CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) 1

Muhammad Adman

CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional)

Topic 1: Introduction

In 2007 CCNA program went through major revisions:-

 CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) certification introduced.

 CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) became more difficult to achieve.
 CCENT tells how to set up a Cisco network to a small business.
 CCNA focusing now on medium to large businesses.

CCENT divides into two parts e.g.

 640-822: Interconnecting Cisco Networking Device 1 (ICND1)

 640-816: Interconnecting Cisco Networking Device 2 (ICND2)

Each exam expires in 3 years means after 3 years you must need to pass the advance or same exam
again.

Topic 2: Switching Doman

Core Concept and design in a Cisco Network
Switching Evolution:
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(i) HUB: A packet is sent to every device connected to a Hub. If your network is small is
works fine but as the network increasing broadcasting increase and network
performance decreases.

(ii) Switches (Layer 2): Through VLANs you can reduce the size of broadcast domains.
Switch may have more than one broadcast domain which is the cause of faster network.

(iii) Switches (Layer 3): To connect VLANs we do need router (Router on a stick) but
instead using a separate Router we can use a Layer 3 Switch that has the qualities of
Switch as well as the Router.

Eterprise Composite Network Model (ECNM):

Cisco has defined a hierarchical model known as the Hierarchical Internetworking Model. This
model simplifies the task of building a reliable, scalable, and less expensive hierarchical
internetwork because rather than focusing on packet construction, it focuses on the three
functional areas, or layers, of network.
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Access Layer: This layer includes hubs and switches. This layer is also called the Desktop layer
because it focuses on connecting client nodes, such as workstations to the network. This layer
ensures that packets are delivered to end user computers.

Distribution Layer: This layer includes LAN-based routers and layer 3 switches. This layer ensures
that packets are properly routed between subnets and VLANs in you enterprise. This layer is also
called the Workgroup layer.

Core Layer: This layer is considered the backbone of the network and includes the high-end
switches and high-speed cables such as fiber cables. This layer of the network does not route traffic
at the LAN. In addition, no packet manipulation is done by devices in this layer. Rather, this layer is
concerned with speed and ensures reliable delivery of packets.

When you implement these layers, each layer might comprise more than two devices or a single
device might function across multiple layers. The benefits of the Cisco Hierarchical Model include:
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 High Performance: You can design high performance networks, where only certain layers are
susceptible to congestion.

 Efficient management & troubleshooting: Allow you to efficiently organize network

management and isolate causes of network trouble.

 Policy creation: You can easily create policies and specify filters and rules.

 Scalability: You can grow the network easily by dividing your network into function areas.

 Behavior prediction: When planning or managing a network, the model allows you
determine what will happen to the network when new stresses are placed on it.

Core Layer

The Core Layer is responsible for fast and reliable transportation of data across a network. The Core
Layer is often known as the backbone or foundation network because all other layers rely upon it. Its
purpose is to reduce the latency time in the delivery of packets. The factors to be considered while
designing devices to be used in the core layer are:

 High Data Transfer Rate: Speed is important at the Core Layer. One way that core networks
enable high data transfer rates is through load sharing, where traffic can travel through
multiple network connections.

 Low latency period: The core layer typically uses high-speed low latency circuits which only
forward packets and do not enforcing policy.

 High Reliability: Multiple data paths ensure high network fault tolerance; if one path
experiences a problem, the device can quickly discover a new route.

At the core layer, efficiency is the key term; fewer and faster systems create a more efficient
backbone. There are various equipments available for the core

At the core layer, efficiency is the key term. Fewer and faster systems create a more efficient
backbone. There are various equipments available for the core layer. Examples of core layer Cisco
equipment include:

 Cisco switches such as 7000, 7200, 7500, and 12000 (for WAN use)
 Catalyst switches such as 6000, 5000, and 4000 (for LAN use)

 T-1 and E-1 lines, Frame relay connections, ATM networks, Switched Multimegabit Data Service
(SMDS)

Distribution Layer
The distribution layer is responsible for routing. It also provides policy-based network connectivity,
including:
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 Packet filtering (firewalling): Processes packets and regulates the transmission of packets
based on its source and destination information to create network borders.
 QoS: The router or layer 3 switches can read packets and prioritize delivery, based on policies
you set.

