Welcome to my CCNA study notes. These CCNA 200-301 study notes are an evolving, growing assortment of CCNA study material I am maintaining and developing as I walk through my journey to CCNA certification and into a career in computer networking.
You may also be interested in CCNA configurations portal.
CCNA study notes
The topics covered in these CCNA study notes are the fundamentals of computer networking, the core skill areas of a Junior Network Engineer. These CCNA study notes aim to cover the fundamentals upon which one can build a successful career in computer networking.
Beside this page/portal, the only topics remaining (linked to in this paragraph) for a complete coverage of the CCNA 200-301 exam blueprint topics are: 1) Network devices and their functions and/or Network devices, 2) Interfaces and cables and Understanding Ethernet wiring, 3) The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model, 4) Host to host communication in networking and/or The life of a packet, 5) SNMP, 6) Syslog, 7) FTP & TFTP, 8) QoS Part 1, 9) QoS Part 2, 10) LAN architectures, and 11) WAN architectures.
The author is a PhD holder from the University of Ottawa who is writing this open source book as he transitions to IT, to network security engineering, from the humanities and social sciences (Science & Technology Studies). The main audience for this book is people who have no technical background or experience in IT and want to break into a networking career.
Cisco IOS CLI
Cisco IOS CLI and device security
Cisco IOS CLI Command Modes | Configure Basic Device Security (enable password and enable secret)
Ethernet LAN switching
How traffic flows within a LAN
Ethernet Frame Structure | MAC Addresses | Unicast Frames | Traffic Flow Within LANs
How switches forward frames – ARP
ARP | Ping | Wireshark Packet Capture | MAC Address Table
IPv4 addressing
IPv4 addressing for the CCNA
IPv4 Header | IPv4 Addresses | Loopback Addresses | Netmasks | Network Address | Broadcast Address
CCNA math
IPv4 Addressing | Binary, Decimal, Hexadecimal Conversions
IPv4 address configuration and verification
IPv4 Addressing | Configuring IP Addresses
Configuring and verifying switch interfaces
Configuring Switch Interfaces | Configuring Interface Speed and Duplex
Routing fundamentals
Connected and local routes
Router Preconfiguration | Routing Table | Connected and Local Routes | Route Selection
Static routing
How to configure static routes on Cisco routers
Default Gateway | Static Route Configuration | Default Route | Troubleshooting Static Routes
Subnetting
Classless IPv4 addressing and subnetting
IPv4 Network Classes | CIDR | FLSM Subnetting
CCNA subnetting exercises
FLSM Subnetting | VLSM Subnetting
VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks)
Configuring access ports on Cisco switches
Configuring VLANs on Cisco Switches – Access Ports
Configuring trunk ports on Cisco switches
Configuring VLANs on Cisco Switches – Trunk Ports | Router on a Stick
Inter-VLAN routing using Layer 3 switches
Configuring Native VLANs on a Router (ROAS) | Configuring SVIs on L3 Switches | Wireshark Captures
Configure and verify voice VLANs
Access Ports (Data and Voice) | Voice VLAN Access Ports | QoS (Quality of Service) Introduction
DTP (Dynamic Trunking Protocol) and VTP (VLAN Trunking Protocol)
Configure and verify DTP and VTP
DTP and VTP Function | DTP Configuration | DTP Modes | VTP Modes | VTP Configuration
STP (Spanning Tree Protocol)
STP root bridge election and root port selection
Network Redundancy | Classic STP | Broadcast Storms | STP Port Role Selection
Classic Spanning Tree port states
STP Port States | STP Timers | STP BPDU Structure | STP Toolkit | STP Configuration | PortFast | BPDU Guard | Root Guard | Loop Guard
Basic operations of Rapid PVST+ STP
RSTP | RSTP Configuration | RSTP BPDU Wireshark Capture | PortFast | UplinkFast | BackboneFast
EtherChannel
Configure and verify EtherChannel (LACP)
L2/L3 Ether Channel Configuration | LACP | PAgP | Static
Dynamic routing
Types of dynamic routing protocols
Dynamic vs Static Routing | Dynamic Routing Protocol Types | Metric | Administrative Distance | Floating Static Routes | Network Route | Host Route
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) & EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol)
RIP & EIGRP function and configuration
RIPv1 and RIPv2 | RIP Configuration | RIP Default Route | EIGRP Configuration | Wildcard Masks | Router ID
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)
Basic OSPF operations
Configure and Verify Single Area OSPFv2 | LSAs and LSDB | OSPF Areas | Router ID
How routers become OSPF neighbors
Neighbor Adjacencies | OSPF Configurations
OSPF network types
Point-to-Point | Broadcast (DR/BDR Selection) | OSPF Adjacency Requirements | OSPF LSA Types | OSPF Network Type Configuration
FHRPs (First Hop Redundancy Protocols)
Configure and verify FHRP HSRP
HSRP | VRRP | GLBP | HSRP Configuration
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) & UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
