AS-Path Filtering: Accept Only Neighbor’s Own Routes
Advanced CCNP BGP policy lab focusing on inbound AS-path filtering at the edge. You will build a simple eBGP chain (AS 65003 — AS 65002 — AS 65001), originate prefixes from the two upstream routers, confirm that the edge learns multiple routes, then enforce a policy on the edge (R1) to accept only routes originated by its directly connected eBGP neighbor (AS 65002) while rejecting routes that transited AS 65003. Verification relies entirely on R1’s BGP table and AS-path regular-expression queries.
Lab 9: Path Selection with Weight (First Tiebreaker)
In this advanced CCNP BGP lab, you will steer a single router's outbound path choice using Cisco's Weight attribute, the very first BGP best-path tiebreaker. R1 (AS 65001) peers eBGP with two ISPs (R2 in AS 65002 and R3 in AS 65003). Both ISPs advertise the same prefix 172.16.50.0/24. Your job is to make R1 prefer the R3 path using the neighbor weight command and verify the outcome using IOS and Linux tools.
Lab 3: iBGP over Loopbacks with OSPF Reachability
Build an internal BGP (iBGP) peering between two IOS routers in the same AS over stable Loopback0 addresses, with OSPF providing loopback reachability. Each router originates a /24 from Loopback1 into BGP, and next-hop/peering behavior is validated from end hosts. This lab emphasizes the deterministic neighbor configuration (remote-as, update-source Loopback0, router-id) and exact-match network origination, supported by a minimal, secure OSPF core.
Inbound Steering: AS-Path Prepending (Primary/Backup eBGP)
Advanced CCNP BGP lab: Build parallel eBGP sessions between two ASes over primary and backup /30 links. Originate a service prefix from AS 65001 and influence AS 65002's inbound path by applying outbound AS-path prepending on the backup session only. Validate best-path selection and next-hop on the neighbor, and confirm reachability from hosts.
Transit AS: Carry eBGP across iBGP (next-hop-self)
In this CCNP-level lab (BGP Fundamentals Lab 4/10), you will build a small, realistic transit-AS scenario: an external route learned by R1 via eBGP from AS 65003 must be carried across iBGP to R2 inside AS 65001. You will intentionally encounter the classic iBGP next-hop problem (R2 sees an unreachable next-hop for 172.16.30.0/24) and fix it on R1 with neighbor next-hop-self. iBGP peering runs over Loopback0 addresses with reachability provided by OSPF area 0 between R1 and R2. Two hosts validate end-to-end data-plane reachability and routing control-plane state.
BGP Lab 5: Local Preference - Preferred Exit
Configure and validate BGP local-preference to prefer one provider when the same destination prefix is learned from two eBGP neighbors. You will see two equal AS-PATH routes to 172.16.100.0/24 on the edge router and then apply an inbound route-map on the R2 session to set local-preference 200 so the edge prefers exiting via R2. Verification includes host pings/traceroute and router BGP best-path checks.
BGP Troubleshooting Capstone: eBGP + iBGP Repair
Advanced CCNP capstone on a compact 3-router, 2-host CML-Free topology. Restore end-to-end reachability to a remote advertised network by diagnosing and correcting two independent BGP issues on the hub router. The design intentionally combines an eBGP edge (R2–R1) with iBGP over loopbacks (R1–R3 with OSPF reachability) so learners validate neighbor formation, next-hop reachability, and route propagation end-to-end.
BGP Lab 7: Filtering Advertised Prefixes (Prefix-List)
Deploy eBGP between two routers and precisely control which locally-originated networks are advertised to a neighbor using an outbound prefix-list. R1 originates four /24 loopback routes but advertises only two to R2. Verify using IOS show commands and basic host reachability checks.
BGP Lab 2: Exact-Match Prefix Origination
Configure eBGP between two routers and originate select connected /24s using the exact-match 'network ... mask' command. Verify that only the intended prefixes are advertised and learned by the neighbor, and use host-based tests to confirm reachability to the advertised networks. This beginner CCNP lab reinforces that the BGP network statement only advertises a route if an exact match exists in the RIB, and that the 'mask' keyword is mandatory for non-classful advertisements.
eBGP Fundamentals: The First Peering
Build your first external BGP (eBGP) peering between two routers in different autonomous systems over a /30 point-to-point link and exchange one /24 prefix from each side using Loopback0. The topology is intentionally small yet realistic, with two edge routers (AS 65001 and AS 65002) and three Alpine hosts for basic reachability checks and operator context. You will configure deterministic BGP neighbors, originate prefixes with exact-match network statements, and validate reachability and route installation using standard IOS and Linux tools. This is Lab 1 of 10 in the CCNP-aligned BGP Fundamentals series and sets the foundation for later labs on iBGP, route filtering, and path selection.
