562 Appendix C: Using the Simulation Software for the Hands-on Exercises

Accessing NetSim from the CD

Accessing NetSim from the CD is relatively simple. Put the CD in the CD drive, and the software on the CD starts. (If it doesn’t, run the command autorun.exe that is on the CD’s root directory.) After logging in, select the Hands-on Practice Exercises and NetSim Demo Software link in the main menu. Another menu opens that allows you to view the CD-only appendixes of labs and to start the NetSim software.

NetSim lets you pick which lab topology to load. You pick a lab topology, and you next see the NetSim user interface.

You can think of what you see next as a real lab, with real routers and switches. The cabling topology and interface numbers match the labs and scenarios in this book. So you can access the devices and start entering commands!

The NetSim software includes the NetSim user guide, which helps you figure out how to navigate and use the NetSim product. (Just select “help” and “User guide” from NetSim.) However, the user manual does not tell you anything about the hands-on exercises you can do with this special version of NetSim! You can always just experiment using NetSim, trying all the commands you can think of, but remember that this is a limited-use version of the software, so not all commands are enabled. If you want some instructions on good things to try to do with the simulator, read the next section. It lists all the labs and scenarios in this book that can be performed using NetSim!

Hands-on Exercises Available with NetSim

This book includes three main types of exercises that can be duplicated using real gear or the special NetSim network simulator—scenarios, labs, and basic configuration exercises. You can improve your hands-on skills whether you perform these exercises using real gear, perform them using NetSim, or just read through the exercises.

Scenarios

In this Cisco Press Exam Certification Guide series, scenarios include some form of a problem statement, asking you to solve the problem. Then a suggested solution is shown, with an explanation of some of the pitfalls you might have encountered with your answer. Many of these scenarios include configuration and EXEC commands, but some do not. These scenarios are designed so that if you don’t have access to real hardware, you can still learn more about the commands on routers and switches. These same scenarios can also be performed using NetSim!

Hands-on Exercises Available with NetSim 563

Labs

This book also includes “lab“ exercises, which follow a format typical of labs used in networking courses. These labs give you more guidance than do the scenarios. For instance, the scenarios simply state a goal, such as “Configure these three routers to support a full mesh of PVCs,” whereas a lab gives you instructions for each step you need to take to configure the network. You simply read the lab instructions, and the lab guides you through the steps required to configure a network based on a stated set of requirements.

As with the scenarios, you can perform these labs on real gear or using the special NetSim build included with the CD that comes with this book. You can also just read through the labs and their solutions if your time is limited, but you might want to at least try to write down the solution before looking at the answer!

Configuration Sections of Chapters 3 and 10

Chapter 3, “Virtual LANs and Trunking,“ covers VLAN and trunking configuration. NetSim includes a “lab” that essentially mirrors the topology of the example used in the configuration section of Chapter 3. NetSim has a topology that matches the topology used for the configuration examples in Chapter 3, so you can simply repeat and experiment with those commands using that NetSim lab.

Similarly, Chapter 10, “ISDN and Dial-on-Demand Routing,“ covers how to configure dial-on-demand routing, which can also be performed using NetSim.

Listing of the Hands-on Exercises

To best use NetSim, you should first pick a particular lab or scenario. You might even want to print a copy if the lab or scenario is in one of the CD-only appendixes. Then you can bring up NetSim and select the corresponding NetSim lab topology that matches the lab or scenario. NetSim creates a simulated network that matches the lab or scenario, so all you have to do is start entering commands, just as if it were a real network with real gear!

The scenarios and labs are located in a couple different places. First, Chapter 13, “Final Preparation,” includes two scenarios. They cover a lot of different topics from the book. The CD contains a scenarios appendix (CD-only Appendix B, “Scenarios“) and a lab appendix (CD-only Appendix C, “Hands-on Lab Exercises”). These scenarios and labs focus on a more specific set of topics. If you plan to use NetSim frequently, you should probably print the CD-only Appendixes B and C.

In CD-only Appendix B, the scenarios are numbered in a way to help remind you of the corresponding chapter in the book. For instance, Scenario 4 reinforces topics covered in Chapter 5, “RIP, IGRP, and Static Route Concepts and Configuration.“

564 Appendix C: Using the Simulation Software for the Hands-on Exercises

Table C-1 lists the different scenarios and labs from this book that can be performed using NetSim. Note that some of the scenarios in CD-only Appendix B cannot be performed on the simulator, mainly because those scenarios do not ask you to implement anything on a network, making the simulator unnecessary. So Table C-1 lists the scenarios and labs that can be performed using NetSim.

Table C-1 Scenarios and Labs That Can Be Performed Using NetSim

*Labs with an asterisk can be performed with the limited-function version of NetSim included with this book. To perform the other lab scenarios, you will need to purchase the full version of NetSim.

How You Should Proceed with NetSim

You can bring up NetSim and dive right in. However, here are a few suggestions before you are ready to do all the labs:

■Bring up NetSim now, and make sure you can at least get to a router command prompt, using the PC you will most likely use when studying. That way, when you are ready to do your first lab or scenario, you know you have worked out any installation issues.