Configure static routes across R1, R2, and R3 so loopback 10.255.0.1 reaches 10.255.0.3 end to end. Covers /32 routes, why every router needs forward and reverse paths, and sourcing ping and traceroute from a loopback.
By default OSPF forms adjacencies with anyone on the segment. This lab adds MD5 cryptographic authentication to a P2P link, verifies it with show ip ospf interface, and shows what mismatched keys do to neighbors.
EIGRP converges fast because DUAL precomputes loop-free backups. This lab shows Successors, Feasible Successors, and the feasibility condition in show ip eigrp topology, including what happens during a topology change.
Configure EIGRP named-mode AS 100 across R1, R2, and R3: the modern syntax vs classic mode, setting the router-id, and the address-family unicast hierarchy, verified on the base topology.
Build multi-area OSPF on the PingLabz reference lab: R4 in Area 30 behind ABR R2. See O IA routes appear, Type 3 summary LSAs from the ABR, and Type 5 externals from an ASBR redistributing static routes.
Configure RIPv2 on R1, R2, and R3 and watch it converge: router rip syntax, version 2 and no auto-summary, and what network statements actually do. The concepts transfer to every other dynamic protocol.
Walk the OSPF DR/BDR election on a broadcast LAN where R2 is forced to win with priority 100. Covers the highest-priority and highest-router-id rules, priority 0, and why the election is non-preemptive.
Compare OSPF broadcast and point-to-point network types in the lab: why DR/BDR election happens on Ethernet and not on P2P links, how to read show ip ospf interface, and how to set the type manually.
A concept lab on modern Cisco wireless: autonomous vs lightweight vs cloud-managed architectures, the WLC's role, and CAPWAP tunneling, covering what the CCNA expects without hands-on Wi-Fi hardware.
Promote SW1 to a Layer 3 switch: enable IP routing, build SVIs as VLAN gateways, and turn an Ethernet port into a routed interface with no switchport. This is the modern replacement for router-on-a-stick, done hands-on.
Configure a floating static route on R1: a backup with a deliberately higher administrative distance that stays out of the routing table until the primary next hop disappears. You remove the primary and watch the floating route take over.
Configure a default static route on R1, then add a floating backup with a higher administrative distance. Covers next-hop vs exit-interface syntax and how the gateway of last resort appears in show output.