: 60416 + 5120 = 65536KB / 1024 = 64MB
Amount of NVRAM: 239KB
Amount of Flash: 62720KB

EIGRP LAB Scenario

EIGRP LAB Scenario

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EIGRP is a Cisco-proprietary routing protocol for TCP/IP. It's actually based on Cisco's proprietary IGRP routing protocol, with many enhancements built into it. Because it has its roots in IGRP, the configuration is similar to IGRP; however, it has many link state characteristics that were added to it to allow EIGRP to scale to enterprise network sizes. To know these characteristics read our previous article.
In this article I will demonstrate an example of EIGRP Routing configurations. We will use four different series router so you can get familiar with all different platform covered in CCNA exam. Create a topology as shown in figure.

1841 Series Router0 (R1)
	FastEthernet0/0	Serial0/0/0
IP address	10.0.0.1	20.0.0.1
Connected With	Pc0	R2 on Serial 0/0

2811 Series Router0 (R4)
	FastEthernet0/0	Serial0/0/0
IP address	50.0.0.1	40.0.0.2
Connected With	Pc1	R3 on Serial 0/0

2621XM Series Router0 (R3)
	FastEthernet0/0	Serial0/0/0
IP address	30.0.0.2	40.0.0.1
Connected With	FastEthernet0/0	R4 on Serial 0/0/0

2620XM Series Router1 (R2)
	FastEthernet0/0	Serial0/0
IP address	30.0.0.1	20.0.0.2
Connected With	R3 on FastEthernet0/0	R1 on Serial 0/0/0

PC-PT PC0
	FastEthernet0	Default Gateway
IP address	10.0.0.2	10.0.0.1
Connected With	R1 on FastEthernet0/0

PC-PT PC1
	FastEthernet0	Default Gateway
IP address	50.0.0.2	50.0.0.1
Connected With	R4 on FastEthernet0/0

To configure any router double click on it and select CLI.To configure this topology use this step by step guide.

(1841Router0) Hostname R1

To configure and enable eigrp routing on R1 follow these commands exactly.

Router>enable
Router#configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R1
R1(config)#interface fastethernet 0/0
R1(config-if)#ip address 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
R1(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
R1(config-if)#exit
R1(config)#interface serial 0/0/0
R1(config-if)#ip address 20.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
R1(config-if)#clock rate 64000
R1(config-if)#bandwidth 64
R1(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0/0, changed state to down
R1(config-if)#exit
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0/0, changed state to up
R1(config)#router eigrp 1
R1(config-router)#network 10.0.0.0
R1(config-router)#network 20.0.0.0
R1(config-router)#exit
R1(config)#

(2620XM-Router1) Hostname R2

To configure and enable eigrp routing on R2 follow these commands exactly.

Router>enable
Router#configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R2
R2(config)#interface serial 0/0
R2(config-if)#ip address 20.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
R2(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Serial0/0, changed state to up
R2(config-if)#exit
R2(config)#interface fastethernet 0/0
R2(config-if)#ip address 30.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
R2(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
R2(config-if)#exit
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
R2(config)#router eigrp 1
R2(config-router)#network 20.0.0.0
R2(config-router)#network 30.0.0.0
R2(config-router)#exit
R2(config)#

(2620XM-Router2)Hostname R3

To configure and enable eigrp routing on R3 follow these commands exactly.

Router>enable
Router#configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R3
R3(config)#interface fastethernet 0/0
R3(config-if)#ip address 30.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
R3(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
R3(config-if)#interface serial 0/0
R3(config-if)#ip address 40.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
R3(config-if)#clock rate 64000
R3(config-if)#bandwidth 64
R3(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0, changed state to down
R3(config-if)#exit
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Serial0/0, changed state to up
R3(config)#router eigrp 1
R3(config-router)#network 30.0.0.0
R3(config-router)#network 40.0.0.0
R3(config-router)#exit
R3(config)#

(2811Router3) Hostname R4

To configure and enable eigrp routing on R4 follow these commands exactly.