EIGRP Troubleshooting Capstone
Advanced CCNP-level EIGRP troubleshooting on a 3-router triangle with seeded faults: an AS mismatch on R3 and a missing network statement on R1 prevent a full-mesh of adjacencies and block reachability to a loopback LAN. Learners diagnose using show commands and repair the configuration to restore end-to-end reachability.
EIGRP Lab 6: Propagating a Default Route
Inject a static default route from an edge router into an EIGRP domain so internal routers and hosts gain internet reachability. You will verify the D*EX 0.0.0.0/0 on the internal router and validate end-to-end connectivity from a branch host through the edge to an ISP-side server.
EIGRP Manual Route Summarization (AS 100)
Implement classic EIGRP manual summarization on R1 to collapse four contiguous /24 loopback routes into a single /22 summary toward R2, reducing R2’s routing table entries while preserving reachability.
EIGRP Lab 7: Securing Adjacencies with MD5
Harden EIGRP adjacencies with MD5 authentication between two iol-xe routers over a /30 transit, then validate that only trusted peers form neighbors. You will configure a key chain, bind it to the transit interface, and enable EIGRP (AS 100) to exchange two user LANs. Verification includes neighbor state, key chain presence, and end-to-end host reachability.
EIGRP Unequal-Cost Load Balancing with Variance
Build a 3-router EIGRP domain where R1 reaches R3’s loopback over two paths (direct and via R2). You will tune interface delay so the indirect path becomes the successor and the direct path remains a feasible successor, then enable variance to install both unequal-cost paths in R1’s routing table. Two Alpine hosts validate end-to-end reachability while router show commands confirm unequal-cost load sharing.
EIGRP Stub Routing on a Spoke (Hub-and-Spoke, AS 100)
Configure a classic hub-and-spoke EIGRP domain where the single-homed branch (R2) is made an EIGRP stub, limiting query scope while still advertising its LAN. Validate that R1 flags R2 as a stub neighbor, routes still exchange, and query behavior is scoped appropriately.
CCNP: OSPF Backbone & Area Mismatch Recovery
Advanced multi-area OSPF lab with a realistic two-site design and a WAN ABR. You will deploy OSPF with a backbone (area 0) and a non-backbone area, intentionally create an area mismatch on one transit link to observe the failure, then correct it to restore full reachability. The final build demonstrates solid OSPF hygiene and SSH-only management.
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Practicing for the CCNP with hands-on labs
CCNP is where networking stops being about single features and starts being about designs that interact — multi-area OSPF with summarization, redundancy, policy, and the failure modes that only show up when several things are configured at once. Reading won't get you there; you need to build the topology, break it, and fix it.
These CCNP-aligned labs run on real Cisco IOS in Cisco Modeling Labs and go past the fundamentals: multi-area OSPF with an ABR and route summarization, stub-area design, redundant paths and failover, deeper ACL policy, and multi-fault troubleshooting capstones. Build each lab, verify it, and upload your CML export for per-requirement grading so you get objective feedback on designs that are easy to get almost right. The break/fix scenarios mirror the ENARSI-style troubleshooting the exam — and the enterprise NOC — actually test.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the CCNA and CCNP labs here?
CCNA labs build core configuration and single-feature troubleshooting; CCNP labs go into multi-area and multi-protocol design, route summarization, redundancy, and multi-fault troubleshooting capstones. Labs are tagged by track so you can filter to your level.
Do I need my own CML for the CCNP labs?
Yes — each lab is a license-free package for your own Cisco Modeling Labs instance, built on free-tier images so you don't need paid node licenses.
Are the CCNP labs graded?
Yes. You upload your CML export and it's checked requirement by requirement against the answer key — which matters most at CCNP level, where a configuration can look right but be subtly wrong.
