Labs¶
Hands-on lab guides for working network engineers. Each guide gives you the topology, full configs you can paste, and the verification commands with what to look for in the output. The platform comparison helps you pick where to run them.
Articles¶
- Free and cheap lab platforms compared: CML, EVE-NG Community, GNS3, Containerlab, DevNet Sandbox and Juniper vLabs, with image licensing, resource needs and who each one fits.
- BGP lab: eBGP, iBGP route reflector and policy: a four-router IOS XE build covering local preference, AS-path prepend and communities.
- OSPF multi-area lab: areas, stub and NSSA, summarization and authentication, with verification at every step.
- EVPN VXLAN fabric lab on Nexus 9000v: OSPF underlay, BGP EVPN overlay, L2 and L3 VNIs and anycast gateway on NX-OS.
- Packet walk: crossing an EVPN VXLAN fabric: ARP suppression, MAC/IP routes, encapsulation and symmetric IRB, step by step.
For CCNP exam lab setup advice see the CCNP lab setup page. - IS-IS for Enterprise Engineers: a Step-by-Step Lab: A two-area IS-IS lab on IOS XE: NETs, L1/L2, wide metrics, authentication, route leaking, summarization and troubleshooting. - DMVPN Phase 3 with IKEv2: a Step-by-Step Lab: Hub and two spokes on IOS XE: mGRE, NHRP redirect and shortcut, IKEv2 and IPsec profiles, routing over the tunnel, and spoke-to-spoke verification.
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