Router>enable
Router#configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#interface serial 0/0/0
Router(config-if)#ip address 40.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
Router(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface Serial0/0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface Serial0/0/0, changed state to up
Router(config-if)#exit
Router(config)#interface fastethernet 0/0
Router(config-if)#ip address 50.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
Router(config-if)#no shutdown
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
%LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface FastEthernet0/0, changed state to up
Router(config-if)#exit
R3(config)#router eigrp 1
R3(config-router)#network 30.0.0.0
R3(config-router)#network 40.0.0.0
R3(config-router)#exit
R3(config)#

PC-1

PC>ipconfig

IP Address......................: 10.0.0.2
Subnet Mask.....................: 255.0.0.0
Default Gateway.................: 10.0.0.1

PC>ping 50.0.0.2

Pinging 50.0.0.2 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 50.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=156ms TTL=124
Reply from 50.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=127ms TTL=124
Reply from 50.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=156ms TTL=124
Reply from 50.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=140ms TTL=124

Ping statistics for 50.0.0.2:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 127ms, Maximum = 156ms, Average = 144ms
PC>

PC-2

PC>ipconfig

IP Address......................: 50.0.0.2
Subnet Mask.....................: 255.0.0.0
Default Gateway.................: 50.0.0.1

PC>ping 10.0.0.2

Pinging 10.0.0.2 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 10.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=140ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=141ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=157ms TTL=124
Reply from 10.0.0.2: bytes=32 time=156ms TTL=124

Ping statistics for 10.0.0.2:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 140ms, Maximum = 157ms, Average = 148ms

You can verify that eigrp is running successfully via show ip protocols command in privilege mode.

R4#show ip protocols

Routing Protocol is "ospf 4"
  Outgoing update filter list for all interfaces is not set
  Incoming update filter list for all interfaces is not set
  Router ID 50.0.0.1
  Number of areas in this router is 1. 1 normal 0 stub 0 nssa
  Maximum path: 4
  Routing for Networks:
    50.0.0.0 0.255.255.255 area 0
    40.0.0.0 0.255.255.255 area 0
  Routing Information Sources:
    Gateway         Distance      Last Update
    40.0.0.1             110      00:01:26
  Distance: (default is 110)

R4#

You can use show ip route command to troubleshoot eigrp network. If you did not see information about any route checks the router attached with that network.

R4#show ip route
Codes: C - connected, S - static, I - IGRP, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2, E - EGP
       i - IS-IS, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2, ia - IS-IS inter area
       * - candidate default, U - per-user static route, o - ODR
       P - periodic downloaded static route

Gateway of last resort is not set

O    10.0.0.0/8 [110/1564] via 40.0.0.1, 00:02:37, Serial0/0/0
O    20.0.0.0/8 [110/1563] via 40.0.0.1, 00:02:37, Serial0/0/0
O    30.0.0.0/8 [110/782] via 40.0.0.1, 00:02:37, Serial0/0/0
C    40.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, Serial0/0/0
C    50.0.0.0/8 is directly connected, FastEthernet0/0
R4#

To test eigrp routing do ping from pc1 to pc2 and vice versa. If you get replay then you have successfully configured eigrp routing but if you did not get replay double check this configuration and try to troubleshoot. I have uploaded a configured and tested topology in case you are unable to locate the problem spot then download this configuration file. And try to find out where have you committed mistake

