These companions explain the purpose, prerequisites and first checks for the existing 32 labs. The original lessons remain unchanged. Start with the complete beginner packs when a legacy page feels too abrupt. Existing examples are not certified here as device-tested or production-ready.
Lab 1: Basic CLI & Security
Name a device, move between command modes and save deliberately.
Learn first: Packet Tracer setup and Cisco IOS command modes.
Useful checks: show running-config; show startup-config.
Check that the hostname and intended settings appear; running and startup configuration may differ.
Lab 2: Accessing Switch and Router
Get a management connection before trying to change a network.
Learn first: Packet Tracer setup and Cisco IOS command modes.
Useful checks: show version; show users.
Record the device/software and your access method. Console access is different from remote IP access.
Lab 3: Telnet & SSH Remote Access
Understand why remote management should use an encrypted connection.
Learn first: Network access control, authentication, and secure management.
Useful checks: show ip ssh; show running-config.
Check SSH support, local user/VTY settings and a reachable management address. Telnet examples are for isolated comparison only.
Lab 4: IP Addressing & Subnetting
Work out which addresses belong to the same network before assigning them.
Learn first: IPv4 addressing and subnet calculations.
Useful checks: show ip interface brief; ping the intended next hop.
Check prefix, host range, interface state and return path rather than guessing from the first three numbers.
Lab 5: VLAN - Virtual LAN
VLAN broadcast domain separation with switch VLAN membership.
Learn first: VLAN configuration and 802.1Q trunking.
Useful checks: show vlan brief; show mac address-table.
PC access ports should be in the intended VLAN; the MAC table should learn on those ports.
Lab 6: Trunking
Carry the intended VLANs across a link between switches.
Learn first: VLAN configuration and 802.1Q trunking.
Useful checks: show interfaces trunk.
Compare trunk state, allowed VLANs and native VLAN handling on both ends.
Lab 7: EtherChannel Configuration
Make compatible physical links act as one logical connection.
Learn first: Spanning Tree Protocol and EtherChannel.
Useful checks: show etherchannel summary.
Inspect membership and state; passive/passive LACP does not initiate a channel. One flow need not use all link bandwidth.
Lab 8: Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)
Keep a redundant switched network free of forwarding loops.
Learn first: Spanning Tree Protocol and EtherChannel.
Useful checks: show spanning-tree.
Find the root, local port roles and forwarding/discarding paths per VLAN.
Lab 9: Static Routing
Tell a router where to send traffic for a remote prefix.
Learn first: Routing tables and longest-prefix matching.
Useful checks: show ip route; ping a remote address.
Check the chosen next hop and a return route. A default route is the least-specific IPv4 prefix.
Lab 10: Floating Static Routes
Use a less-preferred static route as a backup.
Learn first: Routing tables and longest-prefix matching.
Useful checks: show ip route; show running-config.
The backup has a higher administrative distance for the relevant prefix; test the intended failure in an isolated copy.
Lab 11: RIPv2
Explore a distance-vector protocol as an extension topic.
Learn first: Routing tables and longest-prefix matching.
Useful checks: show ip protocols; show ip route.
Read learned prefixes and their next hops. RIP configuration is enrichment beyond the current CCNA core outline.
Lab 12: Inter-VLAN Routing
Provide a router path between different VLAN subnets.
Learn first: VLAN configuration and 802.1Q trunking.
Useful checks: show interfaces trunk; show ip interface brief; show ip route.
Each VLAN needs the intended Layer 3 interface, subnet and host gateway; trunk tags must agree.
Lab 13: OSPF Single Area
Let routers learn routes from a shared network map.
Learn first: OSPF operation, neighbor adjacency, and route verification.
Useful checks: show ip ospf neighbor; show ip route ospf.
Check compatible link parameters before expecting remote routes. Process IDs are local identifiers.
Lab 14: OSPF DR/BDR Election
Understand which routers coordinate adjacencies on an OSPF broadcast segment.
Learn first: OSPF operation, neighbor adjacency, and route verification.
Useful checks: show ip ospf neighbor; show ip ospf interface.
DR/BDR roles depend on priority, eligibility and election history. DROTHER peers can normally remain 2-Way.
Lab 15: IPv6
Use IPv6 prefixes and verify the next hop without IPv4 ARP.
Learn first: IPv6 addressing, Neighbor Discovery, and SLAAC.
Useful checks: show ipv6 interface brief; show ipv6 route; show ipv6 neighbors.
Inspect link-local scope and global/ULA addressing separately. A router needs IPv6 routing enabled for the intended forwarding design.
