IntermediatePublished 2026-08-06
CCNA Foundations: HSRP — One Virtual Gateway, Two Routers
Archive lab
CCNA exam domain: IP Connectivity
Stand up HSRP on two routers sharing a single user VLAN so campus hosts point to a resilient virtual default gateway. You will configure HSRP on both routers, make one router the active forwarder, and verify failover from the end hosts.
Learning objectives
- Configure HSRP on two routers that share a user LAN
- Elect and verify the Active/Standby HSRP roles with a virtual IP
- Validate host default-gateway reachability via the HSRP VIP
- Test failover and recovery by bouncing the Active router interface
- Use show commands to read HSRP state and diagnose misconfiguration
Troubleshooting focus
- If hosts cannot ping the gateway VIP, verify the HSRP group is configured on the correct router interface and that the virtual IP matches the hosts’ default gateway exactly.
- If HSRP states are Init/Speak on both routers, ensure both routers’ LAN interfaces are up/up and in the same subnet and VLAN.
- If failover doesn’t elect the expected Active router, compare HSRP priorities and confirm preemption behavior as required.
- If pings to peers work but the gateway VIP ARP fails, confirm HSRP is enabled on both routers and that no IP conflict exists with the VIP or real interface IPs.
- If HSRP flaps, look for interface errors or downtime on the switch access ports and verify only a single active path exists per router interface.
Topology
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How this lab is graded
- Build it your way. Where a lab lets you choose a value — a VLAN name, an interface description — grading checks that you configured it, not which name you picked. Names that another line has to reference, like an ACL applied with
access-class, are stated in the guide and do have to match. - Addresses, modes and protocol keywords are exact. An IP address, a subnet mask,
switchport mode trunk, an encapsulation — these carry the meaning of the lab, so they are graded as written in the guide. - Grading reads your saved configuration. Export the lab from CML after you have configured it, and make sure anything you set is in the
running-config— a change that only exists in a terminal session never reaches the grader. - You can submit as many times as you like. Your best score stands, and each attempt tells you which checks passed so you can work the gaps.
- Scored something you believe is correct? Use Report an issue on this page — that is exactly how the grading fixes in the changelog got found.
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