Configuring Static Routes
This video walks you through a hands‑on lab that practices configuring static routes on routers. It shows how to manually add route entries using the appropriate command syntax so that routers know where to send packets destined for networks they aren’t directly connected to. It also emphasizes verifying the configuration — for example, using commands to view the routing table and testing connectivity — to confirm that static routing works correctly.
Troubleshooting Static Routes
This video presents a lab focused on troubleshooting static‑routing configurations. It guides you through diagnosing and fixing common routing problems that arise when static routes are configured incorrectly — such as incorrect next‑hop addresses, wrong interface assignments, or misconfigured routing entries. By working through realistic troubleshooting steps and verification commands (e.g. checking routing tables and connectivity), the lesson helps reinforce understanding of static routing logic and prepares you for real‑world network troubleshooting.
The Life of a Packet
This video shows the full journey of a network packet traveling from source to destination across a network. It walks through all the internal steps — from the packet leaving a device, traversing switches, routers, and network links — to eventually arriving at the remote destination. The lesson explains how different devices and layers of the network work together to deliver data reliably end‑to‑end, reinforcing a comprehensive understanding of how networks actually move information.
Life of a Packet
This video traces the “life of a packet,” showing how data travels from a source device to its destination. It demonstrates how packets pass through switches and routers, traverse network links, and undergo encapsulation and de‑encapsulation along the way. By following a complete end-to-end journey, the lesson reinforces how layered networking works, why addressing and routing are critical, and how network devices work together to enable communication.
Subnetting (Part 1)
This video introduces the fundamentals of subnetting IPv4 networks: it shows how to divide a larger network into smaller sub‑networks (subnets) — explaining the logic behind subnet masks, how subnetting affects the number of available hosts, and how to determine valid subnets, network addresses, and broadcast addresses. The lesson helps students understand why subnetting is important for efficient network design and how to calculate subnets manually. This content lays the groundwork for proper IP planning and is a crucial building block for network design and configuration in real‑world networks.
Subnetting (Part 2)
This video builds on basic subnetting knowledge by working through practice problems — especially focusing on subnetting Class C networks. It guides the viewer step‑by‑step applying subnet masks, calculating network ID, broadcast address, and valid host ranges, helping reinforce how to divide networks correctly. The exercises help translate theoretical knowledge into practical skills — a critical step for network design, correct IP allocation, and for mastering subnetting questions in the CCNA 200‑301 exam.
Subnetting (Part 3 – VLSM)
This video introduces and explains Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) — a method for dividing a network into subnets of different sizes to use IP address space more efficiently. It walks through how to subnet larger networks (including Class A) by applying VLSM, shows step‑by‑step calculations and real examples, and emphasizes planning subnets based on required number of hosts rather than using fixed-size subnets. By mastering VLSM, learners can design flexible, efficient networks and make better use of IP addresses.
Subnetting (VLSM)
This video gives a hands‑on lab exercise showing how to apply Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) in a real network scenario. It walks through subnetting a network — assigning subnets of different sizes to match varying host‑count requirements rather than using fixed‑size subnets. The lab emphasizes practical skills: calculating subnets, planning IP allocation more efficiently, and configuring sub‑networks to make optimal use of available IPv4 address space.
VLANs (Part 1)
This video introduces the concept of VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network), explaining what VLANs are and why they matter in network design. It covers how VLANs allow a single physical network (switch infrastructure) to be logically segmented into multiple smaller networks, improving security, reducing broadcast domains, and enabling better traffic management. The lesson helps you understand how VLANs can be used to isolate groups of devices — such as separating departments in an organization — even if they share the same physical hardware, making VLANs a key tool for efficient, manageable, and scalable network design.
VLANs (Part 1.1)
This video dives deeper into how VLANs work in real network setups, specifically covering how to configure trunk ports and VLAN tagging (mainly using the IEEE 802.1Q standard) so that a single physical link can carry traffic for multiple VLANs. It explains the difference between access ports (one VLAN per port) and trunk ports (multiple VLANs over one link), shows how to limit which VLANs are allowed over a trunk for security or efficiency, and demonstrates the concept of “Router on a Stick” — a method for routing between VLANs using a single router interface with subinterfaces.
VLANs (Part 2)
This video delves deeper into Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) by explaining how to use trunk ports and the tagging standard IEEE 802.1Q so a single physical link can carry traffic from multiple VLANs. It teaches how to configure trunk ports, how VLAN tagging works (adding a tag to Ethernet frames to identify their VLAN), and how to control which VLANs are allowed over the trunk. The video also covers how to implement inter‑VLAN routing using the method Router on a Stick (ROAS), where one router interface handles traffic for different VLANs, enabling communication between VLANs without needing separate physical interfaces per VLAN.
