University of Buea

Faculty of Engineering and Technology

Department of Computer Science

Lab - Basic Switch Configuration

Topology

Addressing Table
Device Interface IP Address / Prefix

S1 VLAN 99 192.168.1.2 /24

PC-A NIC
PC-A
192.168.1.10 /24

Objectives
Part 1: Cable the Network and Verify the Default Switch Configuration
Part 2: Configure Basic Network Device Settings
• Configure basic switch settings.
• Configure the PC IP address.
Part 3: Verify and Test Network Connectivity
• Display device configuration.
• Test end-to-end connectivity with ping.
• Test remote management capabilities with Telnet.

Background / Scenario
Cisco switches can be configured with a special IP address known as the switch virtual interface (SVI). The
SVI, or management address, can be used for remote access to the switch to display or configure settings. If
the VLAN 1 SVI is assigned an IP address, by default all ports in VLAN 1 have access to the SVI IP address.
In this lab, you will build a simple topology using Ethernet LAN cabling and access a Cisco switch using the
console and remote access methods. You will examine default switch configurations before configuring basic
switch settings. These basic switch settings include device name, interface description, local passwords,
message of the day (MOTD) banner, IP addressing, and static MAC address. You will also demonstrate the
use of a management IP address for remote switch management. The topology consists of one switch and one
host using only Ethernet and console ports.
Note: The switches used are Cisco Catalyst 2960s with Cisco IOS Release 15.2(2) (lanbasek9 image). Other
switches and Cisco IOS versions can be used. Depending on the model and Cisco IOS version, the commands
available and output produced might vary from what is shown in the labs.
Note: Make sure that the switches have been erased and have no startup configurations. If you are unsure,
contact your instructor. Refer to Appendix A for the procedures to initialize and reload a switch.

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Required Resources
• 1 Switch (Cisco 2960 with Cisco IOS Release 15.2(2) lanbasek9 image or comparable)
• 1 PC (Windows with terminal emulation program, such as Tera Term)
• 1 Console cable to configure the Cisco IOS device via the console port
• 1 Ethernet cable as shown in the topology

Part 1: Cable the Network and Verify the Default Switch Configuration
In Part 1, you will set up the network topology and verify default switch settings.

Step 1: Cable the network as shown in the topology.

a. Connect the console cable as shown in the topology. Do not connect the PC-A Ethernet cable at this time.
b. Connect to the switch from PC-A using Tera Term or other terminal emulation program.
Question:

Why must you use a console connection to initially configure the switch? Why is it not possible to connect
to the switch via Telnet or SSH?

Step 2: Verify the default switch configuration.

In this step, you will examine the default switch settings, such as current switch configuration, IOS information,
interface properties, VLAN information, and flash memory.
You can access all the switch IOS commands in privileged EXEC mode. Access to privileged EXEC mode
should be restricted by password protection to prevent unauthorized use because it provides direct access to
global configuration mode and commands used to configure operating parameters. You will set passwords later
in this lab.
The privileged EXEC mode command set includes those commands contained in user EXEC mode, as well as
the configure command through which access to the remaining command modes is gained. Use the enable
command to enter privileged EXEC mode.
a. Assuming the switch had no configuration file stored in nonvolatile random-access memory (NVRAM), A
console connection using Tera Term or other terminal emulation program will place you at the user EXEC
mode prompt on the switch with a prompt of Switch>. Use the enable command to enter privileged EXEC
mode.
Open configuration window

Switch> enable
Switch#
Notice that the prompt changed in the configuration to reflect privileged EXEC mode.
Verify that there is a clean default configuration file on the switch by issuing the show running-config
privileged EXEC mode command. If a configuration file was previously saved, it must be removed.
Depending on the switch model and IOS version, your configuration may look slightly different. However,
there should be no configured passwords or IP address. If your switch does not have a default configuration,
erase and reload the switch.
Note: Appendix A details the steps to initialize and reload a switch.
b. Examine the current running configuration file.
Switch# show running-config
Questions:

- How many FastEthernet interfaces does a 2960 switch have? 24

- How many Gigabit Ethernet interfaces does a 2960 switch have?

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- What is the range of values shown for the vty lines? 0-4 and 5-15 or 0-15
Type your answers here.
c. Examine the startup configuration file in NVRAM.
Switch# show startup-config
startup-config is not present
Question:

- Why does this message appear?