Comparing TCP to UDP
Functions of L4 Protocols | Comparing TCP to UDP
Getting started with Wireshark
Wireshark Analysis | Wireshark Training Resources
IPv6
Introduction to IPv6 for the CCNA
Converting Between Number Systems | IPv6 Address Abbreviation | IPv6 Prefixes | Configuring IPv6 Addresses
Configuring IPv6 addresses using EUI-64
EUI-64 Conversion and Configuration | IPv6 Address Types
IPv6 static route configuration
IPv6 Address Representation | IPv6 Header | NDP | IPv6 Neighbor Table | SLAAC | IPv6 Static Routing Configurations (Default, Network, Host, and Floating Static) | Link-Local Next Hop
ACLs (Access Control Lists) – IPv4
How to configure standard ACLs on Cisco routers
Standard ACLs | Configuring and Verifying Standard ACLs
How to configure extended ACLs on Cisco routers
Extended ACLs | Configuring and Verifying Extended ACLs
CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) & LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol)
CDP and LLDP configuration and verification
L2 Discovery Protocols | CDP Verification and Configuration | LLDP Configuration and Verification | Wireshark Captures
NTP (Network Time Protocol)
Configure NTP in a client and server mode
NTP Configuration and Verification | Redundant NTP Configuration
DNS (Domain Name System)
The role of DNS within the network
DNS Role Within a Network | Configuring DNS in Cisco IOS
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
Configuring and verifying DHCP client and relay
DHCP Role Within a Network | Configuring and Verifying DHCP Client and Relay
SSH (Secure Shell)
How to configure SSH on Cisco devices
Configure Device Access Control (login and login local) | Layer 2 Switch Management IP | Configure Device Remote Access using SSH and Telnet
NAT (Network Address Translation)
Static NAT configuration
Private IPv4 Addresses | NAT Purpose | Static NAT | Static NAT Configuration
Dynamic PAT configuration
Dynamic NAT | NAT Pool Exhaustion | Dynamic NAT Configuration | PAT Configuration
Security fundamentals
CCNA security fundamentals
Key Security Concepts | Common Attacks | MFA | AAA | Security Program Elements | Kali Linux Demo
IPsec site-to-site VPNs
Site-to-Site VPNs using IPsec | GRE over IPsec Configuration and Verification
Switch port security configuration and verification
Port Security Configuration | Port Security Verification | Sticky Secure MAC Addresses | Port Security Violation Modes
DHCP snooping configuration and verification
DHCP Snooping Logic | DHCP Snooping Configuration | DHCP Snooping Verification | Optional DHCP Snooping Features
DAI configuration and verification
Gratuitous ARP | DAI logic | DAI Configuration | Limiting DAI Message Rates | Optional DAI Message Checks
Network topology architectures
Cloud computing framework (NIST SP 800-145)
On-Premise and Cloud | Cloud Services
Virtualization
Virtualization fundamentals
Server Virtualization | VMs (Virtual Machines)
Containers (VMs vs containers)
VMs vs Containers | Popular Containerization Platforms
VRFs (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) explained
VRF Configuration and Verification | VRF Routing Tables
Wireless networking
Wireless fundamentals for the CCNA
IEEE 802.11 | Access Points | Wireless LAN Topologies | RF | Wireless Bands and Channels | Wireless Standards
Cisco wireless architectures and AP modes
Autonomous AP Architecture | Cloud-Based AP Architecture | Split-MAC Architectures | WLC Deployment Models | Cisco AP Modes
Wireless network security
Wireless Security Framework | Open Authentication | WEP | EAP | WPA, WPA2, WPA3
Configure WLAN within the GUI using WPA2 PSK
Configuring a WLAN | Configuring WLAN Security | Configuring WLAN QoS
Automation and programmability
Automation and programmability – introduction
Network Management Automation | Controller-Based Networking | Control Plane and Data Plane | Northbound and Southbound APIs
Components of JSON-encoded data
Variables | JSON Data Types | XML (Extensible Markup Language) | YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language)
Characteristics of REST-based APIs
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) | CRUD Operations and HTTP Verbs | Characteristics of REST APIs
Software-Defined Networking
Controller-Based SDN Architecture (Overlay, Underlay, and Fabric) | Cisco SD-Access | Cisco DNA Center Enabled Device Management
Ansible, Puppet, and Chef
Configuration Management Mechanisms | Ansible | Puppet | Chef
Related content
Automation and programmability – introduction
CCNA curriculum mapped to the OSI model
CCNA Security Fundamentals portal
CCNA topics in alphabetical order
CCNA wireless networking portal
Compliance frameworks and industry standards
How data flow through the Internet
How to break into information security
IT career paths – everything you need to know
Job roles in IT and cybersecurity
The GRC approach to managing cybersecurity
The Security Operations Center (SOC) career path
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