247 hands-on CCNA scenarios you build in your own Cisco Modeling Labs instance and grade against the answer key. Aligned to the CCNA certification track — exam-ready configuration and troubleshooting practice.
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Harden privileged access on a single IOS router by configuring a hashed enable secret, creating a local admin user with privilege 15 and a secret, and enabling service password-encryption. Verify that privileged access requires the secret and that the running-config contains no cleartext passwords.
Harden the console and VTY lines on a single Cisco IOS router so idle sessions close automatically and every access path requires authentication. You will configure login local on both console and VTY, set 5-minute exec timeouts, enable logging synchronous on the console, and restrict VTY to SSH. Verification uses show outputs; grading evaluates the deterministic running-config.
Advanced secure-access capstone, run as a fault hunt. A hardening change was rolled back badly overnight: the edge router is reachable but the management plane is wide open in several different ways at once, and an SSH key cannot even be generated. You get symptoms and the required end state — no fault list. Everything is on one device, so the work is knowing which pieces of a management-plane build depend on each other rather than hunting across a topology.
Bring up secure remote management (SSH) on a single Cisco IOS router using a dedicated management LAN. You will configure the deterministic set of running-config lines that enable SSH with a local admin account, restrict VTY to SSH, and verify from a Linux workstation. RSA key generation is performed as an exec step and is not graded; the grading focuses on the presence of the configuration lines that make SSH functional and secure.
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Harden a single IOS router’s management plane and create tiered CLI access using custom privilege levels. Build two local accounts: a full admin (level 15) and a junior operator (level 5). Elevate only specific exec commands to level 5 so the operator can run them without gaining full configuration rights. Verify behavior from a Linux admin workstation over SSH.
Harden R1’s management plane by moving SSH login authentication and exec authorization under the IOS AAA framework using the local user database. You will start from a secure SSH-only baseline that still uses login local, enable aaa new-model, define default AAA methods that point at local, and bind VTY lines to AAA. Success is proven by authenticating from the ADMIN host over SSH and landing at the user’s privilege level.
Harden a Cisco IOS router so remote management is allowed only via SSH. You will remove Telnet from the VTY lines, keep local authentication, and add an idle-session timeout. Verify success from a Linux ADMIN host by confirming SSH works and Telnet is refused.
Harden a single Cisco IOS router’s management plane using AAA named method lists applied per-line. Create VTY-AUTH (local then enable) to protect remote SSH access without lockout risk, and CONSOLE-AUTH (local only) to secure the console independently. Verify using show/run sections and test SSH from the ADMIN workstation.
Advanced static-routing capstone, run as a fault hunt. Two suites were cut over last night and now Suite-B is unreachable, Suite-A gets replies only sometimes, and one client cannot even reach its own gateway. Nothing was written down. You get symptoms and the required end state — no fault list. The faults span both routers and the access switch, and the routing table being present does not mean it is right.
Advanced CCNP VRRP lab: standardize the VRRP advertisement interval to 3 seconds on a shared user VLAN. Two IOS routers (R1, R2) and two hosts connect to a single access switch on VLAN 10 (10.0.10.0/24). Both routers share VRRP group 1 and the same virtual IP 10.0.10.254 so hosts keep one default gateway. R1 is the master via priority 110; both routers explicitly set 'vrrp 1 timers advertise 3' to enforce a consistent master advertisement rate and backup master-down detection window. Verify with 'show vrrp' (Advertisement interval 3.000 sec) and host pings to the VIP.
Advanced VRRP on a single VLAN: configure two VRRP groups on R1/R2 so each router is Master for one group and Backup for the other, distributing host egress while preserving gateway redundancy.
Configure VRRP with interface object tracking so the virtual gateway fails over when the active router loses its upstream link, avoiding black-holing. The site LAN (VLAN 10) uses a single virtual default gateway (10.0.10.254) shared by two IOS routers (R1, R2). A separate access switch (SW) bridges the LAN. Both routers uplink via Ethernet0/1 to a second switch (CORE) on VLAN 99 to represent the upstream path. R1 is the intended VRRP master (priority 110). You will create a track object that monitors R1's uplink (Ethernet0/1) and decrements its VRRP priority by 20 if the link fails, allowing R2 to preemptively take over as master. The lab grades the deterministic VRRP configuration: common group and virtual IP on both routers, R1 priority 110, the global track object, and the 'vrrp 1 track 1 decrement 20' tie-in on R1.