No configurations have been saved to NVRAM.
d. Examine the characteristics of the SVI for VLAN 1.
Switch# show interface vlan1
Questions:

- Is there an IP address assigned to VLAN 1? No

- What is the MAC address of this SVI?
- Is this interface up?be up, line protocol down. By default, all ports are assigned initially to VLAN 1
e. Examine the IP properties of the SVI VLAN 1.
Switch# show ip interface vlan1
Question:

- What output do you see?

f. Connect an Ethernet cable from PC-A to port 6 on the switch and examine the IP properties of the SVI
VLAN 1. Allow time for the switch and PC to negotiate duplex and speed parameters.
Switch# show ip interface vlan1
Question:

- What output do you see?

Internet protocol processing disabled
g. Examine the Cisco IOS version information of the switch.
Switch# show version
Questions:

- What is the Cisco IOS version that the switch is running?

- What is the system image filename?
- What is the base MAC address of this switch?
h. Examine the default properties of the FastEthernet interface used by PC-A.
Switch# show interface f0/6
Question:

- Is the interface up or down? It should be up unless there is a cabling problem

- What event would make an interface go up? Connecting a host or other device
- What is the MAC address of the interface?
- What is the speed and duplex setting of the interface? Full-duplex, 100Mb/s
Type your answers here.
i. Examine the default VLAN settings of the switch.
Switch# show vlan
Question:

- What is the default name of VLAN 1? Default

- Which ports are in VLAN 1? all ports; F0/1 – F0/24; G0/1, G0/2

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- - Is VLAN 1 active? Yes

j. Examine flash memory.

Issue one of the following commands to examine the contents of the flash directory.
Switch# show flash
Switch# dir flash:
Files have a file extension, such as .bin, at the end of the filename. Directories do not have a file
extension.
Question:

- What is the filename of the Cisco IOS image?

Type your answers here.

Part 2: Configure Basic Network Device Settings

In Part 2, you will configure basic settings for the switch and PC.

Step 1: Configure basic switch settings.

a. Explain the following basic configurations. Then, copy and paste them into S1 while in global
configuration mode.
no ip domain-lookup
hostname S1
service password-encryption
enable secret class
banner motd #
Unauthorized access is strictly prohibited. #

b. Set the SVI IP address of the switch. This allows remote management of the switch.
Before you can manage S1 remotely from PC-A, you must assign the switch an IP address. The default
configuration on the switch is to have the management of the switch controlled through VLAN 1. However,
a best practice for basic switch configuration is to change the management VLAN to a VLAN other than
VLAN 1.
For management purposes, use VLAN 99. The selection of VLAN 99 is arbitrary and in no way implies that
you should always use VLAN 99.
First, create the new VLAN 99 on the switch. Then set the IP address of the switch to 192.168.1.2 with a
subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 on the internal virtual interface VLAN 99. IPv6 address can also be
configured on the SVI interface. Use the IPv6 addresses listed in the Addressing Table.
S1# configure terminal
Notice that the VLAN 99 interface is in the down state even though you entered the no shutdown
command. The interface is currently down because no switch ports are assigned to VLAN 99.
c. Assign all user ports to VLAN 99.
S1(config)# interface range f0/1 – 24,g0/1 - 2
S1(config-if-range)# switchport access vlan 99
S1(config-if-range)# exit
To establish connectivity between the host and the switch, the ports used by the host must be in the same
VLAN as the switch. Notice in the above output that the VLAN 1 interface goes down because none of the

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Lab - Basic Switch Configuration

ports are assigned to VLAN 1. After a few seconds, VLAN 99 comes up because at least one active port
(F0/6 with PC-A attached) is now assigned to VLAN 99.
d. Issue the show vlan brief command to verify that all ports are in VLAN 99.
S1# show vlan brief

e. Configure the default gateway for S1. If no default gateway is set, the switch cannot be managed from a
remote network that is more than one router away. Although this activity does not include an external IP
gateway, assume that you will eventually connect the LAN to a router for external access. Assuming that
the LAN interface on the router is 192.168.1.1, set the default gateway for the switch.
S1(config)# ip default-gateway 192.168.1.1
f. Console port access should also be restricted with a password. Use cisco as the console login password
in this activity. The default configuration is to allow all console connections with no password needed. To
prevent console messages from interrupting commands, use the logging synchronous option.
S1(config)#
g. Configure the virtual terminal (vty) lines for the switch to allow telnet access. If you do not configure a vty
password, you will not be able to telnet to the switch.
S1(config)#
Question:

Why is the login command required? Without the login command, the switch will not prompt for a
password.
Close configuration window

Step 2: Configure an IP address on PC-A.

