Lab na-03 - VLANs, Trunks, and VTP
VLANs work fine on a single switch. The minute you have two switches and want VLAN 10 on both, you need a trunk: a port that carries traffic for multiple VLANs and tags each frame with its VLAN ID so
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Lab nf-04 - IPv4 Subnetting with VLSM
Variable-Length Subnet Masking is the skill that turns a CCNA candidate into someone who can stand at a whiteboard with five rectangles and turn them into a working network. The math is not complex. The discipline is. This lab
Lab nf-01 - Cisco Modeling Labs Free Quick Start
This is the first lab in the PingLabz CCNA Labs library. There is no networking in it. The goal is to get Cisco Modeling Labs Free installed on your computer, import the PingLabz CCNA Base Topology, boot it, and log
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Cisco ASA Field Reference - Free 9-Page Cheat Sheet
Cisco ASA has a lot of moving parts. Three NAT sections that evaluate in a non-obvious order. ACLs that reference real or pre-NAT IPs (post-8.3) instead of the public ones you remember. A packet pipeline that
Migration Considerations from ASA to Secure Firewall (FTD)
If you are managing Cisco ASA hardware in 2026, you are managing inherited gear. Cisco's strategic firewall is now Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD, formerly known as Firepower Threat Defense). The platform is not just a UI rebrand:
Cisco ASA Multiple Context Mode
Multiple context mode turns a single Cisco ASA into a hypervisor for several virtual firewalls. Each context has its own configuration, interfaces, ACLs, NAT rules, routing table, and even its own administrators. The classic use cases are service providers (one
Cisco ASA Inspection Engines: MPF and Custom Maps
The Cisco ASA Modular Policy Framework (MPF) is the configuration model that decides which traffic gets which kind of treatment as it crosses the firewall. It is what binds inspection engines to specific traffic, what applies QoS or connection limits,
Cisco ASA Upgrade and Backup Procedure
Backup before you change. Upgrade in a maintenance window. Test the rollback path before you need it. The Cisco ASA upgrade and backup procedures are unglamorous but they are the difference between a smooth Tuesday and a 2am bridge call.
Cisco ASA Syslog Configuration and Logging Levels
Syslog is what turns the Cisco ASA from a black box into something you can troubleshoot, audit, and SIEM. The configuration is small (six lines for a sane production setup), but the message format and the severity model both have
Cisco ASA Management Plane Hardening
The management plane is where most ASA breaches happen, and most of those breaches are preventable with a handful of configuration steps that take an hour to apply. This article covers the production-ready hardening pass for a Cisco ASA:
Cisco ASA Static Routing and Default Route Configuration
Static routing on the Cisco ASA is the core of every routed-mode deployment. Default route to the ISP, internal static routes pointing at downstream Layer 3 switches, redundant routes with administrative distance to fail over to a backup link.
Cisco ASA Inside/Outside/DMZ Configuration Walkthrough
The classic Cisco ASA topology is three zones with three security levels: inside (your trusted users at level 100), outside (the internet at level 0), and a DMZ (your public-facing servers at level 50, somewhere in the middle). This