CCNA 200-301 Volume 1 Chapter 16 has several good examples you can recreate in Packet Tracer (PT). This chapter focuses on IPv4 routing, both the concepts and some of the related configuration. It includes concepts and configuration for IPv4 addresses and the resulting connected IPv4 routes, along with static IPv4 routes. This chapter explains some of the most critical content in the book. As with all posts in this series, look for advice and tools to help you recreate this chapter’s examples. Enjoy!
The big idea is pretty simple: Repeat the Examples in the Official Cert Guide as part of your lab practice for CCNA using Packet Tracer.
The details require some reading. To get your head around what kind of content is here in the blog for these labs, read:
Chapter Intro: A brief description of the topics in that chapter of the book.
Download Link: Links to a ZIP; the ZIP holds all the .PKT files for this chapter.
Table of PKT files, by Example: A table that lists each example in the chapter, with the files supplied for each. Also lists a note about whether the PKT topology matches the book example exactly or not.
Tips: When we build the files, we come across items that we think might confuse you when trying the examples with PT. We write those notes in this section!
By default, Cisco routers enable IPv4 routing. However, before a router routes packets, it needs some routes in its routing table, and getting those routes to appear does require some new configuration. In particular, Cisco routers will add IPv4 routes to their respective routing tables based on these three sources:
This chapter discusses the first two reasons in some detail. PT supports the commands related to both, so jump and look at the results of configuring IP addresses and static routes.
When building the content for this post, we review the examples in the book and decide whether it makes sense to supply a Packet Tracer (.pkt) file to match the example. If we choose to support an example by supplying a matching .pkt file, the .pkt file includes a topology that matches the example as much as possible. It also includes the device configurations as they should exist at the beginning of the example.
In some cases, the .pkt file shows two instances of the lab topology – one above and one below. We include two such topologies when the book example includes configuration commands, for these purposes:
| Example | .PKT Includes Initial State of Example? |
.PKT Also Includes Ending State of Example? |
Exact Match of Interface IDs? |
| 16-1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 16-2 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 16-3 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 16-4 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 16-5 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 16-6 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 16-7 | Not Supplied | Not Supplied | N/A |
| 16-8 | Not Supplied | Not Supplied | N/A |
| 16-9 | Not Supplied | Not Supplied | N/A |
This book example lists output from the show running-config command. However, in a small departure from our normal process, to make it more meaningful to repeat, we made the PT file with both an initial and ending topology/config. That means you can add the configuration to the initial configuration topology at the top.
Also, note that you may need to add the no shutdown command under each interface to enable the interfaces in PT.
To populate the ARP table, which will then let PT show the same output as in the book example, you should ping from router R1 to PC1 with the ping 172.16.1.9 command.
Also, note the book has a typo in the example: The example is from R1, but the command prompt shows R2. Change “R2” in the example to “R1”.
This example shows a case in which the OSPF-learned route has failed, so router R1 instead uses a floating static route. You can experiment further in lab by:
When R2’s G0/1 is enabled, the R1-R2 link should work, OSPF should work over that link, and R1 should use an OSPF-learned route over that link. When disabled, R1 should use the floating static route instead.
Note: It does take some time for OSPF to converge (about 60 seconds in our testing.)
Note that this example is based on Figure 16-12 (not 16-13 as noted in the book).
We do not supply a PKT file for this example because it focuses on the permanent keyword at the end of the ip route command, and PT does not support the permanent keyword.
This example focuses on overlapping routes. We did not supply a PKT file because PTs implementation of the show ip route ospf command omits the prefix-style mask for each route.
OK, I don’t get how these work.. I am trying your example for 16-2 and I am supposed to ping from PC1, but I don’t know which one is PC1… Is PC1 really PC-PT-A or something? just trying to follow along and it’s not making sense to me…
Hi Evan,
I think something’s fishy here. So I just downloaded the .zip from the link above, and opened the .pkt file for Example 16-2. And I don’t see any PC with a name “PC-PT-A”. I do see one with an “A” on top of the icon. In fact, the names in Packet Tracer match the names in the book’s Figure 16-10.
So, when open the .pkt for example 16-2, named “Vol1-Ex-16-02.pkt” once you unzip the file, do you see a PC named “PC-PT-A”?
Wendell
Yes, I see a PC with a name PC-PT-A, B and C. If they are supposed to be labeled PC-1, 2 and 3, I guess I assume A is 1, b is 2, etc?
If I could attach a screenshot, I would… I’ll send the screenshot via email from your link above…
Fyi, i tweeted my screenshot, hopefully you will, see that…
For example 16-2: I am looking at the ip arp table for R1 and it is listing the ip address for the WAN link(172.16.5.1) interface, instead of host A(172.16.1.9) as shown in the text. I’ve tried using clear ip arp but it doesn’t seem to be working. Am I missing something? Thanks.
Oops nevermind.
In Vol1-Ex-16-08 how can I get the red cable in packet Tracer. Which one you use to connect between routers. What type of cable did you use? Could you please give any advice.
Hi Avijit,
Sure. The cables are available in the “bottom toolbar” (click View… Toolbars… Bottom Toolbar). Then, you need two routers with the Gigabit Ethernet expansion WICs in them that support fiber optic cables. R1 has a spare port in that particular .pkt file, but I don’t see one on the others. So you’d need to add one. Then, the cable is actually orange in the bottom toolbar (go figure, huh?) To get there, in the bottom toolbar, click the lightning bolt, and then the solid orange line, then point at a router that has an open fiber ethernet port, select that interface, point to the other router w/ an open fiber ethernet port, click it, select that interface… that should do it.
Thank you so much. I figured it out. For fiber cable support, I had to configure the router interface by adding HWIC-1GE-SFP and GLC-LH-SMD. I did not know that before.
Hi I am unable to download the .pkt file, says file not available
Hi Rashel,
Thanks for the notice. We’re working with the hosting company on an issue that appears to be related to an unplanned migration. We hope to get it working soon.
Note that the problem occurs only on a subset of OS’s and browsers, so if you have Windows and MS Edge, try from there – it would likely work even now.
Thanks again,
Wendell
Wendell Thanks a lot. this is working now