Topic

Trunk practice labs

23 hands-on Trunk scenarios you build in your own Cisco Modeling Labs instance and grade against the answer key. Focused Trunk configuration and troubleshooting practice for CCNA and CCNP.

IntermediateUnlock

Layer-2 Trunk EtherChannel Carrying Multiple VLANs

Build a two-link LACP EtherChannel between SW1 and SW2 and convert the Port-channel into an 802.1Q trunk that explicitly carries VLANs 40 and 41. Validate end-to-end host reachability across VLAN 40 and confirm the trunk’s allowed VLAN list and switchport mode on the logical port-channel. Emphasis: deterministic EtherChannel configuration on member interfaces, correct trunking on the Port-channel, and verification with IOS show commands.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
AdvancedUnlock

Router-on-a-Stick Troubleshooting Capstone

Advanced CCNA capstone: diagnose and repair a fully-broken three-VLAN router-on-a-stick deployment. One iol-xe router uplinks by 802.1Q trunk to a pure layer-2 ioll2-xe switch, with three alpine PCs on their own access VLANs (10 Sales, 20 Voice, 30 CCTV); after a recent switch and router change, inter-VLAN connectivity is broken or intermittent across all three VLANs. Trace VLAN intent end-to-end from each host through the trunk to the router's subinterfaces, repair whatever faults you find, and verify with end-host pings/traceroutes and IOS show commands.

Track
CCNA
Duration
68 min
IntermediateUnlock

Scaling to Three VLANs: Adding a Department

Extend a working two-VLAN router-on-a-stick design to a third VLAN (Guest) without breaking Sales and Engineering. Add one router subinterface, one switch VLAN + access port, and update the switch trunk’s allowed-VLAN list safely using 'add' so existing VLANs remain transported.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

Lab 7: Inter-VLAN Verification Discipline

Build and verify a three-VLAN router-on-a-stick design: one IOS router provides inter-VLAN routing via 802.1Q subinterfaces to a single Layer-2 access switch, with three Alpine hosts in VLANs 10, 20, and 30. The starter environment does not yet forward traffic correctly between all three VLANs, so you will apply a disciplined router-switch-host verification method to diagnose and fix the problem, then briefly break and restore one VLAN's connectivity before finishing with an enterprise-clean, hardened trunk.

Track
CCNA
Duration
68 min
IntermediateUnlock

A Policy-Correct Multi-VLAN Trunk

Build a single 802.1Q trunk between two Layer-2 switches that correctly carries three VLANs with an explicit allow-list and a dedicated non-default native VLAN. Place hosts in Users (VLAN 10) across both switches and a server in Servers (VLAN 20). Verify that the trunk allows VLANs 10, 20, and 99, that the native VLAN matches on both ends, and that same-VLAN hosts communicate across the trunk. Then intentionally break and restore the configuration to practice troubleshooting trunk allow-lists, native VLAN alignment, and host VLAN placement.

Track
CCNA
Duration
47 min
IntermediateUnlock

CCNA VLAN Trunking 7: Trunking Across Three Switches

Build an end-to-end 802.1Q path across three Cisco IOS Layer-2 switches so VLAN 10 transports user traffic from an access port on the left switch to an access port on the right switch through a middle switch. Harden trunks (native VLAN 999, nonegotiate) and verify with show interfaces trunk. Then intentionally break the allow-list to see the outage and restore service.

Track
CCNA
Duration
45 min
AdvancedUnlock

Trunk Verification & Diagnosing a Silent VLAN

An advanced CCNA switching lab focused on verifying 802.1Q trunks and diagnosing a silent VLAN after a switch refresh. The topology uses three layer-2 switches (a distribution switch between two access closets) and two Alpine hosts, and users in VLAN 20 at one closet cannot reach their VLAN 20 peers at the other closet across the trunk path. Learners use show interfaces trunk, show interfaces switchport, and show vlan brief to locate the break and restore predictable Layer-2 forwarding without adding any Layer-3 configuration.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