eigrp routing configurations

Configuration command of EIGRP

Commands	Descriptions
Router(config)#router eigrp 1	Turns on the EIGRP process. 1 is the autonomous system number, which can be a number between 1 and 65,535.
Note:- All routers in the same autonomous system must use the same autonomous system number.
Router(config-router)#network 10.0.0.0	Specifies which network to advertise in EIGRP.
Router(config-if)#bandwidth x	Sets the bandwidth of this interface to x kilobits to allow EIGRP to make a better metric calculation
TIP: The bandwidth command is used for metric calculations only. It does not change interface performance.
Router(config-router)#no network 10.0.0.0	Removes the network from the EIGRP process.
Router(config)#no router eigrp 1	Disables routing process 1
Router(config-router)#auto-summary	Enables auto-summarization for the EIGRP process.
Router(config-router)#no autosummary	Turns off the auto-summarization feature.
Router(config-router)#variance n	include routes with a metric less than or equal to n times the minimum metric route for that destination, where n is the number specified by the variance command
NOTE: If a path is not a feasible successor, it is not used in load balancing. EIGRP supports up to six unequal-cost paths.
Router(config)#interface serial 0/0	Enters interface configuration mode.
Router(config-if)#bandwidth 256	Sets the bandwidth of this interface to 256 kilobits to allow EIGRP to make a better metric calculation.
Router#show ip eigrp neighbors	Displays the neighbor table.
Router#show ip eigrp neighbors detail	Displays a detailed neighbor table.
Router#show ip eigrp interfaces	Shows information for each interface
Router#show ip eigrp interfaces serial 0/0	Shows information for a specific interface
Router#show ip eigrp interfaces 1	Shows information for interfaces running process 1.
Router#show ip eigrp topology	Displays the topology table
Router#show ip eigrp traffic	Shows the number and type of packets sent and received
Router#show ip route eigrp	Shows a routing table with only EIGRP entries
Router#debug eigrp fsm	Displays events/actions related to EIGRP feasible successor metrics (FSM)
Router#debug eigrp packet	Displays events/actions related to EIGRP packets
Router#debug eigrp neighbor	Displays events/actions related to your EIGRP neighbors
Router#debug ip eigrp neighbor	Displays events/actions related to your EIGRP neighbors
Router#debug ip eigrp notifications	Displays EIGRP event notifications

CCNA Basics (Day 1)

 

 CCNA Basics (Day 1)

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One of the challenges in learning the Cisco CCNA is learning how to navigate the massive amounts of jargon or lingo that is involved. Like the word, services, which can also be worded as applications, or programs, this can also be called processes if it is behind the scenes using Windows, and if it is the world of Linux we would call that a daemon. Now the test writers when they make up their multiple choice tests have to make it hard somehow, so you get the picture.

 we start with a discussion of network communication basics and we create the analogy to regular verbal communication where there is speaking and listening. Computer networking is the same there is a sender (the source) and a receiver (the destination) over the medium or media. The media is name give to the copper wire, the fiber optic cable, or the radio waves if it is wireless. The sender and the receiver and the media make a channel for communication. The message or data is what travels over that channel. The message is divided into smaller pieces or segments. Commonly we refer to these as packets. Later in the curriculum the word 'packet' will receive a more specific meaning as a single part of the overall data segment. Phew!

Multiplexing is when different types of data can travel over the wire at the same time by interleaving the individual packets. This is multiple conversations going over the channel.

We can also distinguish between end devices on a network like a computer, an ip-phone, or a network printer and intermediary devices that connect the end devices. Like a switch, hub, router, firewall or wireless access point. On a network end devices are also called hosts or clients. Another type of host is a server. A server is a host that is running server software or server programs. This means that a server is listening for requests on specific ports and is able to respond or serve data when a request comes in. A computer can be a client a server or both at the same time.

Intermediary devices have a number of functions like regenerating and resending the data signals. For instance, data signals can only travel so far on a copper wire without having to be regenerated and resent. If the signals travel too far beyond specifications, without being regenerated, then the signal, in this case voltage will weaken and the end device will not be able to correctly decode the binary 1s and 0s. Intermediary devices also maintain information about paths through the network. For example routers know paths to different networks and switches know which end devices are connected to which ports on the switch. Intermediary devices can also report errors close or route data to other paths when there is failure on a link, prioritize messages according to QoS, and filter data according to access lists which can permit or deny the flow of data.

In class the question was asked, “What is the difference between a router and a switch?” A router interconnects and routes users to different networks and a switch connects users to a single network or lan (unless it is configured with vlans). 

