Hands-on CCNA lab to practice creating VLANs on a single Layer-2 switch and assigning access ports. You will segment a flat network into two VLANs, place hosts into the right VLAN, and verify that intra-VLAN pings succeed while inter-VLAN pings fail (no routing present). Includes realistic verification and troubleshooting.
Start here — freeVLANs & Network Segmentation
Ten hands-on labs building VLAN segmentation from the ground up — access ports, VLAN databases, voice/data separation, and verification.
Topics
What you'll learn
- Create VLANs on a Cisco Layer-2 switch and verify the VLAN database.
- Assign switch access ports to specific VLANs for host segmentation.
- Validate hosts in the same VLAN/subnet can communicate (ping).
- Validate that hosts in different VLANs/subnets are isolated at Layer-2 (no routing).
- Troubleshoot VLAN membership and port assignment using show commands and host-side tests.
- Create VLANs to segment a Layer-2 network into separate broadcast domains.
- Assign access ports to the correct VLANs and harden them with edge features.
- Configure 802.1Q trunks, native VLANs, and explicit allow-lists between switches and to a router-on-a-stick uplink.
Included labs
Build VLANs across two access switches with an 802.1Q trunk and a router uplink. Verify that hosts in the same VLAN can communicate (even across switches) while hosts in different VLANs cannot. Then troubleshoot a failure caused by a trunk allow-list misconfiguration.
View lab detailsBuild and verify an 802.1Q trunk between two access switches that cleanly transports VLAN 10 end-to-end while intentionally pruning VLAN 20. You will configure access ports, create VLANs, set a hardened dot1Q trunk with a non-default native VLAN, and validate host reachability and isolation from endpoints.
View lab detailsHands-on CCNA VLAN lab: build VLANs with names, assign access ports, harden and verify 802.1Q trunks, and troubleshoot a broken allow-list that prevents a VLAN from traversing the SW1–SW2 trunk. Includes router-on-a-stick gateways, management VLAN, and end-host validation.
View lab detailsConfigure a two-switch access layer with data and voice VLANs on access ports and an 802.1Q trunk between switches. Add a router-on-a-stick gateway for VLAN 10/20. Verify VLAN placement, trunk status, and observe a connectivity failure caused by an allow-list misconfiguration on the inter-switch trunk—then correct it to restore intra-VLAN reachability.
View lab detailsConfigure VLANs and 802.1Q trunks across two access switches with a router-on-a-stick gateway. Intentionally misconfigure the native VLAN and trunk allow-list to observe loss of intra-VLAN connectivity, detect the mismatch using switch warnings and show commands, and then remediate to restore user reachability. Validates VLAN segmentation, trunking symmetry, and troubleshooting skills for CCNA candidates.
View lab detailsConfigure VLANs and access ports on two Layer-2 switches, build 802.1Q trunks (with hardened native VLAN and an explicit allowed list), validate end-to-end reachability, intentionally prune a VLAN from the inter-switch trunk to observe segmentation, then restore the correct allow-list. Includes realistic router-on-a-stick gateways for VLAN 10/20/99 and switch management on VLAN 99.
View lab detailsHands-on CCNA VLAN and trunking lab: assign access ports by interface range, build and harden 802.1Q trunks, set a dedicated native VLAN, correct a misassigned user port, and verify VLAN membership. Includes a cross-switch path with a router-on-a-stick gateway, tests from real hosts, and troubleshooting of trunk allow-lists and native VLAN mismatches.
View lab detailsHands-on CCNA campus switching lab with two Layer-2 switches and three VLANs (Users 10, Servers 20, Management 99) extended over a single 802.1Q trunk. Learners deploy VLANs and access ports, harden the trunk (native VLAN 999, explicit allow-list, nonegotiate), and validate isolation. The lab ships with a trunk-carried outage: VLAN 10 traffic reaches its gateway successfully, but VLAN 20 traffic does not. You will diagnose from end hosts, confirm switch states, and correct the trunk so that same-VLAN traffic to the gateway SVI succeeds while inter-VLAN forwarding remains absent.
View lab detailsAdvanced CCNA L2 troubleshooting in a compact branch. Some PCs can't reach their default gateway or other departments across two switches and a router-on-a-stick gateway, and your monitoring system has flagged a switching/trunking problem on the path. Validation is performed from the endpoints (Alpine hosts) using pings and ARP, and trunks are hardened with a non-default native VLAN.
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Frequently asked questions
What's included in the VLANs & Network Segmentation bundle?
10 hands-on, auto-graded CCNA labs spanning 10 topics — each one a real Cisco Modeling Labs scenario you build on Cisco IOS.
Can I buy this bundle?
No — a subscription is the only plan we sell, and it includes every lab in this bundle for as long as it's active. Anyone who bought this bundle previously keeps it: every lab stays downloadable and gradable, permanently.
Do I need my own Cisco CML to run these labs?
Yes — each lab is a Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) topology you import and build on real Cisco IOS, and the CML free tier is enough. You download the topology and lab guide, then build it yourself.
How does the grading work?
Every lab ships as a problem to solve. You build it in CML, then submit your config to grade it against the answer key — you get a pass/fail on each objective, so you know exactly what's right and what to fix instead of guessing.
Which certification is this bundle for?
CCNA. The labs are sequenced to build the hands-on configuration and troubleshooting skills CCNA candidates are expected to demonstrate on real gear.