A hands-on networking lab workbook built and verified in Cisco Packet Tracer. It walks through how devices communicate on a LAN and builds up to VLANs, inter-VLAN routing, and a segmented multi-interface router network. Each section includes the configuration used and screenshot evidence of the working result.
The full write-up, with all CLI screenshots and verification output, is in Networking-Basics.pdf.
- LAN fundamentals — two PCs and a switch
- Switch access and base configuration
- VLANs and inter-VLAN routing
- Network segmentation with a multi-interface router
- Cisco Packet Tracer — network simulation and CLI configuration
- Cisco IOS command line (switch and router)
Every command shown runs identically in Packet Tracer, GNS3, or on physical Cisco gear.
Goal: connect two PCs through a switch, address them manually, and confirm they can communicate on the same LAN.
Addressing
| Device | IP Address | Subnet Mask |
|---|---|---|
| PC1 | 192.168.1.10 | 255.255.255.0 |
| PC2 | 192.168.1.20 | 255.255.255.0 |
| Default gateway | 192.168.1.1 | — |
What this section demonstrates
- Static IP configuration on end devices.
- Bidirectional connectivity testing with
ping(PC1 → PC2 and PC2 → PC1). - An OSI-model view of a single packet as it is encapsulated, crosses the switch, and is decapsulated at the far end.
Goal: access a Cisco switch through the console and apply a baseline configuration.
Configured in this section
- Console access to the switch CLI.
hostnameto identify the device.- A management IP on the switch (SVI) so it can be reached over the network.
- Password protection for privileged access.
This is the standard first-touch configuration a technician applies to any new switch before it goes into service.
Goal: segment a switch into separate VLANs and allow them to communicate through a router (router-on-a-stick).
IP plan
| VLAN | Subnet | Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| VLAN 10 — Sales | 192.168.10.0/24 | 192.168.10.1 |
| VLAN 20 — Engineering | 192.168.20.0/24 | 192.168.20.1 |
| VLAN 30 — Management | 192.168.30.0/24 | 192.168.30.1 |
What this section demonstrates
- Switch configuration — creating VLANs, assigning access ports, and configuring the trunk link toward the router.
- Router configuration — one sub-interface per VLAN with
802.1Qencapsulation, each acting as that VLAN's default gateway. - Verification —
show vlan brief, trunk verification (show interfaces trunk), confirming the router gateways, and end-to-end connectivity between VLANs.
Goal: separate three departments onto their own physical router interfaces and route between them.
Addressing plan
| Segment | Device | IP Address | Mask | Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A — Management | R1 Gi0/0 | 192.168.10.1 | 255.255.255.0 | — |
| PC1 | 192.168.10.10 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.10.1 | |
| PC2 | 192.168.10.20 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.10.1 | |
| B — Sales | R1 Gi0/1 | 192.168.20.1 | 255.255.255.0 | — |
| PC3 | 192.168.20.10 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.20.1 | |
| PC4 | 192.168.20.20 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.20.1 | |
| C — Engineering | R1 Gi0/2 | 192.168.30.1 | 255.255.255.0 | — |
| PC5 | 192.168.30.10 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.30.1 | |
| PC6 | 192.168.30.20 | 255.255.255.0 | 192.168.30.1 |
What this section demonstrates
- Per-segment router interface configuration (Segments A, B, and C).
- Verification that all interfaces are up/up (
show ip interface brief). - Verification of the routing table (
show ip route) showing the three directly connected networks. - A complete test matrix proving reachability across segments: PC1–PC2, PC3–PC4, PC5–PC6, PC1–PC3, PC1–PC5, PC3–PC5, PC2–PC4.
- Static IP addressing and LAN connectivity testing
- The OSI model applied to real packet flow
- Cisco switch access and baseline configuration
- Subnetting and VLSM design
- VLANs, trunking, and inter-VLAN routing (router-on-a-stick)
- Multi-interface router segmentation and route verification
- Structured verification and testing (test matrix,
showcommands)
networking-lab/
├── README.md # this file
├── Networking-Basic-lab.pdf # full lab write-up with screenshots
- Download
Networking-Basics.pdf(or open the PDF) to read the full write-up. - Recreate each lab in Cisco Packet Tracer using the addressing tables above.
- Apply the configurations and confirm your results against the verification screenshots.
Maintained by Njokwonyi Stanelius. Contributions and suggestions welcome via issues or pull requests.