How to configure a learning switch ?

[rymouafi]

i created 3-tiers architecture used in datacenters in Mininet using learning switches without any controller, i added hosts at the access layer and tried to ping 2 hosts ( i tried it once with hosts connected to different switches in the access layer and i tried it with 2 hosts connected to the same access layer switch ) and the ping didn't work in both cases. i'm kinda new to networking so please help me understand WHY the ping didn't work ? and if the problem is because there is no routing protocols in the switches, please help me know how to configure learning switches without using controllers (because all the documentation found in the internet is about configuring switches in an SDN environement ).
Thanks.