L3 Routed EtherChannel Between Two Routers (LACP)
Build a Layer-3 EtherChannel between two IOS XE routers using LACP active/active. Two parallel router links are bundled into Port-channel5, which carries a /30 transit. R2 hosts a loopback; R1 installs a static route to reach it. Validate that the Port-channel holds the IP (members do not), that the bundle is up and uses both links, and that pings across the /30 and to the loopback succeed. Emphasis: deterministic EtherChannel configuration and Layer-3 port-channel practices.
DHCP: Verify Leases, Pools and Conflicts
Hands-on IOS DHCP server practice focused on validating pool state, inspecting conflicts, and fixing a real address conflict caused by a legacy static host on the LAN. You will verify server-side leases and exclusions, observe a conflict entry, then permanently exclude the static IP and clear the stale conflict so a client can obtain a clean address.
DHCP Troubleshooting Capstone: Branch Relay
Advanced CCNA troubleshooting capstone for centralized DHCP across a relay. A centralized IOS-XE router (DHCP-SRV) serves the branch LAN behind BR-RTR via ip helper-address. The lab imports in a deliberately broken state: the DHCP pool scope and gateway are misconfigured on the server, and the relay configuration is missing on BR-RTR. Learners must diagnose using show outputs and Linux tools, fix all three discrepancies, and verify that two Alpine clients dynamically receive usable leases and can reach DHCP-SRV.
Router Interface as a DHCP Client (IOS-to-IOS)
Configure an IOS router as a DHCP server and have another IOS router obtain its uplink address dynamically via DHCP on a shared LAN. Validate the lease from both the client and server perspectives and test reachability from attached hosts.
Lab 7: DHCP Manual Bindings (Reservations)
Configure a Cisco IOS router as a DHCP server with a general LAN pool and a per-host manual binding (reservation) so that CLIENT-A always receives 172.20.10.5 based on its MAC, while CLIENT-B receives a normal dynamic address from the same subnet. Verify with router show commands and Linux host tools. Focus strictly on DHCP: pool scope, excluded addresses, options, and a hardware-address-tied manual binding.
DHCP Exclusions: Reserved Statics on a Single LAN
Configure an IOS-XE router as a DHCP server with a correctly scoped pool and an excluded-address range that protects the gateway and a reserved static server (.10). Two Alpine clients obtain addresses dynamically from the remaining range (starting at .11). Verify leases, confirm the excluded count, and ensure the reserved static never appears as a DHCP binding.
PAT onto the Outside Interface (SOHO Edge)
Implement and verify interface-based PAT (overload) on a single-edge SOHO router. Inside hosts on 192.168.10.0/24 share the router’s lone public IP (203.0.113.1) on its outside interface. Validate NAT translations, ACL matches, and simultaneous host access, and practice troubleshooting common misconfigurations (inside/outside role reversal, ACL selection errors).