Lab ID: PTL-0048
Title: Multi-Site Routing with Branch Networks
Status: TESTED_PASS (Verified live in Cisco Packet Tracer 9.0.1 via MCP loopback bridge automation)
1. Packet Tracer Topology Construction Manifest#
To construct or manually verify this topology in Cisco Packet Tracer:
Device Inventory#
| Device Role | PT Device Model | Display Name | Modules / Slots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters Hub Router | Cisco 4331 ISR | R-HQ | 3 Onboard GE ports (Gi0/0/0, Gi0/0/1, Gi0/0/2) |
| Branch 1 Spoke Router | Cisco 4331 ISR | R-BR1 | 3 Onboard GE ports (Gi0/0/0, Gi0/0/1, Gi0/0/2) |
| Branch 2 Spoke Router | Cisco 4331 ISR | R-BR2 | 3 Onboard GE ports (Gi0/0/0, Gi0/0/1, Gi0/0/2) |
| Headquarters Switch | Cisco Catalyst 2960-24TT | SW-HQ | 24 FastEthernet + 2 GigabitEthernet ports |
| Branch 1 Switch | Cisco Catalyst 2960-24TT | SW-BR1 | 24 FastEthernet + 2 GigabitEthernet ports |
| Branch 2 Switch | Cisco Catalyst 2960-24TT | SW-BR2 | 24 FastEthernet + 2 GigabitEthernet ports |
| Headquarters Server | Server-PT | HQ-Server | FastEthernet0 (10.10.0.10/24, gw 10.10.0.1) |
| Branch 1 PC | PC-PT | PC-BR1 | FastEthernet0 (10.20.0.10/24, gw 10.20.0.1) |
| Branch 2 PC | PC-PT | PC-BR2 | FastEthernet0 (10.30.0.10/24, gw 10.30.0.1) |
Physical Cabling Matrix#
| Link ID | Source Device | Source Port | Destination Device | Destination Port | Cable Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-01 | R-HQ | GigabitEthernet0/0/1 | R-BR1 | GigabitEthernet0/0/1 | Copper Crossover |
| L-02 | R-HQ | GigabitEthernet0/0/2 | R-BR2 | GigabitEthernet0/0/2 | Copper Crossover |
| L-03 | R-HQ | GigabitEthernet0/0/0 | SW-HQ | GigabitEthernet0/1 | Copper Straight-Through |
| L-04 | R-BR1 | GigabitEthernet0/0/0 | SW-BR1 | GigabitEthernet0/1 | Copper Straight-Through |
| L-05 | R-BR2 | GigabitEthernet0/0/0 | SW-BR2 | GigabitEthernet0/1 | Copper Straight-Through |
| L-06 | SW-HQ | FastEthernet0/1 | HQ-Server | FastEthernet0 | Copper Straight-Through |
| L-07 | SW-BR1 | FastEthernet0/1 | PC-BR1 | FastEthernet0 | Copper Straight-Through |
| L-08 | SW-BR2 | FastEthernet0/1 | PC-BR2 | FastEthernet0 | Copper Straight-Through |
2. Positive Verification Test Matrix#
| Test ID | Objective | Command / Procedure | Expected Result | Pass Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS-01 | R-HQ Routing Table Audit | R-HQ# show ip route static |
Explicit static routes to 10.20.0.0/24 via 172.16.12.2 and 10.30.0.0/24 via 172.16.13.2 are installed |
Both branch networks active in HQ routing table |
| POS-02 | Spoke Default Route Audit | R-BR1# show ip route staticR-BR2# show ip route static |
Default routes 0.0.0.0/0 via 172.16.12.1 on R-BR1 and 0.0.0.0/0 via 172.16.13.1 on R-BR2 are active |
Both spoke routers show S* 0.0.0.0/0 |
| POS-03 | Branch 1 Local Gateway Reachability | PC-BR1> ping 10.20.0.1 |
4/4 echo replies received (0% packet loss) | Intra-subnet communication verified |
| POS-04 | Branch 2 Local Gateway Reachability | PC-BR2> ping 10.30.0.1 |
4/4 echo replies received (0% packet loss) | Intra-subnet communication verified |
| POS-05 | Branch 1 to HQ Server Reachability | PC-BR1> ping 10.10.0.10 |
4/4 echo replies received (0% packet loss) | Spoke-to-hub data plane delivery verified |
| POS-06 | Branch 2 to HQ Server Reachability | PC-BR2> ping 10.10.0.10 |
4/4 echo replies received (0% packet loss) | Spoke-to-hub data plane delivery verified |
| POS-07 | Inter-Branch Spoke-to-Spoke Transit Reachability | PC-BR1> ping 10.30.0.10 |
4/4 echo replies received (0% packet loss, TTL=125) | Multi-hop transit through hub router verified |
3. Negative & Fault Tolerance Test Matrix#
| Test ID | Fault Scenario | Injection Procedure | Observed Symptom | Recovery Procedure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEG-01 | Starter State: Endpoint Gateway Typo & Invalid Next-Hop | On PC-BR1, gateway is 10.20.0.254. On R-BR1, default route next-hop is 172.16.12.5. Test ping to HQ-Server (10.10.0.10). |
Ping fails with 100% loss (Request timed out / Destination host unreachable). |
Correct gateway on PC-BR1 to 10.20.0.1, and reconfigure static default route on R-BR1 with next-hop 172.16.12.1. |
| NEG-02 | Starter State: Missing Return Route on Hub | On R-HQ, static route to 10.30.0.0/24 is removed. Test ping from PC-BR2 to HQ-Server (10.10.0.10). |
Ping fails with 100% loss (Request timed out). R-HQ cannot return echo replies to Branch 2. |
Add explicit static route on R-HQ: ip route 10.30.0.0 255.255.255.0 172.16.13.2. |
4. Reload and Persistence Verification#
completed.pktreloaded cleanly viaipc.appWindow().fileOpen().- Hub and spoke routers preserved NVRAM startup configurations across reload.
- Full end-to-end reachability across all three enterprise sites confirmed after reload.
- Reopened
starter.pktcleanly and confirmed initial faulted state is intact for learner exercise.