Block 2 of 31

Cisco
Switching

VLANs, trunking, Spanning Tree, EtherChannel, inter-VLAN routing and port security. The Layer 2 skills that every network engineer uses every day — simulated in-browser against real Cisco IOS syntax.

8 Live CCNA-level Block 2 of 31 Layer 2 Switching

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Labs 1–2

VLANs & Trunking

Live

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Labs 3–4

Spanning Tree & RSTP

Live

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Labs 5–6

Inter-VLAN & EtherChannel

Live

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Labs 7–8

Port Security & CDP/LLDP

Live

Block 2 Labs

Cisco Switching

VLANs, Trunking, STP, EtherChannel & Port Security

Lab 1

VLAN Fundamentals & Access Ports

Create VLANs on a Cisco switch, assign access ports, verify isolation and test intra-VLAN connectivity. Understand broadcast domains and why VLANs matter.

Lab 2

Trunking, DTP & VTP

Configure 802.1Q trunk links between switches. Explore DTP negotiation modes and manage VLAN propagation using VTP. Understand trunk native VLAN and allowed VLANs.

Lab 3

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP & PVST)

Watch STP elect a root bridge, calculate port roles and block redundant links. Manipulate bridge priority to influence root election and understand the cost of a loop.

Lab 4

Rapid STP & PortFast / BPDU Guard

Configure RSTP and observe its faster convergence. Enable PortFast on access ports, protect the topology with BPDU Guard and understand why these features exist in production.

Lab 5

Inter-VLAN Routing (Router-on-a-Stick)

Route between VLANs using subinterfaces on a Cisco router. Configure 802.1Q encapsulation on each subinterface, assign IPs and verify cross-VLAN ping. Classic ROAS topology.

Lab 6

Layer 3 Switching & SVIs

Replace the external router with a Layer 3 switch. Configure SVIs (Switched Virtual Interfaces) for each VLAN, enable IP routing and verify inter-VLAN routing without a dedicated router.

Lab 7

EtherChannel — LACP & PAgP

Bundle physical links into a logical channel using LACP (802.3ad) and PAgP. Verify load balancing, test link failure resilience and understand why EtherChannel is preferred over redundant single links.

Lab 8

Port Security, CDP & LLDP

Lock down switch ports with port security — set MAC limits, violation modes and sticky learning. Use CDP and LLDP to discover neighbours and understand the security implications of each protocol.

CiscoSwitching

Cisco
Switching