CCNA-Aligned Topical Study Path

Domain 1: Network Fundamentals#

Understanding physical components, cabling, device configuration, and IP addressing concepts.

• PTL-0008: Cisco IOS Navigation and Initial Device Configuration Topics: CLI navigation, hostname, MOTD banner, encrypted enable secret, console/VTY password security, saving configs (write memory).
• PTL-0002: Configuring Cisco Router Interfaces Topics: IPv4 subnetting, IPv6 global unicast (2001:db8::/32), IPv6 link-local (fe80::/10), interface descriptions.
• PTL-0005: Verifying Directly Connected Networks Topics: Interpreting routing table output, comparing directly connected (C) and local host interface (L) routes.
• PTL-0014: Default Gateway Operation and Troubleshooting Topics: Default gateway role, host routing decision process, ARP resolution boundary, troubleshooting missing or incorrect gateways.
• PTL-0015: IPv4 Subnetting and VLSM Network Design Topics: VLSM prefix calculation, host requirements, /30 point-to-point links, avoiding address exhaustion.
• PTL-0047: VLSM Address Plan Fault Investigation Topics: Enterprise VLSM allocation auditing, directed broadcast host assignment remediation, gateway capacity deficit resolution, and transit link prefix optimization.
• PTL-0026: IPv6 SLAAC and Neighbor Discovery Topics: Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC), ICMPv6 Router Advertisements (RA), EUI-64 interface identifiers, IPv6 neighbor cache resolution.

Domain 2: Network Access (Layer 2 Switching)#

Configuring and troubleshooting VLANs, trunks, and link aggregation.

• PTL-0016: MAC Address Learning and ARP Operation Topics: Switch MAC address table learning, frame forwarding, unknown unicast flooding, ARP request/reply exchange, table aging.
• PTL-0024: CDP Neighbor Discovery and Topology Audit Topics: Layer 2 neighbor mapping, TLV frame inspection, interface discovery timers, and access port hardening.
• PTL-0009: VLAN Segmentation and Access Port Configuration Topics: Access ports, VLAN creation, broadcast isolation, MAC address table behavior.
• PTL-0018: Dynamic Trunking Protocol and Native VLAN Security Topics: DTP frame negotiation mitigation (switchport nonegotiate), Dedicated Native VLAN 999 reassignment, allowed VLAN list pruning.
• PTL-0044: VLAN Trunk Allowed-List Troubleshooting Topics: Multi-VLAN trunk pruning diagnosis, allowed-list modification using add syntax, Native VLAN mismatch remediation, and broadcast domain isolation verification.
• PTL-0017: Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, PortFast, and BPDU Guard Topics: IEEE 802.1w Rapid PVST+ configuration, deterministic root bridge priority, port role election, edge PortFast, and BPDU Guard errdisable defense.
• PTL-0045: Spanning Tree Root and Blocked-Port Investigation Topics: Spanning tree root inversion diagnosis, path cost calculation, primary (4096) and secondary (8192) root bridge configuration, and core link unblocking.
• PTL-0006: Configuring Layer 2 EtherChannel with LACP Topics: Link aggregation IEEE 802.3ad LACP, Port-channel logical interfaces, load distribution.
• PTL-0046: LACP EtherChannel Member Mismatch Diagnosis Topics: Link aggregation member parameter mismatch diagnosis, port suspension resolution, and multi-VLAN trunk aggregation.
• PTL-0049: Campus Distribution and Access VLAN Design Topics: Multilayer campus distribution switching, 802.1Q trunking, SVI inter-VLAN routing, and end-to-end multi-VLAN service reachability.
• PTL-0007: Cisco Switch Security Hardening Best Practices Topics: Native VLAN hopping mitigation, disabling DTP (switchport nonegotiate), PortFast, BPDU Guard.
• PTL-0035: WPA2 Wireless LAN Fundamentals Topics: Autonomous access point deployment, WPA2-Personal (Pre-Shared Key with AES encryption), Cisco IOS DHCP pool configuration, client 802.11 association, and positive/negative security verification.
• PTL-0036: Wireless VLAN Separation and Guest Access Topics: Multilayer switch SVIs, corporate vs guest VLAN isolation, multi-pool DHCP, WPA2-PSK security, and Extended ACL guest traffic restriction.

