IntermediatePublished 2026-07-30
CCNA Rapid-PVST+: Converge in Seconds, Not 50
Archive lab
CCNA exam domain: Network Access
Migrate a small campus from legacy PVST+ to Rapid-PVST+ across all switches, harden trunks, mark edge ports, and verify sub-second RSTP behaviours. A three-switch triangle with redundant trunks carries VLAN 10 to two hosts so you can validate end-to-end and observe convergence when a trunk flaps.
Learning objectives
- Convert PVST+ to Rapid-PVST+ consistently across all switches and verify mode agreement.
- Identify and correctly mark host-facing access ports as edge (PortFast) so RSTP skips listening/learning.
- Harden 802.1Q trunks with explicit encapsulation, native VLAN, and allow-lists while ensuring VLAN 10 traverses the triangle.
- Validate RSTP roles (Root/Designated/Alternate) and link types (P2p, Edge) and measure faster convergence by flapping a trunk.
Troubleshooting focus
- If any one switch remains in PVST+, neighbors fall back per-port and the campus does not operate in rapid-pvst mode. Check show spanning-tree summary on every switch.
- If a host port is not marked edge/PortFast, link-up incurs a delay and TCNs may ripple. Verify interface detail shows Edge: Yes or PortFast enabled.
- If VLAN 10 is not allowed across all trunks or native VLANs mismatch, hosts won’t ping. Compare trunk allow-lists and native VLANs on each side.
- If an access port is accidentally left as a trunk, hosts won’t join VLAN 10. Confirm access mode and access VLAN on the client-facing ports.
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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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