A LAN or local area network is a network that spans a specific area like a business, or a school. A lan is usually controlled and maintained by a single organization. The college where we have class is an example of a lan. At the college there are a lot of separate networks or subnets, many switches and routers but the entire college is in one location and under one administration so it is an example of a lan. Simply speaking if you have a bunch of computers and you network them together by connecting them to a switch and give them a common addressing or network protocol scheme then you have a lan. This could also be called an intranet or interior network in that it is interior to that organization only.

A WAN or wide are network is a network that connects lans across wide geographical distances. It is also the network that is formed between you and your lan and your ISP or internet service provider. If you have a Linksys wireless router at home or another brand you may notice that the physical ports on the back of the router are sometimes labelled LAN ports and WAN port. The lan ports connect to your home devices like computers and a network printer and the wan port connects to your modem or your ISP. In layman's terms the wan port is what connects you to the internet.

FRAME-RELAY LAB on GNS(Dynamips)

FRAME-RELAY LAB on GNS(Dynamips)

If you are going to practice Frame Relay Lab with real equipment , you will need to make one of your router work as Frame Relay Switch
here is how to do that using the following simple topology :

try to type Layer two configuration first then Layer three

configuration for 3700 Router :

this command will enable your router to act as frame relay switch :
Router(config)#frame-relay switching

now we will need to configure each interface and build each PVC

Router(config)#int ser 0/0
Router(config-if)#no ip address
Router(config-if)#encapsulation frame-relay
Router(config-if)#clock rate 64000
Router(config-if)#frame-relay intf-type dce
Router(config-if)#frame-relay route 200 interface serial 0/1 100
Router(config-if)#no sh

notice that i said to my interface s0/0 , use DLCI 200 which belong to R1 attached to you  (on serial interface 0/0 ) to connect to remote DLCI 100
also notice that your FR switch will act as DCE and your normal routers R2&R3 will act as DTE devices

Router(config-if)#int ser 0/1
Router(config-if)#no ip address
Router(config-if)#encapsulation frame-relay
Router(config-if)#clock rate 64000
Router(config-if)#frame-relay intf-type dce
Router(config-if)#frame-relay route 100 interface serial 0/0 200
Router(config-if)#no sh
Router(config-if)#exit
Router(config)#hostname sw1
sw1(config)#

configuration for R2

Router(config)#int serial 0/0
Router(config-if)#encapsulation frame-relay
Router(config-if)#ip address 10.0.0.1 255.0.0.0
Router(config-if)#no sh

configuration for R3

Router(config)#int serial 0/0
Router(config-if)#encapsulation frame-relay
Router(config-if)#ip address 10.0.0.2 255.0.0.0
Router(config-if)#no sh

do not forget to check your Frame Realy Switch with following command:

sw1#show frame-relay route
Input Intf      Input Dlci      Output Intf     Output Dlci     Status
Serial0/0       200             Serial0/1       100             active
Serial0/1       100             Serial0/0       200             active

as you can see under status teh word (active) mean that everything is ok and we have layer two connectivity btween R2 and R3
if you ever see the word (inactive) check your configuration on Frame Realy switch (3700 router) if there is any missing or mistyped command.

VLAN- Virtual LAN:

Please read Our official Blogs for similar information.

Networx Technologies official Blogs :

http://ccnatraininginchandigarh.blogspot.in/

http://networxtech.blogspot.in/

http://ccnachd.blogspot.in/

http://networxtechnologies.blogspot.in/

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VLAN - Virtual LAN

• To segment layer 2 devices.


• VLAN provide layer 2 security.

• Divides a single broadcast domain into multiple broadcast domain and decrease the broadcast size,

• By default all ports of the switch are in VLAN1, This VLAN1 is known as administrative VLAN or management VLAN.

• VLAN can be created from 2 to 1001

• Can be configured on a a manageable switch only.





Types of VLAN:



• Static VLAN.

• Dynamic VLAN.



Static VLAN:



• Static VLANs are b ased on port numbers

• Need to manually assign a port on a switch to a VLAN

• Also calles port-based VLANs

• It can be a member of single VLAN and not multiples VLSNs





Dynamic VLAN:



• Dynamic VLANs are based on the MAC address of a PC

• Switch automatically assigns the port a VLAN.