Domain 3: IP Connectivity (Routing)#

Inter-VLAN routing, static routes, and dynamic link-state routing.

• PTL-0010: Router-on-a-Stick Inter-VLAN Routing Topics: 802.1Q trunking on router subinterfaces, encapsulation dot1Q, default gateway configuration.
• PTL-0019: Layer 3 Switch SVIs and Routed Ports Topics: Multilayer switching, hardware CEF inter-VLAN routing, Switch Virtual Interfaces (SVIs), Layer 3 routed ports (no switchport), SVI autostate, and default route forwarding.
• PTL-0001: Dual-Stack IPv4 and IPv6 Static Routing Topics: Recursive, next-hop, and directly connected static routes; IPv6 static routes; ipv6 unicast-routing.
• PTL-0027: IPv6 Static and Default Route Troubleshooting Topics: Recursive next-hop routing, default routes (::/0), multi-router transit verification, asymmetric return path troubleshooting.
• PTL-0028: Floating Static Routes and Administrative Distance Topics: Administrative distance hierarchy, primary vs. floating backup routes, link failure convergence, preemption upon circuit restoration.
• PTL-0048: Multi-Site Routing with Branch Networks Topics: Enterprise hub-and-spoke static routing, spoke default gateway configuration, next-hop reachability validation, and symmetric return route verification.
• PTL-0011: Single-Area OSPFv2 Configuration and Verification Topics: RFC 2328 OSPF Area 0, router ID election, wildcard masks, point-to-point interface metrics, passive interfaces, neighbor states.
• PTL-0029: OSPFv2 DR and BDR Elections Topics: RFC 2328 multi-access broadcast networks, interface priorities (ip ospf priority), DR/BDR election hierarchy, DROTHER state, DR failover, non-preemptive election mechanics.
• PTL-0030: OSPFv2 Passive Interfaces and Neighbor Control Topics: OSPF Hello suppression, passive-interface default, selective interface enablement (no passive-interface), stub network propagation, transit link adjacency protection.
• PTL-0031: OSPFv2 Neighbor Adjacency Troubleshooting Topics: RFC 2328 neighbor adjacency requirements, Hello and Dead timer synchronization, Area ID validation, stub and transit network statement correction, loopback and LAN passive interface placement.
• PTL-0032: HSRP First-Hop Gateway Failover Topics: First Hop Redundancy Protocols (FHRP), Cisco HSRPv2 configuration, virtual IP and MAC operations, priority-driven active/standby elections, preemption, hold timer failover, transparent client default gateway redundancy.
• PTL-0034: Single-Area OSPFv3 for IPv6 Topics: OSPFv3 protocol operation, 32-bit dotted-decimal Router IDs, interface-level Area 0 activation, Point-to-Point WAN network types, passive-interface constraints, and end-to-end multi-hop IPv6 reachability.
• PTL-0054: Dual-Stack IPv4 and IPv6 Branch Network Topics: Enterprise dual-stack architecture, simultaneous IPv4 and IPv6 static routing, hub-and-spoke transit design, and route next-hop fault isolation.
• PTL-0055: Integrated Branch Network Troubleshooting Challenge Topics: Multi-domain branch office troubleshooting, 802.1Q trunk allowed-VLAN pruning, DHCP relay forwarding, asymmetric static return routing, and perimeter ACL filtering.

Domain 4: IP Services#

Automated host configuration and IP helper services.