 Access Layer Aggregation Point: The layer serves the aggregation point for the desktop layer
switches.

 Control Broadcast and Multicast: The layer serves as the boundary for broadcast and multicast
domains.

 Application Gateways: The layer allows you to create protocol gateways to and from different
network architectures.

 The distribution layer also performs queuing and provides packet manipulation of the network
traffic.

It is at this layer where you begin to exert control over network transmissions, including what comes
in and what goes out of the network. You will also limit and create broadcast domains, create virtual
LANs, if necessary, and conduct various management tasks, including obtaining route summaries. In a
route summary, you consolidate traffic from many subnets into a core network connection. In Cisco
routers, the command to obtain a routing summary is:

show ip route summary

You can practice viewing routing information using a free CCNA exam router simulator available from
SemSim.com. You can also determine how routers update each other’s routing tables by choosing
specific routing protocols.

Examples of Cisco-specific distribution layer equipment include 2600,4000, 4500 series routers

Access Layer
The access layer contains devices that allow workgroups and users to use the services provided by the
distribution and core layers. In the access layer, you have the ability to expand or contract collision
domains using a repeater, hub, or standard switch. In regards to the access layer, a switch is not a
high-powered device, such as those found at the core layer.

Rather, a switch is an advanced version of a hub.

A collision domain describes a portion of an Ethernet network at layer 1 of the OSI model where any
communication sent by a node can be sensed by any other node on the network. This is different from
a broadcast domain which describes any part of a network at layer 2 or 3 of the OSI model where a
node can broadcast to any node on the network.

At the access layer, you can:

 Enable MAC address filtering: It is possible to program a switch to allow only certain systems
to access the connected LANs.
 Create separate collision domains: A switch can create separate collision domains for each
connected node to improve performance.
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 Share bandwidth: You can allow the same network connection to handle all data.

 Handle switch bandwidth: You can move data from one network to another to perform load
balancing.

We can design our network in blocks i.e. Access Layer; Distribution Layer; and Code Layer. ,
Everything in a block represents a boundary which increases the security level.

Access Layer: Where devices connects to the Network.

Distribution Layer: Everything get off the Network (leave the local network), it is the layer where
packets span most of the time.

Core Layer: Distribution Layers typically folds up Core Layers.

VLANs benefits:
(i) Simpler Management

(ii) Troubleshooting ease

(iii) Better performance

(iv) Mental sanity

(v) Summarization point

ECNM benefits:
(i) Restrict VLANs to switch blocks: keeps the VLANs within the block and don’t go away them
further so, you can create same VLAN to every block separately.

(ii) Implement Management VLAN: In case of troubleshooting a single VLAN you are not
needed to looking over campus wide or whole network, instead of it you may know which
block is that specific VLAN resides.

(iii) Separate Voice Traffic: We can separate the Voice traffic.

(iv) Implement Multicast Support:

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Topic 3: Configuration & Varifications of VLANs

With VLANs you can:

(i) Logically group users

(ii) Segment Broadcast domains

(iii) Subnet Correlation

(iv) Access Control

(v) Quality of Service

 Local VLANs do not exted beyond the Distribution Layer

 Local VLAN traffic routed to other Distributions

 Should be created around physical boundries

Trunk Ports: Ports that are send traffic for all VLANs called Trunk Ports or Tagged Ports.

Topic 4: In Depth Trunking

Trunking is also known as Tagging passes multi-VLANs information between Switches. It places VLAN
information into each frame. It is Layer 2 feature.

There are two type of tagging flavours we use in VLANs:

Inter-Switch Link (ISL):

 Cisco Proprietary

 Encapsulate the entire frame

 Being phased out

802.1Q:

 Open Standard / Industry Standard

 Inserts Tag into frame rather than encapsulating

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Negotiating Trunking:

Switches can auto negotiate trunk connections using the Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP); but it can be
confusing. There are five different modes:

(i) Access

(ii) Trunk

(iii) Dynamic Auto

(iv) Dynamic Desirable

(v) Non-Negotiate