Routing & Switching Concepts

Intermediate Networking
Cisco IOSWiresharkspanning-tree

Objective

Hands-on practice with routing & switching concepts in a network lab environment.

Tools & Technologies

  • Cisco IOS
  • Wireshark
  • spanning-tree

Key Commands

show spanning-tree
spanning-tree portfast
show mac address-table
show interfaces trunk

Lab Steps

01
MAC Table

Examine the switch MAC address table and understand how switches learn addresses.

02
Spanning Tree

Understand STP operation, port states, and how loops are prevented.

03
PortFast & BPDU Guard

Enable PortFast on access ports and BPDU Guard to protect topology.

04
EtherChannel

Bundle multiple links with LACP for increased bandwidth and redundancy.

Challenges Encountered

  • STP convergence time causes connectivity delays
  • BPDU Guard shuts port if a switch is connected

Key Takeaways

  • Spanning Tree prevents broadcast storms at the cost of redundant paths
  • EtherChannel requires matching config on both ends