Cisco Wireless LAN Controller: What It Does and How It Works
What a Cisco WLC does: split-MAC architecture, CAPWAP tunnels, the AP join process, AireOS vs Catalyst 9800, the profile-and-tag config model, and FlexConnect.
What a Cisco WLC does: split-MAC architecture, CAPWAP tunnels, the AP join process, AireOS vs Catalyst 9800, the profile-and-tag config model, and FlexConnect.
One 10-node CML topology that exercises the entire CCNA 200-301 hands-on blueprint: VLANs, STP, EtherChannel, HSRP, OSPF, NAT, DHCP, NTP and the security baseline, with real Cisco IOS XE captures.
VLAN vs VXLAN explained: a VLAN tags L2 segments, VXLAN encapsulates them across L3. The 4,094 limit, VTEPs, BGP EVPN, and when you actually need VXLAN.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN (formerly Viptela / Cisco SD-WAN): the naming history, the four-plane architecture, OMP routing, and the zero-touch edge onboarding flow.
A step-by-step, screenshot-by-screenshot walkthrough of installing Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) 2.10 on VMware ESXi: deploy the OVA, size the VM, attach the refplat ISO, run setup, and start your first node.
MSTP (802.1s) maps many VLANs onto a few spanning tree instances. How MST regions, instances, the IST and CIST work, with Cisco IOS XE config and verification.
How to build a working QoS policy on a Cisco router: MQC class maps, policy maps, the LLQ + CBWFQ model, and the shaper rule that makes it actually engage.
BGP weight is the first tiebreaker in the path-selection algorithm, set locally and never propagated. The three ways to set it, how it compares to LOCAL_PREF, and worked examples.
End-to-end QoS for VoIP across an MPLS L3VPN: DSCP marking, the LLQ + CBWFQ policy at the CE edge, and the DSCP-to-MPLS-EXP mapping the carrier needs.
OSPF cost explained: the formula, the default reference bandwidth that breaks at 1 Gbps and above, manual overrides per interface, ECMP, and the misconfigurations to avoid.
How EtherChannel hides bundled links from STP, the bundling protocols (LACP, PAgP, on), the dangerous failure modes, and why LACP active on both sides is the only safe configuration.
RSTP (802.1w) explained: the new port roles, three-state model, proposal/agreement handshake, Rapid-PVST+ vs MST, and the real show spanning-tree output.