In this section, we explore the world of programming, algorithms, networks, and infrastructure
This hands-on lab configures traditional Catalyst stacking (StackWise) across three switches using stack cables, contrasting its single-tier, chassis-proximity requirement against the StackWise Virtual pair covered in the previous lab, which allows switches to be located much farther apart.
This hands-on lab performs an In-Service Software Upgrade across a StackWise stack, upgrading each member's IOS image one at a time while the stack continues forwarding traffic throughout, verifying zero downtime compared to the disruptive reload approach used in earlier IOS upgrade labs.
This hands-on lab configures Remote SPAN (RSPAN) using a dedicated RSPAN VLAN carried across a trunk, allowing traffic mirrored on one switch to be monitored by a capture device connected to an entirely different switch, extending the local SPAN concept covered in an earlier lab across the network.
This hands-on lab configures Encapsulated RSPAN (ERSPAN) to mirror traffic across a Layer 3-routed network rather than a single Layer 2 trunk, extending the RSPAN concept from the previous lab beyond the boundaries of a single VLAN or switched domain.
This hands-on lab reconfigures a classic EIGRP setup into EIGRP named mode, organizing address-family and interface-specific configuration into a more structured hierarchy, and verifies functional equivalence with the classic configuration style used throughout earlier EIGRP labs in this series.
This hands-on lab configures a branch router as an EIGRP stub, verifying it advertises only its own connected and summary routes while the hub router correctly avoids querying the stub during a topology change elsewhere in the network.
This hands-on lab configures Type 3 LSA filtering at an ABR to selectively block specific inter-area routes from propagating into a neighboring area, achieving more granular control than the all-or-nothing summarization or stub area behaviors covered earlier in this series.
This hands-on lab configures aggressive OSPF hello and dead timers using the fast-hello feature, achieving sub-second failure detection without relying on BFD, and compares the resulting convergence speed against the default timers used throughout earlier OSPF labs in this series.
This hands-on lab adds MD5 authentication to the NTP configuration covered in an earlier lab, verifying a client only synchronizes with a server presenting the correct key and rejects time updates from an unauthenticated or mismatched source.
This hands-on lab presents a multi-fault scenario spanning an incorrectly configured EIGRP stub causing a routing black hole, an overly broad OSPF Type 3 filter blocking unintended routes, and a broken NTP authentication chain, requiring systematic diagnosis across three advanced technologies covered in recent labs.
This hands-on lab creates a CLI template in a DNA Center-style provisioning workflow using variables for site-specific values, applies it to two different devices, and verifies each device receives a customized configuration generated from the same single template.
This hands-on lab combines IP SLA monitoring with an EEM applet to simulate a simplified assurance-style health check, automatically classifying a link's health based on measured performance thresholds and logging a clear status change when the link degrades.
