Lab: Getting started with Cisco Packet Tracer
We will be using Packet Tracer in this course to get hands on practice building networks and configuring network devices.
Packet Tracer is a network simulator. It does not run real network devices. It runs software designed to simulate network devices.
Packet Tracer is free and easy to set up. To download Packet Tracer, first you need to create an account at Cisco Networking Academy.
Go to https://www.netacad.com > Login > Sign up
After you sign up and log in, go to https://legacy.netacad.com/portal/node/488
You should see the following download page.
Scroll down to “Download” and choose the version compatible with your operating system. Windows, Ubuntu, or macOS.
As you scroll down (just under the heading “Learn more on how to use Packet Tracer” you will see free short training courses for using Packet Tracer.
Consider taking a free course, e.g., Getting Started with Cisco Packet Tracer (2 hours). It is probably worth it since you will be using it from now on.
In this lesson we will download Packet Tracer and build a simple network to start getting familiar with the Packet Tracer simulation and visualization environment and learn about the features of Packet Tracer.
We will recreate this network in this lesson’s lab.
Get the lab files from Google Drive
Launch Packet Tracer to complete the lab.
Before we go through the lab instructions, you may want to look at the preferences menu. In the top menu, select Cisco Packet Tracer > Preferences.
In the Interface tab, you can select whether to show device model labels. In the Font tab, you can change the font size. A suggestion is to set the Application font size to 12, and the CLI font size to 14.
To place a device in Packet Tracer, go to the bottom left of the screen (the icons shown under Time in the above image), choose the type of network device you want by clicking on the icons (e.g., Network Devices), then click on a device type (e.g., Routers) from the submenu below it, and then select a model (e.g., ISR 4331) by clicking on it. Finally, to release the selected device inside the network design screen, click somewhere inside the network design screen.
To rename a device, just click on the device name.
To select a cable type to connect devices click on the lightning bolt icon (Connections). A submenu on the right lets you select the connection type. Select the lightning bolt in the submenu - this will let Packet Tracer automatically choose the appropriate connection type.
For example, to connect PC1 to Switch1 with the proper cable connection, after selecting the cable type by simply clicking on it, click on PC1 and then click on Switch1.
When you open the Packet Tracer file of the lesson, you will immediately see the lab instructions of the lesson embedded in the main screen area where we will be building and configuring networks.
LAB 1 INSTRUCTIONS
Recreate the network diagram shown in the lecture.
Use the following devices:
Cisco 2911 routers (x2)
Cisco 2960 switches (x2)
Cisco 5505 Firewalls (x2)
PCs (x2)
Servers (x2)
Use a Laptop as the attacker in the diagram.
Use a router as the cloud (the Internet).
Connect the devices together using Packet Tracer's Automatically Choose Connection Type function.
Last updated