• Each port can be a member of multiple VLANs

• For dynamic VLAN configurations a software called VMPS(VLAN Membership Policy Server) is needed.







Trunking:



Its is the process of enabling a VLAN between multiple switches.

Trunking should be enabled only in the fast Ethernet.





Trunk link:



It will forward or carry the VLAN information from one switch to another.





Access Link:



This link assigned to the accessing port from a VLAN.





Frame Tagging:



• It’s the process of adding a VLAM information along with a frame when its traveling through multiple switches.

• When the frame reaches the trunk port of the other switch that particular trunk port will drop the VLAN information and forward the frame to the correct destination.

• VLAN information must be stored in VLAN datatbase.









VLAN idendifications Method:



It is used to identify shich frame belongs to which VLAN.



There are 2 types:

1) ISL( Inter Switch Link)

2) IEEE802.1Q



ISL:



It’s a CISCO proprietary, We can trunk between only CISCO switches.



IEEE802.1Q:



IF you are trunking between CISCO switch and to a different brand of . Switch.





VLAN Configuration

The network lab has two Catalyst 2950T24 switches, with

names Maryland and California, and one Catalyst 2950G

Switch with name Virginia.

- The two Catalyst 2950T24’s in the network lab, each

has 24 10/100 Base T ports, and two 10/100/1000 Base T

ports i.e., gi0/1 and gi0/2.

- For Catalyst 2950G (i.e, Virginia), the two

10/100/1000 Base T ports are currently not installed

- The 24 10/100 Base T ports are: fa0/1, fa0/1,fa0/2, …

fa0/24

- Two 10/100/1000 Base T ports are: gi0/1 and gi0/2





. All the Cisco switches has two operational modes

- User Exec Mode :

When a user first establishes the connection with the

switch, and enter the password, the switch is in ‘User

EXEC Mode’, and the prompt is ‘>’.

- Privileged Mode: when user enter the command

‘enable’ and supply the password, it enters the

privileged mode, and the prompt is ‘#’

- Only in privileged mode, a user can enter configuration

mode; to enter configuration mode, user must enter the

command ‘config t’

. Configuration commands

- The following configuration commands explains how to

define a vlan name, assigning a static-access ports to a

VLAN, or deleting a VLAN.

- A VLAN port can be either in permanent trunk mode,

or in non-trunking mode as access



. What is a Trunk?

• A Trunk is a point-to-point link that transmit and receive

traffic between switches or switch and routers.

• Trunks carry the traffic of multiple VLANs and can

extend VLANs across an entire network







step               command                                  purpose

1                  Config t Enter                               global configuration mode

2                  Vlan vlan-id                                  Enter a VLAN ID

3                  Name vlan-name                           Enter a name for the VLAN

4                  end                                               Return to privileged mode

5                  Show vlan {name id vlan-id }        Verify your entries

6                 copy running-cnofig startupconfig    Save the configuration in the switch





Step      Command                               Purpose

1         Config terminal                            Enter global configuration mode

2         Inter interface-id                          Enter the interface to be added to the

3        Switchport mode access               Define the VLAN membership mode for the port

4        Switchport access vlan Vlan-id     Assign the port to a VLAN

5        end                                              Return to privileged EXEC mode

6       Show config or running-config       Verify the VLAN membership of interf interface-id the interface

7       Sh interf interface-id switchport     Verify your entries in the Administrativ mode                                                               access mode VLAN field

8      Copy running-config startupconfig    Save your entires in the configuration Or wr mem



                                                      






Catalyst 2950 T24 are:

• Interface fa0/i, where i= 1. 24 are the 24 10/100 Base T

ports

• Interface gi0/1 or 0/2 are the two 10/100/1000 Base T

ports

. The 24 ports of Catalyst 2950G Switch are:

