Goldfish NetworksGraded daily Cisco CML labs for CCNA & CCNP
Don't just build the lab — find out if you passed it.
A fresh, license-free Cisco Modeling Labs scenario every day — import it in one click, build it on real Cisco IOS, then upload your config for instant pass/fail against the answer key. The full node-by-node solution reveals when you submit.
Beat the forgetting curve — one graded lab a day. Curious what the grading feels like? Grade a real config in your browser right now, no account.
224reviewed labs
19curated bundles
How it worksThree steps to a graded lab
No gear to buy and no setup gauntlet — go from download to a scored config in one sitting.
- 1 · Download a real Cisco labGrab today's import-ready package — a fresh scenario on real Cisco IOS, with the objectives, topology diagram, and starter config.
- 2 · Build it in Cisco Modeling LabsImport it into Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) — Cisco's free network modeling software — and configure the devices to meet the objectives.
- 3 · Upload for instant gradingExport your finished config and upload it for per-requirement pass/fail in seconds — then the node-by-node solution reveals.
New to CML? See the full getting-started walkthrough →
See it workThis is the part nobody else gives you.
Free videos teach and DIY topologies make you build — but only Goldfish grades your finished config, requirement by requirement, and reveals the answer key. Here's exactly what that looks like.
What grading looks likeUpload your config. Get judged, instantly.
A sample result — 4 of 5 requirements met. This is exactly what you see the moment you submit.
↑ ospf-lab-export.yaml — read 3 device configs
Score: 80% — Keep going (4 of 5 checks passed)
- ✓Passed: OSPF process 1 enabled on R1
- ✓Passed: Area 0 configured on Gi0/0
- ✓Passed: R2 advertises 10.0.12.0/30
- ✓Passed: Adjacency R1 ↔ R2 reaches FULL
- ✗Failed: default-information originate — missing on R3
Solution revealed
The full node-by-node answer key unlocks the moment you submit — so you see exactly what you missed.
Today's labThe current daily scenario
The latest published lab, ready to study now. A brand-new scenario goes live every day.
Beginner2026-07-17
CCNA Foundations: Static NAT — One-to-One Inside/Outside Mapping
Deploy a single-edge router performing static one-to-one NAT so an inside host has a fixed public address. You will mark inside/outside interfaces, create the static NAT mapping, and verify reachability to an internet host and the translation table. The lab is intentionally small but enterprise-clean, with a routed inside transit, an access switch for the user LAN, and an external host representing the internet.
CCNANATIP Services
What you'll practice- Identify and mark NAT inside and outside interfaces on an edge router
- Configure a one-to-one static NAT mapping for a specific inside host
+2 more objectives · 3 troubleshooting scenarios
Included with a subscription
Why Goldfish NetworksGraded practice that proves your config is correct.
Watching videos and hand-building topologies leaves you guessing. Goldfish grades your real work, every day — so you know you're ready, not just busy.
Know you're right — instantly
Upload your finished config and get pass/fail on every requirement in seconds, then the node-by-node solution reveals. Objective feedback on your OWN build — the one thing free videos and DIY topologies can't give you.
Show up, not set up
A fresh, reviewed CML scenario every day that imports in one click on free-tier images — no image hunting, no licensing gymnastics. Your hour goes to the protocol, not the wiring.
Build AND break
Every lab injects realistic faults and break/fix tasks, not just happy-path deployment — so you walk into the lab exam and the NOC having already chased the failure.
Reps that add up to a cert
Daily reps are a syllabus, not scattered exercises. Labs roll into CCNA- and CCNP-aligned bundles and study paths you buy once and keep forever — a subscription rents, a bundle you own.
Every lab is drafted by a strong reasoning model, run through automated topology and quality gates, and reviewed by Alec Gauldin, a Principal Network Engineer, before it ships. Veteran owned and operated.
Own it foreverCCNA & CCNP lab bundles
A subscription rents; a bundle you own. Grab a curated, exam-aligned set of graded labs — a one-time $29.99, yours to keep forever, and new members get 50% off their first bundle this month.
