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BeginnerPublished 2026-06-25

CCNA Static Routing: Bidirectional End-to-End Connectivity

Free preview — the first lab of Static & Default Routing

Hands-on CCNA static routing lab: build a small hub-and-spoke with two stub routers and a hub router. Configure default routes on the spokes and specific static routes on the hub so two user LANs reach each other end-to-end. Validate from real hosts and practice first-hop and return-path troubleshooting.

Track
Est. time
45 minutes
Difficulty
Beginner
Topics

Learning objectives

  • Configure default routes on stub routers toward a hub to reach all non-local networks
  • Configure specific static routes on a hub router for remote LANs
  • Select correct next-hop IPs and masks for static routes
  • Verify routing tables and end-to-end reachability using client-originated tests
  • Troubleshoot first-hop and return-path failures using interface status and traceroute

Troubleshooting focus

  • CLIENT-A cannot ping 10.20.20.10 at all: run show ip interface brief on all three routers. Any interface reading administratively down or down/down must be brought up, and its IP must match its connected /30 or /24.
  • A static route is present but never used: its next-hop must be the neighbor's IP on the shared link — never the router's own address, never an off-link IP.
  • Ping works in one direction only: RTR-HUB is usually missing the specific route back to the source LAN.
  • Traceroute stops partway: where it stops names the fault. At the local router, check the stub's default route; at RTR-HUB, its static back to that LAN; at the far router, the far LAN gateway and the host default gateway.
  • Traffic resolves to the wrong link: confirm each point-to-point link uses its own /30 and that no LAN /24 is reused elsewhere.

Topology

Lab topology diagram

Related labs

More hands-on Cisco Modeling Labs practice on the same track and topics.

Study this topic

Free guides, a command cheat sheet, and graded practice for this lab's topic.

Learn Static & Default RoutingHow Does Routing Work? The Routing Table Explained

Grade your work

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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