Here are the commands I use constantly when troubleshooting: 1️⃣ show ip interface brief - Quick status of all interfaces 2️⃣ show running-config - See current config (duh!) 3️⃣ show ip route - Where's the traffic going? 4️⃣ show vlan brief - VLAN assignments at a glance 5️⃣ show cdp neighbors - Who's connected to what? Pro Tip: Add "| include [keyword]" to filter output: show run | include hostname Which command do YOU use the most? Drop it below 👇

Here's a trap I see all the time: The Mistake: Students calculate the subnet mask perfectly... then forget to check if the IP is actually IN that subnet. Example: IP: 192.168.10.50 /26 Subnet: 192.168.10.0 - 192.168.10.63 Looks good, right? But what if the question asks: "Is 192.168.10.75 in the same subnet?" The Fix: ALWAYS identify the range FIRST: - Network: .0 - First Host: .1 - Last Host: .62 - Broadcast: .63 NOW you can see .75 is NOT in this subnet. Pro Tip: Draw the range on paper during exams. Takes 5 seconds, saves points. What's YOUR biggest subnetting struggle? Drop it below 👇

Hey everyone, Jay Whale here. You'll find some basics about me on the About page, but let me add some color to who I am and why I started this community. I jumped into IT in the mid-'90s—yeah, when dinosaurs still roamed and we used smoke signals for communication. I started my journey with CompTIA A+ before diving into Microsoft certifications: MCP, MCP+I, and MCSE. After teaching at a college for a few years, I transitioned to the corporate world, primarily delivering MCSE training, while also branching into other vendors such as Citrix and Dell. In 2001, I was offered the opportunity to take my first CCNA class (then called ICND1 and ICND2), and I never looked back. I spent the next 20+ years focused primarily on Cisco—initially on routing and switching, but also on security, wireless, data center, and collaboration. Along the way, I also partnered with some other vendors and became certified to teach their products, namely HP, HPE, Aruba, NetApp, My career has taken me to over 40 countries, teaching everything from customized corporate training to off-the-shelf courses like the CCNA. I've taught over 10,000 people—sometimes in sessions with just a handful of students, other times in massive auditoriums with hundreds. The largest class I ever taught had 828 people, and the topic was Blockchain (right when Bitcoin was starting to make headlines). I've worked for major organizations like BMW, where I managed their security infrastructure and designed their VoIP and IP Telephony networks. I was also fortunate to support the migration of Dubai International Airport's wireless network from Cisco to Aruba. At the time, I was one of a very select few qualified in both vendors, so I understood the strengths and weaknesses of each and trained many of their engineers on deployment, migration, management, and security. Today, I'm the Director of Content Development for a Cisco partner in Silicon Valley (though I live in Australia). The team specialises in creating online technical training content, including writing and developing many of Cisco's official course materials. I have personally written four of them. We also create content for some of the world's biggest security, storage, and distribution companies.

This is the type of question the exam writers LOVE to add to exams like the CCNA. These are also the types of questions in the exam that bring a smile to your face, because you know you've got this, click the correct answer and hit next, knowing that's one done! So here is your recap. At a high level, what's the difference between Static Routing and Dynamic Routing? Static Routing: - Small networks less than 10 routers - Point-to-point links - Default routes to ISP - Predictable secure - Does not adapt to failures - Manual configuration equals human error Dynamic Routing (OSPF, EIGRP, etc): - Large networks - Automatically adapts to changes - Load balancing - Scalable - More complex to configure - Uses bandwidth and CPU 💡Exam Trick: Small office with 2 routers equals Static Routing. Enterprise with 50 routers equals Dynamic Routing. How are you practicing building labs? Do you want me to start posting Packet Tracer instructions and labs for you to follow along with? Comment below

You don't need expensive gear to practice CCNA. Here's a simple VLAN scenario you can build in Packet Tracer (free): GOAL: Separate HR and Engineering on different VLANs Switch(config)# vlan 10 Switch(config-vlan)# name HR Switch(config-vlan)# vlan 20 Switch(config-vlan)# name Engineering Switch(config)# interface fa0/1 Switch(config-if)# switchport mode access Switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 10 Switch(config)# interface fa0/2 Switch(config-if)# switchport mode access Switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 20 Now HR (VLAN 10) can't talk to Engineering (VLAN 20) unless you add a router. Try it yourself. Comment with your result 👇 Do you have any questions regarding the config above? Or have you mastered creating VLANs?