The Routing and Switching Practical Labs Training Course is a comprehensive hands-on program designed for network engineers, administrators, technical support professionals, and IT personnel who want to develop practical skills in designing, configuring, troubleshooting, and maintaining enterprise routing and switching environments.
This course emphasizes laboratory-based learning using real equipment or network simulators/emulators such as Cisco Packet Tracer, GNS3, or EVE-NG. Participants will configure LANs, VLANs, trunking, inter-VLAN routing, static and dynamic routing protocols, redundancy, Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching, network security, and troubleshooting techniques commonly used in enterprise networks.
By the end of the training, participants will have the confidence to deploy and troubleshoot routing and switching infrastructures following industry best practices.
Duration 5 Days – 35 hrs.
Objectives
- Understand enterprise network architecture and design principles.
- Configure Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching.
- Configure VLANs and Inter-VLAN Routing.
- Configure static routing and default routing.
- Deploy dynamic routing protocols including RIP, OSPF, and EIGRP.
- Configure EtherChannel and Spanning Tree Protocol.
- Implement network redundancy and high availability.
- Configure Access Control Lists (ACLs).
- Secure switch ports and network devices.
- Configure DHCP services and relay.
- Perform network troubleshooting using Cisco IOS tools.
- Analyze routing tables and switching operations.
- Implement enterprise routing and switching best practices.
- Build complete enterprise network topologies through practical labs.
Target Audience
- Network Engineers
- Network Administrators
- System Administrators
- Technical Support Engineers
- NOC Engineers
- Infrastructure Engineers
- IT Support Specialists
- Telecommunications Engineers
- Junior Network Professionals
- Professionals preparing for Cisco networking certifications
Prerequisites
- Basic understanding of computer networking
- Familiarity with TCP/IP fundamentals
- Knowledge of IP addressing and subnetting
- Basic command-line experience is recommended
- No advanced routing knowledge required
Course Outline
Day 1 – Networking Fundamentals and Layer 2 Switching
Module 1: Enterprise Networking Overview
- Enterprise Network Architecture
- Cisco Network Devices
- OSI and TCP/IP Models
- Ethernet Technologies
- LAN Design
Module 2: Cisco IOS Fundamentals
- Accessing Cisco Devices
- IOS Navigation
- Device Configuration
- Configuration Files
- Password Configuration
- Device Backup and Restore
Hands-on Labs
- Initial Switch Configuration
- Basic Device Management
- Secure Device Access
- Configuration Backup
Module 3: VLAN Configuration
- VLAN Concepts
- VLAN Membership
- VLAN Database
- VLAN Best Practices
Hands-on Labs
- Create VLANs
- Assign Switch Ports
- Verify VLAN Connectivity
Module 4: Trunking
- IEEE 802.1Q
- Native VLAN
- Allowed VLAN Lists
- Trunk Verification
Hands-on Labs
- Configure Trunk Ports
- Troubleshoot VLAN Connectivity
Day 2 – Inter-VLAN Routing and Layer 2 Technologies
Module 5: Inter-VLAN Routing
- Router-on-a-Stick
- Layer 3 Switch Routing
- SVIs
- Default Gateway
Hands-on Labs
- Configure Router-on-a-Stick
- Configure Layer 3 Switching
- Verify Connectivity
Module 6: Spanning Tree Protocol
- STP Concepts
- Rapid STP
- Root Bridge Election
- Port Roles
- PortFast
- BPDU Guard
Hands-on Labs
- Configure STP
- Manipulate Root Bridge
- Test Failover
Module 7: EtherChannel
- Link Aggregation
- LACP
- PAgP
- Load Balancing
Hands-on Labs
- Configure EtherChannel
- Verify Redundant Links
Day 3 – Routing Technologies
Module 8: Static Routing
- Static Routes
- Default Routes
- Floating Static Routes
- Route Verification
Hands-on Labs
- Configure Static Routing
- Configure Backup Routes
Module 9: Dynamic Routing
- Routing Protocol Fundamentals
- RIP Version 2
- OSPF Single Area
- EIGRP Fundamentals
- Route Summarization
Hands-on Labs
- Configure RIP
- Configure OSPF
- Configure EIGRP
- Compare Routing Tables
Module 10: Route Troubleshooting
- Routing Loops
- Neighbor Relationships
- Route Advertisement
- Verification Commands
Hands-on Labs
- Troubleshoot Routing Failures
- Restore Network Connectivity
Day 4 – Network Services and Security
Module 11: DHCP Services
- DHCP Server Configuration
- DHCP Relay
- Address Allocation
- Troubleshooting
Hands-on Labs
- Configure DHCP
- Verify Client Address Assignment
Module 12: Access Control Lists
- Standard ACLs
- Extended ACLs
- Named ACLs
- ACL Placement
Hands-on Labs
- Configure Standard ACLs
- Configure Extended ACLs
- Verify Traffic Filtering
Module 13: Switch Security
- Port Security
- MAC Address Learning
- DHCP Snooping
- Dynamic ARP Inspection
- Storm Control
Hands-on Labs
- Configure Port Security
- Prevent Unauthorized Access
- Secure Layer 2 Infrastructure
Day 5 – Enterprise Integration and Troubleshooting
Module 14: Network Troubleshooting Methodology
- Troubleshooting Framework
- Cisco Diagnostic Commands
- Logging
- Debugging
- Packet Analysis
Hands-on Labs
- End-to-End Troubleshooting
- Root Cause Analysis
Module 15: Enterprise Network Integration Lab
Participants build a complete enterprise network including:
- Multiple Routers
- Multiple Switches
- VLAN Segmentation
- Inter-VLAN Routing
- Static Routing
- Dynamic Routing
- EtherChannel
- STP
- DHCP
- ACL Security
- Switch Security
Capstone Practical Lab
Participants will configure and troubleshoot a complete enterprise network from scratch while applying all concepts learned throughout the course.
Practical Laboratory Exercises
Throughout the course, participants will complete extensive hands-on labs covering:
- Initial Cisco device configuration
- VLAN deployment
- Trunk configuration
- Inter-VLAN Routing
- Layer 3 Switching
- STP optimization
- EtherChannel implementation
- Static Routing
- OSPF deployment
- EIGRP deployment
- RIP configuration
- DHCP implementation
- ACL configuration
- Switch hardening
- Port Security
- Troubleshooting routing failures
- Troubleshooting switching issues
- Enterprise network deployment
- End-to-end network validation
