tracketpacin

Dynamic, randomized Cisco Packet Tracer lab generator for CCNA study. Every run produces a unique .pkt file with fresh IP addressing, VLAN IDs, topology variants, and objectives, so you never practice the same lab twice.

I put this together in a few hours while studying for my CCNA. It's not polished and there will be rough edges. The generated instructions or objectives might occasionally contradict each other or not line up perfectly with the topology. If something looks off, it probably is. It can also be a good sign that your studies are working. PRs welcome, or just fix it and keep labbing.

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Features

• 16 scenario types covering core CCNA topics: VLANs, DHCP, OSPF, NAT/PAT, ACLs, STP, EtherChannel, IPv6, QoS, port security, static routing, NTP/syslog, SNMP, FHRP, and more
• Randomized parameters — subnets, VLAN IDs, loopbacks, FHRP groups, and topology variants change on every generation
• Composite labs — combine multiple topics into a single integrated topology
• Objectives & instructions — each lab comes with a Markdown file of objectives tailored to the generated addressing
• Interactive TUI — menu-driven mode for browsing and selecting scenarios without memorizing CLI flags
• Topic-based selection — pick scenarios by CCNA topic (e.g. --topics nat,ospf,acl)
• Direct .pkt output — generates Packet Tracer binary files using Twofish EAX encryption (modern format)

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Cisco Packet Tracer (to open generated .pkt files)
• A Twofish implementation for PKT encoding (auto-installed if missing):
  • twofish, pycryptodome, or twofish-py

Quick Start

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/alexsvobo/tracketpacin.git
cd tracketpacin

# Launch interactive mode (no arguments needed)
python main.py

# Or generate a lab directly
python main.py --scenario ospf_validation

Usage

Interactive Mode

Run with no arguments or use the -i flag to launch the interactive menu:

python main.py
python main.py -i

The TUI lets you browse all scenarios, pick by topic, generate random selections, configure output settings, and build — all without touching CLI flags.

CLI Mode

# List all available scenarios
python main.py --list

# List available CCNA topics
python main.py --list-topics

# Generate a single scenario
python main.py -s ospf_validation -o ospf_lab.xml

# Generate multiple scenarios as a composite topology
python main.py -s nat_pat -s ntp_syslog --size large

# Pick one scenario per topic
python main.py --topics nat,acl,ipv6 -o mixed_topics.xml

# Random scenarios with a seed for repeatability
python main.py -r 3 --seed 1234 -o random_lab.xml

CLI Flags

Flag	Description
-s, --scenario	Scenario to include (repeatable)
-r, --random N	Add N random non-repeating scenarios
--seed	Seed for reproducible randomization
-o, --output	Output XML path (PKT derived automatically)
--topics	Select by CCNA topic (comma-separated or repeatable)
--size	Topology size: small, medium, large
--pkt-output	Custom PKT output path
--skip-pkt	Skip PKT encoding (XML only)
--legacy-pkt	Use legacy encoding (pre-PT 7.3 compatibility)
--no-instructions	Skip writing objectives markdown
--print-instructions	Print objectives to stdout
--list	List scenarios and exit
--list-topics	List topics and exit
-i, --interactive	Launch interactive menu

Available Scenarios

Scenario	Topics	Description
redundant_access	VLAN, DHCP, FHRP, Switching	Resilient access pod with multiple topology variants
branch_single_vlan	VLAN, DHCP, Switching	Single-VLAN branch office
ospf_validation	OSPF, Routing	OSPF adjacency and SPF tuning
dual_core_distribution	VLAN, FHRP, Switching, Redundancy	Dual-core campus with failover
campus_branch_wan	WAN, Routing, DHCP	Campus-to-branch WAN connectivity
nat_static_dynamic	NAT, Routing	Static + dynamic NAT with pool
nat_pat	NAT, Routing	PAT / overload NAT
ntp_syslog	NTP, Syslog, Management	Centralized time and logging
snmp_monitoring	SNMP, Management	SNMP polling and traps
qos_policy	QoS, Switching	Voice/video traffic prioritization
port_security	Port Security, Switching	Sticky MAC and violation handling
portfast_bpduguard	STP, PortFast, BPDU Guard	Access port hardening
static_routing	Static Routing, WAN	Static routes across a WAN
etherchannel_lacp	EtherChannel, Switching, Redundancy	LACP port-channel bundling
acl_filtering	ACL, Security, Routing	Standard/extended ACL filtering
ipv6_basics	IPv6, Routing	IPv6 addressing and SLAAC

Project Structure

tracketpacin/
├── main.py            # CLI entry point
├── interactive.py     # Interactive TUI mode
├── core.py            # Lab class — device/link management, XML generation
├── scenarios.py       # Scenario library, parameter generators, builders
├── layouts.py         # Topology layout functions for each scenario variant
├── profiles.py        # Device configuration profiles (startup configs)
├── ptexplorer.py      # PKT/PKA ↔ XML encoder/decoder
├── lab_model.py       # Backward-compatibility wrapper
├── test.xml           # Packet Tracer XML template (device cloning source)
└── examples/          # Sample PT labs used as additional template sources

How It Works

1. Scenario selection — pick scenarios by name, topic, or random draw
2. Parameter generation — each scenario randomizes IPs, VLANs, loopbacks, and topology variants
3. Topology building — devices and links are placed into a Lab object with logical positions
4. XML export — devices are cloned from test.xml templates to produce valid Packet Tracer XML
5. PKT encoding — the XML is compressed and encrypted into a .pkt binary using Twofish EAX (via ptexplorer.py)
6. Objectives — a Markdown file is generated with step-by-step build instructions tailored to the generated addressing

Any enjoyment of this project is owed to

• axcheron/ptexplorer — original PKT/PKA encoder/decoder
• prathamps — updated ptexplorer to support modern Packet Tracer files (Twofish EAX)
• David Bombal — CCNA teachings and lab inspiration
• Jeremy's IT Lab — CCNA course material and lab foundations
• tracketpacer — the namesake
• Cisco Systems

License

MIT