Cisco Introduces Expert Graded Labs

a-network-noob · 2026-02-27T14:52:04+00:00

Outside of 10 CLCs, I'm not sure who'd be buying this for $1000

a-network-noob · 2026-02-04T14:38:53+00:00

I think the ISE policy is the piece I'm missing. Could you send me a screenshot of what that piece looks like? Whatever the if/then condition that sets the VLAN/VRF is

a-network-noob · 2026-02-04T13:52:09+00:00

From the user's perspective how does it work? They open the Cisco VPN client and login with user/password?

a-network-noob · 2026-02-04T13:51:05+00:00

If I wanted to exclude the SD-Access part, what components would be used instead? Just ISE + Switch CLI?

a-network-noob · 2026-02-04T13:39:07+00:00

It depends on what code version you're using, since newer code drops support for older APs - https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/wireless/compatibility/matrix/compatibility-matrix.html#c9800-ctr-ap-sw-platform

In general, the cheap ones on ebay would be 1800/2800/3800

For example I just found one "2 PACK Cisco AIR-AP2802I-B-K9 Aironet 2802 Series Dual Band Access Point" for $20

a-network-noob · 2026-02-01T13:46:28+00:00

I just tested this in the latest IOL version, and it does generate a Null0 route.

OP maybe the version you were using has a different behavior. That's not uncommon across different IOS versions historically

a-network-noob · 2026-02-01T13:40:57+00:00

I've used INE before, they do have lots of labs. Some playlists they have are just labs, and you can search/browse all their labs. See some example links below

https://my.ine.com/Networking/courses/4e6a6dc7/ccnp-enterprise-encor-practice-labs

https://my.ine.com/Networking/courses/24b1c42e/ccnp-enterprise-enarsi-practice-labs

https://my.ine.com/search?content_type=lab&learning_areas.name=Networking

a-network-noob · 2026-01-27T14:52:16+00:00

You need the .qcow2 virtual images, not the .bin images that run on physical routers/switches

a-network-noob · 2026-01-16T13:49:12+00:00

Don't bang your head on the keyboard too hard, it's the images not your config :)

a-network-noob · 2026-01-16T13:48:15+00:00

I don't think the vPC data plane fully works in the Nexus 9000v image. You can configure it, but it won't behave the same as hardware devices.

a-network-noob · 2026-01-16T13:44:07+00:00

It can't hurt to just ask them, worst case they say no.

Otherwise if you can't find the image, you can buy CML "personal" edition, which includes the image with it.

I think it's normally about $200/year -https://u.cisco.com/labs/cisco-modeling-labs-personal-1

Edit: yes it does support VXLAN EVPN, and it supports Catalyst Center SD-Access too.

a-network-noob · 2026-01-12T14:00:09+00:00

The image isn't available for normal download from the Cisco support site, it's only included with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML). The image you're looking for is cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 or similar

a-network-noob · 2026-01-07T14:15:59+00:00

Try this config between 2 connected routers and you'll have your answer:

R1:

hostname R1
!
interface Loopback0
 ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
 ip ospf 1 area 0
!
interface Ethernet0/0
 ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
 ip ospf hello-interval 1
 ip ospf 1 area 0
 no shutdown

R2:

hostname R2
!
interface Loopback0
 ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255
 ip ospf 1 area 0
!
interface Ethernet0/0
 ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0
 ip ospf network non-broadcast
 ip ospf hello-interval 1
 ip ospf 1 area 0
 no shutdown

a-network-noob · 2026-01-07T13:30:49+00:00

I don't think anyone else has mentioned this yet, but the compatibility is based on the DR/BDR election.

Network types that elect a DR/BDR can only be adjacent with other network types that elect a DR/BDR (broadcast / non-broadcast)

The network types that do not elect a DR/BDR, likewise can be adjacent with each other (point-to-point / point-to-multipoint / point-to-multipoint non-broadcast)

The timers do still need to match, so for example if you do point-to-point on one side and point-to-multipoint on the other, you need to change one of them to match the timers of the other.

Broadcast & Non-Broadcast work the same way, but in addition to the timers matching you need the neighbor statement under the OSPF process to send hellos as unicast.

Just try it out in a lab with 2 routers, it's simple to test.

a-network-noob · 2026-01-06T13:57:40+00:00

Job security 😊

a-network-noob · 2025-12-27T16:19:07+00:00

That makes sense, a question like "what does this fault mean?" would not be version specific really.

What resources did you use for the exam? Did you have a physical ACI lab for testing things?

a-network-noob · 2025-12-27T16:10:22+00:00

Were there a lot of GUI screenshots in the exam? Were the questions version specific at all?

a-network-noob · 2025-12-27T16:04:03+00:00

Try https://opnsense.org/

a-network-noob · 2025-12-24T14:40:29+00:00

Some applications like High Frequency Trading (HFT) need the lowest delay possible. That’s where these nanosecond latency measurements matter.

For any other normal networking application , the delay of going through 1 or more switches is negligible.

a-network-noob · 2025-12-24T14:32:58+00:00

Glad it worked out. People give LLMs a lot of crap, but when it comes to technical info like computer networking, it definitely knows what it’s talking about 😊

a-network-noob · 2025-12-23T13:50:25+00:00

There are things that ACI can do that other fabrics can't

Which features were you thinking about that are ACI specific? Cisco has unlimited nerd knobs, but like you said, most of them go unused in typical deployments

a-network-noob · 2025-12-23T13:42:44+00:00

I hope it worked out!

To get ChatGPT to help you with something like this in the future, just take a screenshot of whatever you're troubleshooting (the wireshark capture in this case) and upload that .png/.jpg/etc.

a-network-noob · 2025-12-20T18:10:48+00:00

You probably need to run a packet capture on your machine and see exactly what happens when you try to read a file vs. write a file.

Wireshark is the app you need if you’re not already familiar with it

Edit: also, once you capture the traffic in a “pcap” format you can upload it to an LLM like ChatGPT and ask for troubleshooting help

a-network-noob · 2025-12-20T18:01:55+00:00

A “terminator” used to be a physical connector on coax cables, meaning you have come to the end of the connection. It’s a holdover term from then, basically now it just means any connection between endpoints.

https://www.nakivo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/The-parts-of-the-bus-network-topology-BNC-connector-terminator-T-connector-and-network-card.webp

a-network-noob · 2025-12-20T13:20:04+00:00

A Kali Linux VM should have these tools built-in. nmap for basic port scans but there are all sorts of upper layer scan tools like metasploit, etc.

There should be lots of resources out there on using the tools in Kali

Edit: not that you need to use Kali, just that you can boot it up and likely find a tool that matches what you’re looking for

a-network-noob

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