This document details the complete positive and negative testing matrix for PTL-0032: HSRP First-Hop Gateway Failover, executed and verified inside Cisco Packet Tracer 9.0.1.
1. Positive Verification (POS)#
POS-01: Virtual Gateway IP Reachability#
From PC1, send ICMP echo requests to the configured default gateway address (192.168.1.1):
PC> ping 192.168.1.1
Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=255
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=255
Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
Result: 100% success rate (4/4 packets received). Confirms that the HSRP active router is answering ARP and forwarding packets on behalf of the virtual gateway IP.
POS-02: End-to-End External Destination Reachability#
From PC1, send ICMP echo requests through the HSRP first-hop gateway to the external Web-Server (203.0.113.100):
PC> ping 203.0.113.100
Pinging 203.0.113.100 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Ping statistics for 203.0.113.100:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Result: 100% success rate. Verifies end-to-end packet forwarding from internal LAN through the HSRP virtual gateway, across the core network, to the destination server.
POS-03: Primary Gateway HSRP State Verification (Edge-R1)#
Verify HSRP standby group status on Edge-R1 using show standby brief:
Edge-R1# show standby brief
P indicates configured to preempt.
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Interface Grp Pri P State Active Standby Virtual IP
Gig0/0/1 1 110 P Active local 192.168.1.3 192.168.1.1
Result: Edge-R1 reports Active state with priority 110, preemption enabled (P), and recognizes 192.168.1.3 as the Standby router.
POS-04: Standby Gateway HSRP State Verification (Edge-R2)#
Verify HSRP standby group status on Edge-R2 using show standby brief:
Edge-R2# show standby brief
P indicates configured to preempt.
|
Interface Grp Pri P State Active Standby Virtual IP
Gig0/0/1 1 100 P Standby 192.168.1.2 local 192.168.1.1
Result: Edge-R2 reports Standby state with priority 100, preemption enabled (P), and recognizes 192.168.1.2 as the Active router.
POS-05: Deliberate Gateway Failover Verification#
Administratively shut down the active LAN interface on Edge-R1 (GigabitEthernet0/0/1). After hold timer expiration (10 seconds), examine Edge-R2:
Edge-R2# show standby brief
P indicates configured to preempt.
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Interface Grp Pri P State Active Standby Virtual IP
Gig0/0/1 1 100 P Active local unknown 192.168.1.1
Verify that PC1 continues to reach external server 203.0.113.100 seamlessly:
PC> ping 203.0.113.100
Pinging 203.0.113.100 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 203.0.113.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Result: Seamless failover confirmed. The standby router assumes forwarding responsibilities and client communication is maintained without reconfiguring PC default gateway settings.
POS-06: Preemption and Recovery Verification#
Re-enable GigabitEthernet0/0/1 on Edge-R1 (no shutdown). Because Edge-R1 has higher priority (110 > 100) and preempt configured:
Edge-R1# show standby brief
P indicates configured to preempt.
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Interface Grp Pri P State Active Standby Virtual IP
Gig0/0/1 1 110 P Active local 192.168.1.3 192.168.1.1
Edge-R2# show standby brief
P indicates configured to preempt.
|
Interface Grp Pri P State Active Standby Virtual IP
Gig0/0/1 1 100 P Standby 192.168.1.2 local 192.168.1.1
Result: Preemption confirmed. Edge-R1 automatically regains the Active role and Edge-R2 gracefully yields back to Standby.
2. Negative Verification (NEG)#
NEG-01: Unconfigured HSRP Default Gateway Reachability Failure#
In the starter lab state (starter.pkt), before HSRP is configured on Edge-R1 and Edge-R2:
PC> ping 192.168.1.1
Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss)
Evaluation: Passes negative criteria. Without HSRP configured, no network node responds to ARP requests for 192.168.1.1, demonstrating the failure mode that FHRP resolves.
NEG-02: Missing Preemption Behavior#
If Edge-R1 priority is configured higher (110) but standby 1 preempt is omitted, Edge-R1 will not overthrow Edge-R2 when recovering from a failure. Edge-R2 remains Active indefinitely until rebooted. Configuring standby 1 preempt on the primary router is mandatory for predictable failback behavior.