Build and verify EIGRP on a small routed topology while marking the user-facing LAN interface as passive. You will advertise the LAN into EIGRP without forming an adjacency on that segment, preventing rogue neighbors and reducing control-plane noise. Focus on deterministic EIGRP configuration, wildcard-based network inclusion, and verification using show commands.
Build a two-router, two-LAN EIGRP domain and practice precise wildcard-masked network statements so only the intended interfaces participate. R1 has an extra LAN on Ethernet0/2 (172.16.99.0/24) that must be excluded from EIGRP. Validate with show commands and end-host pings that the correct LANs are exchanged and the excluded LAN is not advertised.
Bring up EIGRP in AS 100 between two routers over a /30 transit and advertise a single LAN. Verify the first adjacency forms and that R2 learns R1's LAN via EIGRP. Includes realistic end hosts on a shared LAN for path testing.
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Tune EIGRP path selection by manipulating cumulative delay. Three routers (R1-R2-R3) form EIGRP 100 adjacencies over three /30 point-to-point links. R3 originates 192.168.30.0/24 on Loopback0. You will enable EIGRP and then increase delay on R1’s direct link to R3 so R1 prefers the indirect path via R2 to reach 192.168.30.0/24. Two Alpine hosts validate end-to-end reachability and path choice.
Troubleshoot classic static routing and connectivity issues in a 3-router, 2-site network. Faults seeded include a missing return route, wrong next-hop/mask, and a missing/misconfigured default route. Learners must identify and correct Layer 3 faults to restore end-to-end reachability between branch clients.
Intermediate CCNA lab focused on HSRP preempt behavior. Two routers share a virtual default gateway on a single user VLAN. The baseline already has HSRP group 1 with R1 at higher priority, but HSRP doesn't preempt by default — if R1 reboots, R2 stays active even after R1 returns. The learner enables preempt on R1 so it deterministically reclaims the active role whenever it's up, keeping the intended primary in control. Verification uses show standby on routers and basic host pings to the virtual gateway.
Set HSRP priority to deterministically choose the active default gateway on a shared LAN. Two IOS routers (R1, R2) and one access switch serve a small user LAN with a single virtual gateway IP. By default R2 becomes active due to its higher interface IP; raise R1’s HSRP priority so it becomes the designated active router for group 1 while hosts keep a single virtual gateway.
Harden an HSRP virtual default gateway with MD5 authentication so only trusted routers can participate. You’ll secure an existing HSRP group on two IOS routers that share a user VLAN via a single L2 switch. Validate the authentication state on both routers and confirm the endpoint still reaches the virtual IP.
Build a fault-tolerant default gateway on a single LAN using HSRP. Two routers share one virtual IP so a host keeps the same default route even if one router fails. You will configure basic HSRP group 1 with a shared VIP, verify active/standby roles, and confirm the host can ping the virtual gateway.
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Troubleshoot and repair a pre-broken HSRP gateway on a single shared LAN. Two routers (R1, R2) and two clients (PC1, PC2) connect to a single L2 switch (SW1) in VLAN 10. The hosts intermittently lose gateway reachability because both routers act active due to seeded faults. Use show commands to diagnose, then correct HSRP so both routers share one virtual IP and R1 deterministically wins active.
Replace HSRP with open-standard VRRP to provide a shared virtual gateway on a single access VLAN. Configure VRRP group 1 with a common virtual IP and deterministic master/backup roles via priority and preempt. Validate using show vrrp commands and end-host pings.
Implement HSRP with interface tracking so the virtual gateway fails over when the active router loses its upstream link. Two routers (R1, R2) share a user LAN via SW with a single virtual default gateway for the PC, and both uplink to a separate CORE switch. The learner adds HSRP group 1 with a virtual IP, priority/preempt on R1, and tracks R1's uplink to drive deterministic failover.
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