Assign the IP address and subnet mask to the PC as shown in the Addressing Table. An abbreviated version
of the procedure is described here. A default gateway is not required for this topology; however, you can enter
192.168.1.1 and fe80::1 to simulate a router attached to S1.
1) Navigate to the Control Panel.
2) In the Category view, select View network status and tasks.
3) Click Change adapter settings on the left panel.
4) Right-click an Ethernet interface, and choose Properties.
5) Choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
6) Click the Use the following IP address radio button and enter the IP address and subnet mask and
click OK.
7) Select Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click Properties.
8) Click the Use the following IPv6 address radio button and enter the IPv6 address and prefix and
click OK to continue
9) Click OK to exit the Properties window.

Part 3: Verify and Test Network Connectivity

In Part 3, you will verify and document the switch configuration, test end-to-end connectivity between PC-A
and S1, and test the switch’s remote management capability.

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Lab - Basic Switch Configuration

Step 1: Display the switch configuration.

Use the console connection on PC-A to display and verify the switch configuration. The show run command
displays the entire running configuration, one page at a time. Use the spacebar to advance paging.
a. A sample configuration is shown here. The settings you configured are highlighted in yellow. The other
configuration settings are IOS defaults.
Open configuration window

S1# show run

b. Verify the management VLAN 99 settings.

S1# show interface vlan 99
Questions:

What is the VLAN 99 state? Up

What is the line protocol state? Up
Close configuration window

Step 2: Test end-to-end connectivity with ping.

a. From the command prompt on PC-A, ping the address of PC-A first.
C:\> ping 192.168.1.10
b. From the command prompt on PC-A, ping the SVI management address of S1.
C:\> ping 192.168.1.2
Because PC-A needs to resolve the MAC address of S1 through ARP, the first packet may time out. If
ping results continue to be unsuccessful, troubleshoot the basic device configurations. Check both the
physical cabling and logical addressing.

Step 3: Test and verify remote management of S1.

You will now use Telnet to remotely access the switch. In this lab, PC-A and S1 reside side by side. In a
production network, the switch could be in a wiring closet on the top floor while your management PC is located
on the ground floor. In this step, you will use Telnet to remotely access switch S1 using its SVI management
address. Telnet is not a secure protocol; however, you will use it to test remote access. With Telnet, all
information, including passwords and commands, are sent across the session in plain text. In subsequent labs,
you will use SSH to remotely access network devices.
a. Open Tera Term or other terminal emulation program with Telnet capability.
b. Select the Telnet server and provide the SVI management address to connect to S1. The password is
cisco.
c. After entering the password cisco, you will be at the user EXEC mode prompt. Access privileged EXEC
mode using the enable command and providing the secret password class.
d. Save the configuration.
S1# copy running-config startup-config
e. Type exit to end the Telnet session.

Part 4: Manage the MAC Address Table

In Part 4, you will determine the MAC addresses that the switch has learned, set up a static MAC address on
one interface of the switch, and then remove the static MAC address from that interface.

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Lab - Basic Switch Configuration

Step 1: Record the MAC address of the host.

Open a command prompt on PC-A and issue the ipconfig /all command to determine and record the Layer 2
(physical) addresses of the NIC.
Type your answers here.
Step 2: Determine the MAC addresses that the switch has learned.
Open configuration window

Display the MAC addresses using the show mac address-table command.
S1# show mac address-table
Questions:

Step 3: List the show mac address-table options.

a. Display the MAC address table options.
S1# show mac address-table?
Question:

How many options are available for the show mac address-table command?
Type your answers here.
b. Issue the show mac address-table dynamic command to display only the MAC addresses that were
learned dynamically.
S1# show mac address-table dynamic
Question:

How many dynamic addresses are there?

Type your answers here.
c. View the MAC address entry for PC-A. The MAC address formatting for the command is xxxx.xxxx.xxxx.
S1# show mac address-table address <PC-A MAC here>
Questions:Type your answers here.
Close configuration window

Reflection Questions
1. Why should you configure the vty password for the switch? If you do not configure a vty password you will not
be able to telnet to the switch.
2. Why change the default VLAN 1 to a different VLAN number? For improved security

How can you prevent passwords from being sent in plain text? Issue the service password-encryptio

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