• PTL-0012: Configuring Cisco IOS DHCPv4 Server and Relay Agent Topics: Cisco IOS DHCP pool creation, excluded addresses, default router option, DNS server option, and ip helper-address forwarding across router boundaries.
• PTL-0020: IPv4 Dynamic PAT at the Edge Topics: Port Address Translation (NAT Overload), standard ACL matching, inside/outside boundaries, and dynamic translation verification.
• PTL-0021: Static NAT and Inside Server Publishing Topics: One-to-one inside static NAT, public IP publishing, translation table analysis, and host security isolation.
• PTL-0022: DNS Records and HTTP Web Services Topics: Authoritative DNS resolution, A and CNAME record management, HTTP web hosting, and client name lookup.
• PTL-0023: NTP and Syslog Network Monitoring Topics: Network Time Protocol clock synchronization, millisecond log timestamping, centralized remote Syslog forwarding, and real-time fault notification.
• PTL-0025: TFTP Configuration Backup and Restore Topics: TFTP configuration archiving over UDP port 69, disaster recovery configuration merge, volatile vs persistent storage, and transfer fault handling.
• PTL-0033: Stateful DHCPv6 Address Assignment Topics: Stateful DHCPv6 configuration on Cisco IOS, ICMPv6 Router Advertisement M and A flag manipulation, client DUID bindings, and dual-router IPv6 packet transport.
• PTL-0037: DNS Resolution Failure Troubleshooting Topics: Troubleshooting client DNS resolver settings, diagnosing disabled DNS server daemons, populating missing A and CNAME records, and validating resolution via nslookup and ping.
• PTL-0043: NAT and PAT Troubleshooting Challenge Topics: Diagnosing NAT inside/outside interface role misconfigurations, correcting translation ACL subnet mismatches, dynamic PAT overload verification, and translation table inspection.
• PTL-0052: DHCP Helper-Address Multi-Subnet Troubleshooting Topics: Multi-subnet DHCP helper-address forwarding troubleshooting, subinterface helper-address misdirection remediation, and central server scope mismatch resolution.

Domain 5: Security Fundamentals#

Device access hardening, port security, and packet filtering.

• PTL-0003: Securing Switch Management with SSH Topics: RSA key generation, SSH version 2, local user credentials, VTY transport input SSH.
• PTL-0004: Implementing Switchport Port Security Topics: Static and sticky MAC address learning, violation modes (protect, restrict, shutdown), and errdisable recovery.
• PTL-0013: Configuring Standard and Extended IPv4 Access Control Lists Topics: Standard ACL source filtering, extended ACL protocol/port filtering, directional placement (in/out), traffic sequence matching, implicit deny.
• PTL-0038: DHCP Snooping and Rogue DHCP Detection Topics: Layer 2 DHCP snooping activation, trusted vs untrusted interface boundaries, Option 82 interoperability, DHCP rate limiting, and dynamic binding database inspection.
• PTL-0039: Dynamic ARP Inspection and Spoofing Defense Topics: Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) activation, trusted uplink boundaries, ARP rate limiting, multi-attribute validation checks (src-mac, dst-mac, ip), and ARP spoofing mitigation.
• PTL-0040: Port Security Violation Troubleshooting Topics: Diagnosing sticky MAC conflicts, resolving hardware upgrade outages, error-disabled port recovery sequence, and violation mode alignment.
• PTL-0041: IPv4 ACL Troubleshooting with Traffic Matrix Topics: Diagnosing shadowed access control entries, resolving directional placement conflicts (in vs out), correcting inverted wildcard masks, and verifying traffic matrices.
• PTL-0042: Named Extended IPv4 ACL for Server Access Topics: Named extended ACL creation, Layer 4 port-specific access control (DNS UDP 53, HTTP TCP 80, HTTPS TCP 443), DMZ perimeter defense, and least privilege enforcement.
• PTL-0050: Guest Network Segmentation with ACLs Topics: Enterprise guest network isolation, named extended IPv4 ACLs, least privilege service access, and unauthorized internal subnet blocking.
• PTL-0051: DMZ Services with Edge ACL Policy Topics: Three-legged perimeter DMZ architecture, edge router extended ACLs, outside inbound service filtering, and strict DMZ-to-corporate isolation.
• PTL-0053: Secure Management Network Design Topics: Dedicated management VLAN segmentation, cryptographic SSHv2 access, VTY access-class filtering, and data-plane isolation.

Capstone Integration#

• PTL Capstone: Small Office Multi-VLAN Network Design Topics: Multi-domain architectural synthesis combining switching, routing, services, and security.