• Interface fa0/i, where i= 1. 24

. Switchport mode access – interface is put into permanent

nontrunking mode

. Switchport mode trunk - interface into permanent

trunking mode



Examples of VLAN configuration

California#sh vtp status

/* show the vtp status */

California#sh vlan /*to show all the vlans configured */

California#config t /* this command cause the switch to enter configuration mode, when

all configuration is completed, enter either Ctrl^z or end to return to privileged

EXEC mode */

California(config)#vlan 10 name vlan10

/* defines name of vlan 10 as vlan10

California(config)#int fa0/1

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 10 /* set port fa0/1

into vlan 10 */

California(config)#int fa0/2

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 10

California(config)#int fa0/3

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 10

/* at this point, vlan 10 has 3 members i.e., fa0/1, fa0/2 and fa0/3 */

California(config)#vlan 20 name vlan20

California(config)#int fa0/5

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 20

California(config)#int fa0/6

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 20

California(config)#int fa0/7

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#switchport access vlan 20

Jan. 26,2010

7

VLAN

8

California(config)#int fa0/8

California(config)#switchport mode access

California(config)#ctrl-Z

California# /*return to privileged mode */

/* At this poing vlan 20 has 4 members i.e.,

fa0/5, fa0/6, fa0/7 and fa0/8 */

California(config)#int gi0/2

California(config)# switchport mode trunk

/* this will put the port gi0/2 to be in permanent

trunking mode */

California(config)#switchport access vlan 40

/* put int gi0/2 into vlan 40 */

California(config)#switchport access vlan 20

California(config)#end or ctrl-Z

/* return to privileged mode */

California#wr mem or copy running-config strtup-config

IPv6 Tutorials

Please read Our official Blogs for similar information.

Networx Technologies official Blogs :

http://ccnatraininginchandigarh.blogspot.in/

http://networxtech.blogspot.in/

http://ccnachd.blogspot.in/

http://networxtechnologies.blogspot.in/

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IPv6 Tutorial


Internet has been growing extremely fast so the IPv4 addresses are quickly approaching complete depletion. Although many organizations already use Network Address Translators (NATs) to map multiple private address spaces to a single public IP address but they have to face with other problems from NAT (the use of the same private address, security…). Moreover, many other devices than PC & laptop are requiring an IP address to go to the Internet. To solve these problems in long-term, a new version of the IP protocol – version 6 (IPv6) was created and developed.

IPv6 was created by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a standards body, as a replacement to IPv4 in 1998. So what happened with IPv5? IP Version 5 was defined for experimental reasons and never was deployed.

While IPv4 uses 32 bits to address the IP (provides approximately 232 = 4,294,967,296 unique addresses – but in fact about 3.7 billion addresses are assignable because the IPv4 addressing system separates the addresses into classes and reserves addresses for multicasting, testing, and other specific uses), IPv6 uses up to 128 bits which provides 2128 addresses or approximately 3.4 * 1038 addresses. Well, maybe we should say it is extremely extremely extremely huge :)

IPv6 Address Types
Address Type     Description
Unicast     One to One (Global, Link local, Site local)
+ An address destined for a single interface.
Multicast     One to Many
+ An address for a set of interfaces
+ Delivered to a group of interfaces identified by that address.
+ Replaces IPv4 “broadcast”
Anycast     One to Nearest (Allocated from Unicast)
+ Delivered to the closest interface as determined by the IGP

A single interface may be assigned multiple IPv6 addresses of any type (unicast, anycast, multicast)

IPv6 address format

Format:

x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x – where x is a 16 bits hexadecimal field and x represents four hexadecimal digits.
An example of IPv6:
2001:0000:5723:0000:0000:D14E:DBCA:0764

There are:
+ 8 groups of 4 hexadecimal digits.
+ Each group represents 16 bits (4 hexa digits * 4 bit)
+ Separator is “:”
+ Hex digits are not case sensitive, so “DBCA” is same as “dbca” or “DBca”…

IPv6 (128-bit) address contains two parts:
+ The first 64-bits is known as the prefix. The prefix includes the network and subnet address. Because addresses are allocated based on physical location, the prefix also includes global routing information. The 64-bit prefix is often referred to as the global routing prefix.
+ The last 64-bits is the interface ID. This is the unique address assigned to an interface.