CCNA10 labs
Ten hands-on addressing labs — IPv4 subnetting and VLSM, IPv6 addressing (SLAAC/EUI-64), and connectivity verification — on CML free-tier (5 nodes or fewer).
View & own — $29.99CCNA10 labs
Ten hands-on labs building VLAN segmentation from the ground up — access ports, VLAN databases, voice/data separation, and verification — all on CML free-tier (5 nodes or fewer).
View & own — $29.99CCNA10 labs
Ten hands-on 802.1Q trunking labs — trunk configuration, allowed/native VLANs, DTP behavior, and trunk troubleshooting — on CML free-tier (5 nodes or fewer).
View & own — $29.99Why pay when free labs exist?Because free labs never tell you if you got it right.
Free videos teach you; Goldfish makes you do it every day — and proves your config is correct. Free labs cost you two hours of setup, and you still never know.
Swipe to compare →
| What you get | Free videos + Packet Tracer | GNS3 / CML-free, DIY | Goldfish |
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| Grades YOUR own build | Only pre-authored labs | Nothing | Per-requirement pass/fail |
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| Runs on real Cisco IOS | No — a simulator | Yes, if you build it | Yes — pre-built for you |
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| Setup cost | Low | Hours — images, node caps, licensing | One click, license-free |
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| A fresh problem to solve | A fixed set | Make your own | A new one every day |
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| Troubleshooting built in | Mostly happy-path | Do-it-yourself | Real faults, every lab |
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Never miss a daily lab
Create a free account to get an email each time a new daily lab goes live — the same account unlocks the download.
Create a free accountQuestions
Frequently asked questions
What is Goldfish Networks?
Goldfish Networks publishes a fresh, import-ready Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) scenario every day. Each lab is built around a real configuration and troubleshooting objective and ships as a license-free YAML package you import straight into CML.
Who are the labs for?
Network engineers keeping their skills sharp, and CCNA and CCNP candidates and students who want hands-on reps instead of multiple-choice drills.
Are the labs actually graded?
Yes — and not just an answer key to read. You upload your finished CML config and every requirement is checked pass/fail against the rubric, so you get objective feedback on your own build. The node-by-node solution reveals once you submit.
Do the labs run on real Cisco IOS?
Yes. Every lab is built for Cisco Modeling Labs on free-tier images (IOL, IOL-L2, IOSv) and imports in one click — real Cisco IOS, not a simulator.
What do I need to run these labs? Is CML free?
Just Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) on your own computer. CML has a free tier: you create a free Cisco account and run the CML virtual machine on your own hardware, hosted in VMware Workstation or Fusion (both now free for personal use). Our labs ship as license-free YAML built for the free-tier images, so there's nothing extra to buy — a modern laptop with around 16 GB of RAM comfortably runs a small daily lab. The getting-started guide walks through the full setup.
How is this different from free labs and videos?
Free videos teach and free topologies make you build, but neither tells you whether your config is actually correct. Goldfish grades your own work and hands you a fresh problem to solve on a daily cadence — so practice ends in certainty, not guesswork, and you spend your time on the protocol instead of hunting images and wiring.
What's the difference between the CCNA and CCNP labs?
Labs are tagged by track. CCNA labs build core configuration and troubleshooting fundamentals; CCNP labs go deeper into multi-area, multi-protocol, and break/fix scenarios. Study paths sequence them so daily practice builds toward the exam.
What does a daily lab include?
An import-ready topology with baseline configs, a clear objective and realistic troubleshooting tasks, a node-by-node guided solution, and deterministic grading against an answer key once you upload your CML export.
How is each lab created and reviewed?
Every lab is generated, automatically checked against quality and topology gates, and human-approved before it goes live — never a raw, untested draft.
How do bundles and study paths work?
Individual labs roll up into themed bundles and longer study paths aligned to CCNA and CCNP progression, so your daily practice builds toward a certification instead of being one-off exercises.
Free — no account neededStudy resources, on the house
Learn the theory and drill the fundamentals before — and alongside — the graded labs. Every one of these is free.