Lab 16: OSPF Multi-Area
Explore how larger OSPF designs divide the map into areas.
Learn first: OSPF operation, neighbor adjacency, and route verification.
Useful checks: show ip ospf; show ip route ospf.
Check backbone and area-border design. Multi-area configuration is an extension after single-area OSPF, not the beginner starting point.
Lab 17: EIGRP Routing
Compare another dynamic routing protocol after learning route selection.
Learn first: Routing tables and longest-prefix matching.
Useful checks: show ip eigrp neighbors; show ip route.
Read neighbour and route evidence separately. EIGRP configuration is an extension rather than a current CCNA configuration objective.
Lab 18: RSA & SSH
Understand keys and encrypted device management.
Learn first: Network access control, authentication, and secure management.
Useful checks: show ip ssh; show crypto key mypubkey rsa.
Check platform-supported key options and SSH version. Small teaching key sizes must not be copied as current production guidance.
Lab 19: Port Security
Limit and observe source MAC behaviour on a switch access port.
Learn first: Network access control, authentication, and secure management.
Useful checks: show port-security; show port-security interface FastEthernet0/1.
Compare protect, restrict and shutdown behaviour. A MAC address is not a person’s authenticated identity.
Lab 20: Layer 2 Security Mitigations
Use specific switch protections against local address and DHCP misuse.
Learn first: Network access control, authentication, and secure management.
Useful checks: show ip dhcp snooping; show ip arp inspection.
Trust only the intended infrastructure path. Dynamic ARP inspection depends on suitable bindings or explicit policy.
Lab 21: Standard ACL
Filter traffic using source IPv4 address rules.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show access-lists; show ip interface.
Check first-match order, implicit deny and the actual interface/direction.
Lab 22: Extended ACL
Make traffic decisions using protocol, source, destination and port.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show access-lists; show ip interface.
Test both an allowed application and a denied one. Ping is not a substitute for the intended service test.
Lab 23: Extended Numbered ACL
Read an extended numbered ACL as an ordered packet decision.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show access-lists; show running-config.
Trace one packet through the list in order, then verify where the list is applied.
Lab 24: Site-to-Site GRE VPN
Carry traffic through a tunnel across an intervening network.
Learn first: VPNs, GRE encapsulation, and IPsec protection.
Useful checks: show interfaces tunnel 0; show ip route.
Confirm outer endpoint reachability and inner routes. GRE alone does not encrypt or strongly authenticate traffic.
Lab 25: DHCP Configuration
Give clients correct settings without configuring each address manually.
Learn first: DHCP address allocation and DNS name resolution.
Useful checks: show ip dhcp pool; show ip dhcp binding.
On an IOS DHCP server, inspect free addresses, exclusions and bindings; check actual client settings too.
Lab 26: DHCP Relay Agent
Carry client DHCP requests to a server on another subnet.
Learn first: DHCP address allocation and DNS name resolution.
Useful checks: show running-config; inspect the server lease table.
Put the helper on the client-facing Layer 3 interface and verify the correct server/pool and return route.
Lab 27: Syslog & NTP Configuration
Collect useful events with timestamps that can be compared.
Learn first: Network monitoring with syslog, NTP, and SNMP.
Useful checks: show logging; show ntp associations; show ntp status.
Check actual time synchronisation and the logging destination/threshold, not just configured addresses.
Lab 28: Static NAT Configuration
Map an inside address to a fixed translated address.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show ip nat translations; show ip nat statistics.
Check inside/outside roles and routing. NAT is not encryption or a complete firewall.
Lab 29: NAT Overload (PAT)
Let inside conversations share translated addressing using overload.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show ip nat translations; show ip nat statistics.
Generate fresh traffic before inspecting dynamic translations; entries can expire.
Lab 30: Dynamic NAT & PAT Configuration
Compare a dynamic address pool with overload.
Learn first: Access control lists, NAT, and PAT.
Useful checks: show ip nat translations; show access-lists.
Check which traffic is selected, available pool addresses and whether overload is intended.
Lab 31: Capstone Project II
Combine known features into a project you can explain and troubleshoot.
Learn first: Network support roles and practical projects.
Useful checks: Test each subnet, route, service and access policy separately.
Write an address plan and test matrix first. Build one feature at a time and preserve a known-working baseline.
Lab 32: Comprehensive Project
Integrate multiple sites, VLANs, routes and explicit application policy.
Learn first: Network support roles and practical projects.
Useful checks: Compare addressing, adjacencies, routes, translations and permitted/denied services.
A long configuration is not proof of a complete curriculum. Verify each requirement independently and record limitations.