Revised 4/2012
NOVA COLLEGE-WIDE COURSE CONTENT SUMMARY
ITN 156 – BASIC SWITCHING AND ROUTING: CISCO (4 CR.)
Course Description
Provides an introduction to LAN switching and wireless technologies. Surveys protocols needed to design and
implement a converged switched network. Includes Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP)
and the different methods of inter-VLAN routing. Lecture 4 hours per week.
General Course Purpose
In this course students will study the advantages of LAN segmentation using routers and switches. The course
will provide extensive hands-on configuration of switches using the command-line interface method.
Course Prerequisites/Co-requisites
College level reading and writing ability. Recommended prerequisite is ITN 155; Introductory Routing: CISCO.
Course Objectives
Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:
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Understand switched LAN architecture
Describe LAN segmentation using switches and routers
Match switches to LAN functions
Configure and troubleshoot switches
Configure switch security
Describe full and half duplex operations
Describe network congestion problems in Ethernet
Describe features and benefits of Fast Ethernet
Describe guidelines and distance limitations of Ethernet
Distinguish between “cut-through” and “store and forward” switching
Understand Spanning Tree protocol (STP)
Understand the role of Virtual Trunking Protocol (VTP) in a switched LAN
Configure VTP on the switches
Understand the role of Virtual LANs (VLANs) in a switched LAN
Configure Virtual LANs (VLANs) and trunks
Configure routers and switches to enable inter-VLAN routing
Describe the components and operation of a wireless LAN (WLAN)
Configure Wireless LAN access
Major Topics to be Included
LAN design
 Switched LAN Architecture
 Switch Functions
 Converged Network
Switching concepts and configuration
 Ethernet 802.3 networks
 Key elements of Ethernet
 Frame Forwarding methods
 Switch management and configurations
o Command Line Interface
 Switch Security
o Passwords
o Telnet and SSH
o Common security attacks
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
 Benefits and types of VLAN
 VLAN membership
 Port membership
 Broadcast domain and VLAN
 VLANs and trunk
Virtual Trunking Protocol (VTP)
 VTP Domains
 VTP Modes
 VTP Pruning
 VTP Configuration
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
 Redundancy
 Port Types
 Port Roles
 Convergence – the election process
 STP and IEEE Standards
Inter-VLAN routing
 Traditional Inter-VLAN Routing
 Router-on-a-Stick
 Interfaces and Sub interfaces
Wireless LAN (WLAN) concepts and configurations
 Wireless topologies and components
 Threats to wireless security
 Wireless security protocols
 Access to WLAN
Student Learning Outcomes
LAN Design
 Identify and describe the different layers of a hierarchical network model
 List the features of switches in each layer of the hierarchical model
 Enumerate the benefits of a converged network
 Identify some Cisco switch models.
Switch Concepts and Configurations
 Understand the Ethernet standard and its role in a switched networks
 Identify key elements of Ethernet 802.3 LANs
o Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD)
o Duplex settings
o Port Settings
o MAC address table
 Understand how switch forwards frame
 Learn different switch command-line interface modes
 Connect and configure switches
 Secure a switch
o Passwords
o Telnet and SSH
o Common security attacks
o Port security
Virtual LANs (VLANs)
 Describe the benefits of VLANs
 Identify the types of VLANs
 Control broadcast domain using VLAN
 Configure VLANs based on network requirements
Virtual Trunking Protocol (VTP)
 Identify VTP components
 Describe the different VTP modes
 Apply VTP pruning across trunks
 Learn how to configure a switch to use VTP
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
 Understand how STP eliminate loops in a converged network
o Spanning Tree Algorithm (STA)
 Construct a loop-free topology
o Best paths
 Configure port priority
Inter-VLAN Routing
 Learn the commands needed to enable inter-VLAN routing on a switch
Wireless LAN
 Understand WLAN standards
 Configure basic wireless settings