VLANs (Part 2.1)
This video walks you through a hands‑on lab where you actually configure VLANs and VLAN trunking on Cisco switches and a router — assigning switch ports as access ports for specific VLANs, creating trunk links between switches so multiple VLANs can travel over a single cable, and setting up inter‑VLAN routing using the “Router on a Stick” method (sub‑interfaces on a router with 802.1Q encapsulation). It emphasizes the correct commands and interface settings (e.g. switchport mode access, switchport access vlan, switchport mode trunk, and subinterface router configs), then shows how to verify the setup by checking VLAN and interface status and testing connectivity across VLANs.
VLANs (Part 3)
This video focuses on advanced VLAN concepts and inter‑VLAN routing. It explains how to configure native VLANs on routers, how VLAN tagging works, and how to set up inter‑VLAN routing — either using a router (via “Router on a Stick”) or a Layer 3 (multilayer) switch with Switch Virtual Interfaces (SVIs). The tutorial also includes a demonstration of real network traffic captured with a packet sniffer (e.g. Wireshark) to show how frames are tagged and routed across VLANs.
VLANs (Part 3.1)
This video is a lab exercise that builds on previous VLAN concepts. It guides you through actually configuring VLANs and VLAN trunking on switches and routers — assigning ports to VLANs, setting up trunk links so a single physical connection can carry multiple VLANs, and enabling communication across VLANs with inter‑VLAN routing or other methods. The lab helps you practice real-world network configuration and reinforces how VLANs segregate and organize network traffic while still supporting necessary communication between segments.
DTP/VTP
This video explores two Cisco‑proprietary protocols — Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) and VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP). DTP automates the negotiation of switch ports to become access or trunk ports, while VTP allows a central “server” switch to distribute VLAN configurations automatically to other “client” switches — saving the effort of manual VLAN configuration on each switch. The video shows how DTP works (with modes like “dynamic auto” and “dynamic desirable”), how to configure trunking, and how VTP synchronization propagates VLAN databases across switches. It also warns about potential risks — e.g., an outdated switch with a high VTP revision number could overwrite an entire network’s VLAN setup — so understanding these protocols remains useful, even if they’re not strictly required for everyday configuration.
DTP/VTP (Part 2)
This video walks you through a lab exercise configuring DTP and VTP on switches. It covers how to set up trunk ports, how to disable DTP negotiation for greater security, and how to create and synchronize VLANs across multiple switches using VTP — so you don’t have to configure VLANs individually on every switch. The lab demonstrates how a central switch (VTP server) can distribute VLAN configurations to client switches, how VTP modes (server/client/transparent) affect behavior, and why correct configuration matters if you want a consistent VLAN setup across a network.
Spanning Tree Protocol (Part 1)
This video introduces the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), explaining how it helps prevent loops in switched networks — a critical function when multiple switches are interconnected with redundant links. It covers how STP detects potential loops and automatically disables redundant paths to create a loop‑free tree structure, ensuring there is exactly one active path between any two network devices. The lesson also outlines how STP recalculates and reactivates paths if the network topology changes (e.g., a link or switch fails), helping maintain continuous connectivity while avoiding broadcast storms or MAC table instability. This concept is key for building stable, resilient LANs and is likely to appear in network design and troubleshooting scenarios.
Analyzing STP
This video covers the detailed workings of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), including how STP prevents loops in Ethernet networks by creating a loop‑free logical topology. It explains STP port states (Blocking, Listening, Learning, Forwarding), the timers that govern transitions, and the structure of BPDUs (Bridge Protocol Data Units) used by switches to exchange topology information. The lesson also introduces optional STP enhancements (like PortFast and BPDU Guard), and shows how to configure and manipulate STP parameters — such as selecting the root bridge and adjusting port priorities or costs — to control which links are active.
Spanning Tree Protocol (Part 2)
This video explores deeper aspects of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), explaining the various port states (Blocking, Listening, Learning, Forwarding), the timers (Hello, ForwardDelay, Max‑Age) that govern state transitions, and the structure of STP control messages (BPDUs). It also introduces useful STP features — like PortFast and BPDU Guard — that help speed up connections to end hosts and add security against loops. Finally, it shows how to configure STP: choosing the root bridge, adjusting port cost or priority to influence path selection, and optionally applying different root bridges per VLAN for load‑balancing.
PortFast (STP Toolkit)
This video explains the role of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enhancements, focusing on the “PortFast” feature that lets access‑port links transition more quickly to the forwarding state — useful for directly‑connected end devices to avoid delays. It describes when to enable PortFast (on ports connected to hosts, not switches) to prevent the usual STP delay, and warns about risks if used improperly (e.g. connecting another switch). The lesson helps you understand how STP settings can be optimized for practical network topologies, balancing loop‑prevention with performance — a useful concept when managing real‑world Ethernet networks.