Introduction

Welcome to the exciting world of Cisco certification! If you’ve picked up this book because you want to improve yourself and your life with a better, more satisfying, and secure job, you’ve done the right thing. Whether your plan is to enter the thriving, dynamic IT sector or to enhance your skill set and advance your position within it, being Cisco certified can seriously stack the odds in your favor to help you attain your goals.

Cisco certifications are powerful instruments of success that also just happen to improve your grasp of all things internetworking. As you progress through this book, you’ll gain a complete understanding of networking that reaches far beyond Cisco devices. By the end of this book, you’ll comprehensively know how disparate network topologies and technologies work together to form the fully operational networks that are vital to today’s very way of life in the developed world. The knowledge and expertise you’ll gain here are essential for and relevant to every networking job. It’s why Cisco certifications are in such high demand—even at companies with few Cisco devices!

For up-to-the-minute updates covering additions or modifications to the Cisco certification exams, as well as additional study tools, review questions, videos, and bonus materials, be sure to visit the Todd Lammle website and forum at www.lammle.com/ccna.

Cisco’s Network Certifications

Way back in 1998, obtaining the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification was the first pitch in the Cisco certification climb. It was also the official prerequisite to each of the more advanced levels. But that changed in 2007, when Cisco announced the Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) certification. Then again, in May 2016, Cisco announced new updates to the CCENT and CCNA Routing and Switching (R/S) tests. Today, things have changed dramatically again.

In July 2019, Cisco switched up the certification process more than they have in the last 20 years! They announced all-new certifications that started in February 2020, and then again, an update and revision in the summer of 2024, which is probably why you’re reading this book!

So what’s changed? For starters, the CCENT course and exam (ICND1 and ICND2) no longer exist, nor do the terms Routing & Switching (rebranded to Enterprise). On top of that, the CCNA is no longer a prerequisite for any of the higher certifications at all, meaning that you’ll be able to jump straight to CCNP without having to take the new CCNA exam if you have already achieved the CCNA or have enough background to skip the CCNA.

The new Cisco certification process will look like this:

FIGURE I.1 The Cisco certification path

First, the CCST entry-level certification was added, and you can find the Wiley Study Guide for the CCST Network book authored by Todd Lammle and Donald Robb, as well as this CCNA Study Guide, at https://www.lammle.com/order-our-books.

If you have an entry-level network background, you will want to head directly to CCNA, using this book and the abundant resources on www.lammle.com/ccna, of course!

The Todd Lammle CCNA program, beginning with this book, is a powerful tool to get you started in your CCNA studies, and it’s vital to understand the material found in this book and at www.lammle.com/ccna before you go on to conquer any other certifications!

What Does This Book Cover?

This first book in the CCNA series covers everything you need to know regarding internetworking, Ethernet, switching, and routing. Volume II starts right where this first book in the series leaves off.

But regardless of which Cisco certification path you choose, as I’ve said, taking plenty of time to study and practice with routers or a router simulator is the real key to success.

You will learn the following information in this book:

• Chapter 1: Network Fundamentals  In Chapter 1, you will learn the basics of network fundamentals, the Cisco three-layer model, and wide area networks. Ethernet cabling including, fiber-optic, is discussed. The chapter ends with an overview of PoE. Review questions await you at the end to test your understanding of the material.
• Chapter 2: Ethernet Networking  Chapter 2 provides you with the Ethernet foundation you need in order to pass both the CCST and CCNA exams. Data encapsulation is discussed in detail in this chapter as well. As with the other chapters, this chapter includes written labs and review questions to help you.
• Chapter 3: TCP/IP  Chapter 3 covers the protocols of TCP/IP. I’ll begin by exploring the DoD’s version of TCP/IP, then compare that version and its protocols with the OSI reference model. Lastly, I’ll dive into the world of IP addressing and the different classes of IP addresses used in networks today. Review questions are included at the end of the chapter to test your understanding of the material.
• Chapter 4: Easy Subnetting  Chapter 4 picks up right where we left off in the last chapter and continues to explore the world of IP addressing. The chapter opens by showing you how to subnet an IP network. Prepare yourself because being able to subnet quickly and accurately is pretty challenging. Use the review questions to test your ability to understand subnetting. You can also use the bonus tools found at www.lammle.com/ccna.
• Chapter 5: Troubleshooting IP Addressing  Chapter 5 covers IP address troubleshooting while focusing on the steps Cisco recommends following when troubleshooting an IP network. Working through this chapter will hone your knowledge of IP addressing and networking while refining the essential skills you’ve attained so far.
• Chapter 6: Cisco’s Internetworking Operating System (IOS)  Chapter 6 introduces you to the Cisco Internetworking Operating System (IOS) and command-line interface (CLI). You’ll learn how to turn on a router and configure the basics of the IOS, including setting passwords, banners, and more. Be sure to complete the written lab and review questions.
• Chapter 7: Managing a Cisco Internetwork  Chapter 7 covers the finer points of layer 2 switching to ensure that you know exactly how it works. You should already know that we rely on switching to break up large collision domains into smaller ones and that a collision domain is a network segment with two or more devices sharing the same bandwidth. Switches have changed the way networks are designed and implemented. If a pure switched design is implemented well, the result will be a clean, cost-effective, and resilient internetwork.
• Chapter 8: Managing Cisco Devices  Chapter 8 describes the boot process of Cisco routers, the configuration register, and how to manage Cisco IOS files. The chapter finishes with a section on Cisco’s new licensing strategy for IOS. The written labs and review questions will help you build a strong foundation for the objectives covered in this chapter.
• Chapter 9: IP Routing  Chapter 9 focuses on the core topic of the ubiquitous IP routing process. It’s integral to networking because it pertains to all routers and configurations that use it—easily the lion’s share. IP routing is basically the process of moving packets from one network to another network using routers, and this chapter covers IP routing in depth.
• Chapter 10: Open Shortest Path First  Chapter 10 discusses Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), which is by far the most popular and important routing protocol in use today—so important that I’m devoting an entire chapter to it! The chapter begins with the basics by completely familiarizing you with key OSPF terminology.
• Chapter 11: Enhanced IGRP  Chapter 11 covers Enhanced IGRP (EIGRP), which is a Cisco-proprietary routing protocol that has been available for other companies to add to their router operating systems for a few years now. This advanced distance-vector routing protocol is covered in depth, including exam essentials, a written lab, and review questions.
• Chapter 12: Layer 2 Switching  Chapter 12 provides the solid background you need on layer two switching, how switches perform address learning, and how to make forwarding and filtering decisions. In addition, switch port security with MAC addresses is covered in detail. As always, go through the hands-on labs, written lab, and review questions to make sure you’ve really got layer two switching down!
• Chapter 13: VLANs and Inter-VLAN Routing  Chapter 13 discusses how we break up broadcast domains in a pure switched internetwork. We do this by creating virtual local area networks (VLANs). We’ll also guide you through troubleshooting techniques in this all-important chapter. The written lab and review questions reinforce the VLAN material.
• Chapter 14: Cloud and Virtual Private Networks  Chapter 14 provides in-depth coverage of VPNs. You’ll learn some smart solutions that will help you meet your company’s off-site network access needs and dive deep into how these networks utilize IP security to provide...