CCNA: Native VLAN & Untagged Traffic on 802.1Q

Hands-on CCNA switching lab focused on the native VLAN and tagging behavior on 802.1Q trunks. Users in one VLAN currently cannot reach their peers across a switch-to-switch trunk; you will standardize the native VLAN away from VLAN 1 to a dedicated parking VLAN, diagnose and correct the trunk configuration, verify the untagged VLAN on both ends, and confirm same-VLAN host reachability across the trunk.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
BeginnerUnlock

CCNA Trunking 2: Access Ports vs Trunk Ports

Hands-on CCNA switching lab contrasting single-VLAN access ports with 802.1Q trunks. You begin with the inter-switch link configured as a plain access port, so only one VLAN reaches the router-on-a-stick gateway while the other cannot. You will diagnose the connectivity problem, convert the link into a properly hardened 802.1Q trunk, and validate that both VLANs regain access to their gateway.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

VLAN Trunking 6: DTP and Trunk Hardening

Hands-on DTP negotiation and trunk hardening across a 3-switch path. You will observe dynamic trunking behavior (auto vs desirable), fix an allow-list drift that blocks user VLAN transport, and then harden the trunks to static with nonegotiate and a non-default native VLAN. End-to-end host reachability in the same VLAN proves success.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

CCNA Lab 4: Native VLAN Mismatch Troubleshooting

Diagnose and remediate a trunk misconfiguration between an access switch and a distribution switch so that same-VLAN hosts across two access switches can communicate end-to-end. Use CDP and trunk verification commands to investigate the fault and restore proper trunk operation, without introducing any Layer-3 routing.

Track
CCNA
Duration
45 min
IntermediateDailyLocked

CCNA Foundations: L2 Day 7 — VLANs, Trunks & Port Security

Deploy VLANs, hardened 802.1Q trunks, router-on-a-stick inter-VLAN routing, and sticky port security in a compact branch topology. Verify from real hosts and troubleshoot common misconfigurations.

Track
CCNA
Duration
75 min

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IntermediateUnlock

Voice & Data VLANs: Access + Trunk Allowed Lists

Configure 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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
65 min
IntermediateUnlock

CCNA: VLAN DB & Trunk Allow-List Drift Recovery

Hands-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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
65 min
BeginnerUnlock

VLAN Segmentation: Broadcast-Domain Isolation

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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

Port Membership & Trunking: VLAN Assignment + Verification

Hands-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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
70 min
IntermediateUnlock

Extending VLAN 10 Across Two Switches (802.1Q)

Build 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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateUnlock

Native VLAN & Trunk Mismatch: Detection and Recovery

Configure 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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
65 min
AdvancedUnlock

Multi-VLAN Segmentation: 3 VLANs & Trunk Alignment

Hands-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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
75 min
IntermediateUnlock

Trunk Allowed-VLAN Pruning Across L2 Switches

Configure 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.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min
IntermediateDailyLocked

CCNA Foundations Series: Layer 2 Day 5

Implement VLANs, 802.1Q trunking, router-on-a-stick inter-VLAN routing, and access-layer port security on a compact branch network with two access switches and two endpoints. You will configure segmentation (VLANs 10, 20, 99), hardened trunks with a dedicated native VLAN 999, Layer 3 gateways on a core router, and sticky MAC port security on user-facing ports. Verify end-to-end reachability and remediate common misconfigurations like missing allowed VLANs, native VLAN mismatches, and unauthorized endpoint moves.

Track
CCNA
Duration
68 min

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BeginnerDailyLocked

CCNA Foundations Series: Layer 2 Day 4

Hands-on CCNA Layer 2 switching lab: build VLANs, access ports, hardened 802.1Q trunks, and basic port-security across two access switches and an L2 core. Verify segmentation end-to-end from real hosts and practice troubleshooting native-VLAN and port/VLAN mismatches.

Track
CCNA
Duration
55 min

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BeginnerDailyLocked

CCNA Day 3: VLANs, Trunking, and Layer 2 Security

Hands-on CCNA lab: build VLANs for Sales and Engineering, implement 802.1Q trunks with a hardened native VLAN, assign access ports, and apply sticky MAC port-security on access interfaces. The design uses a compact, realistic branch topology with a router-on-a-stick gateway, a distribution L2 switch, one access L2 switch, and two end hosts. Students deploy, verify, and troubleshoot VLAN reachability, trunk integrity, and port-security violations.

Track
CCNA
Duration
70 min

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