Note: Addresses are assigned to interfaces (network connections), not to the host. Each interface can have more than one IPv6 address.

Rules for abbreviating IPv6 Addresses:

+ Leading zeros in a field are optional

2001:0DA8:E800:0000:0260:3EFF:FE47:0001 can be written as

2001:DA8:E800:0:260:3EFF:FE47:1

+ Successive fields of 0 are represented as ::, but only once in an address:

2001:0DA8:E800:0000:0000:0000:0000:0001 -> 2001:DA8:E800::1

Other examples:
– FF02:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 => FF02::1
– 3FFE:0501:0008:0000:0260:97FF:FE40:EFAB = 3FFE:501:8:0:260:97FF:FE40:EFAB = 3FFE:501:8::260:97FF:FE40:EFAB
– 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 => ::1
– 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0 => ::

IPv6 Addressing In Use

IPv6 uses the “/” notation to denote how many bits in the IPv6 address represent the subnet.

The full syntax of IPv6 is
ipv6-address/prefix-length

where
+ ipv6-address is the 128-bit IPv6 address
+ /prefix-length is a decimal value representing how many of the left most contiguous bits of the address comprise the prefix.

Let’s analyze an example:
2001:C:7:ABCD::1/64 is really
2001:000C:0007:ABCD:0000:0000:0000:0001/64
+ The first 64-bits 2001:000C:0007:ABCD is the address prefix
+ The last 64-bits 0000:0000:0000:0001 is the interface ID
+ /64 is the prefix length (/64 is well-known and also the prefix length in most cases)

Cisco Command Line interface (CLI)

Cisco Command Line interface (CLI)

 The router will allow us to type commands but in different modes we can only used specific commands. So in this tutorial we will learn about the Command Line Interface (CLI) and different modes in a Cisco router/switch.

Below lists popular modes in Cisco switch/router:
Router>     User mode
Router#     Privileged mode
Router(config)#     Configuration mode
Router(config-if)#     Interface level (within configuration mode)
Router(config-router)#     Routing engine level (within configuration mode)
Router(config-line)#     Line level (vty, tty, async) within configuration mode

Now let’s discuss each mode in more detail

User mode (Unprivileged mode)
In most case this is the mode you will see on the screen after connecting to it. This mode provides limited access to the router. You are provided with a set of nondestructive commands that allow examination of certain router configuration parameters (mostly to view statistics). You cannot, however, make any changes to the router configuration.

Privileged mode
Also known as the Enabled mode, this mode allows greater examination of the router and provides a more robust command set than the User mode. In Privileged mode, you have access to the configuration commands supplied in the Global Configuration mode, meaning you can edit the configuration for the router.

Configuration mode
Also called the Global Configuration mode, this mode is entered from the Privileged mode and supplies the complete command set for configuring the router. In this mode you can access interface level, routing engine level, line level…

Interface level

In some books, this level is also referred as “interface configuration mode” or “interface mode”. In fact, it is a level inside Configuration mode so you can see the “configuration” part in its prompt (config-if). This level can be accessed by typing a specific interface in Configuration mode. For example:

Router(config)#interface fa0/0
Router(config-if)#

But notice that the prompt doesn’t give you information about which interface is being configured so be careful with this level while you are configuring! This lack of information can make you configure wrong interface easily!

Routing engine level

This is the level where we configure dynamic routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP…). You will learn about them later in CCNA.

Line level

In this level we can configure Telnet, Console, AUX port parameters. Also notice that the prompt (config-line) is used for all “lines” on the router so you must be careful about which line you are configuring!

Note: The “line” here can be a physical Console port or a virtual connection like Telnet.

New Exam for CCNA (update)

Cisco has introduced new exams for CCNA.  More information about exams and blueprint can be found at www.cisco.com 

 Until 31st September 2013, both the exams can be taken.  But after September , 2013, the new exam with extended new blueprint is allowed.