Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Configuring PortFast And BPDU Guard by Chris Bryant
In your CCNA studies, you learned about PortFast and the trouble it can cause if configured on the wrong port! Suitable only for switch ports connected directly to a single host, PortFast allows a port running STP to go directly from blocking to forwarding mode. ... If any BPDU comes in on a port that's running BPDU Guard, the port will be shut down and placed into error disabled state, shown on the switch as err-disabled. ... SW1(config-if)# Not only will the switch warn you about the proper usage of PortFast, but you must put the port into access mode before PortFast will take effect.

Cisco CCNP Certification / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Uplinkfast by Chris Bryant
You remember from your CCNA studies that when a port goes through the transition from blocking to forwarding, you're looking at a 50-second delay before that port can actually begin forwarding frames. Configuring a port with PortFast is one way to get around that, but again, you can only use it... The switch uses the following formula to determine how long to wait before transitioning back to the forwarding state: ( 2 x FwdDelay) + 5 seconds Uplinkfast will take immediate action to ensure that the switch upon which it is configured cannot become the root switch.

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Routing On A Frame Relay Switch by Chris Bryant
When you're preparing for CCNA and CCNP exam success, the best investment you can make is to put together your own home lab. There is no better way to learn Cisco technologies and prepare for the CCNA, BSCI, BCMSN, CIT, and other exams than by working with the many protocols and services you'll... You could connect to up to four routers to the 2520's serial ports in order to serve as the frame relay switch for those other routers, and still assign an IP address to the ethernet port and run a routing protocol on the 2520.

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Static VLANs by Chris Bryant
BCMSN exam success and earning your CCNP certification requires you to add to your knowledge of VLAN configuration. When you studied for your CCNA exam, you learned how to place ports into a VLAN and what the purpose of VLANs was, but you may not be aware that there are two types of VLAN... After doing that, we placed the port into VLAN 12 with the switchport access vlan 12 command. ... In this example, by placing switch ports 0/1 and 0/2 into VLAN 12, the only broadcasts and multicasts hosts connected to those ports will receive are the ones transmitted by ports in VLAN 12.

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) by Chris Bryant
When you're studying to pass the BCMSN exam on the way to earning your CCNP certification, you're going to add to your CCNA knowledgebase every step of the way. Nowhere is that more than configuring a trunk between two switches. You know that IEEE 802.1Q ("dot1q") and ISL are your two choices of... If you decide to configure a port as a non-negotiable trunk port, there's no need for the port to send DTP frames. ... (Dynamic desirable is the default mode for most Cisco switch ports.) SW2(config)#int fast 0/8 SW2(config-if)#switchport nonegotiate Command rejected: Conflict between...

Cisco CCNA Certification Exam Tutorial: Port-Based Authentication by Chris Bryant
To pass your CCNA exam and earn this coveted certification, you must understand the details of port-based authentication. This knowledge has a great deal of value in production networks as well, since this authentication scheme is regularly implemented. ... Consider a situation where you have a server that will be connected to your switch, and you want the port to shut down if a device with a different MAC address that that of the switch attempts to connect to that port. ... You could also have a situation where you have someone who has a connection to a switch port in his office, and he...

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam: Same Command, Different Results by Chris Bryant
As a CCNA or CCNP, one thing you've got to get used to is that change is constant. Cisco regularly issues new IOS versions, not to mention the many different kinds of hardware they produce! While it's always nice to have "the latest and the greatest" when it comes to routers, switches,... Then, you run show span on a Catalyst 5000 - and something like this shows: switch (enable) show span Destination : Port 6/1 Admin Source : Port 6/2 Oper Source : Port 6/2 Direction : transmit/receive Incoming Packets: disabled Learning : enabled Multicast : enabled Filter : - Status : active...

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Home Lab Assembly Case Study by Chris Bryant
Part of your CCNA / CCNP education is deciding what network topology to use when you're putting together your home lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A customer recently sent me a list of his Cisco routers and switches that he... (If you need an access server sample configuration, there is one on my website in the Home Lab section.) A frame relay switch is also great to have, and the 4500 will make a great FR switch. ... This has one serial port, 1 ethernet port, and one BRI interface.

Cisco CCNA Certification: Defining Broadcast Domains by Chris Bryant
When you're studying to pass the CCNA exam and earn your certification, you're introduced to a great many terms that are either totally new to you or seem familiar, but you're not quite sure what they are. The term "broadcast domain" falls into the latter category for many CCNA candidates. ... By default, a switch has no effect on broadcast domains; CCNA candidates know that a switch will forward a broadcast out every single port on that switch except the one upon which it was received. ... A broadcast sent by one host in a VLAN will not be forwarded out every other port on the switch.

Understanding the Components of a Home Network by Jeff Heaton
Home networks are becoming more common. People want to be able to share a single broadband Internet connection to several computers in the house. There are many different devices that you can use to make up your home network. If you have never heard network terminology device names like router,... If you do not have an uplink port on your switch, the switch can not be easily extended if you run out of ports. ... To connect a switch to a router simply connect the switch’s "uplink" port to one of the routers Ethernet ports.