Introduction to Switch and Basic Switching

Commands in Cisco Packet Tracer

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Switches

○ What is a Switch?

○ How Does a Switch Work?

○ Types of Switches

2. Basic Switching Commands in Cisco IOS

○ Accessing the Switch CLI

○ Basic Configuration Commands

○ Port Configuration

○ VLAN Configuration (Basic)

○ Saving Configuration

3. Lab Demonstration in Cisco Packet Tracer

○ Setting Up the Topology

○ Configuring Hostnames & Passwords

○ Configuring Switch Ports

○ Verifying Connectivity

○ Saving Configuration

1. Introduction to Switches

What is a Switch?
A switch is a networking device that operates at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) of the OSI

model. It connects multiple devices within a Local Area Network (LAN) and uses MAC

addresses to forward data to the correct destination.

How Does a Switch Work?

● Learning: The switch builds a MAC address table by recording the source MAC

addresses of incoming frames.

● Forwarding: It forwards frames only to the port where the destination MAC is

located (unicast).

● Flooding: If the destination MAC is unknown, the switch floods the frame to all

ports (except the source port).

● Filtering: Does not forward frames if the source and destination are on the same

port.

Types of Switches

● Unmanaged Switch: Plug-and-play, no configuration needed.

● Managed Switch: Configurable (e.g., Cisco switches).

● Layer 2 Switch: Operates at the Data Link Layer (MAC-based forwarding).

● Layer 3 Switch: Can perform routing (IP-based forwarding).

2. Basic Switching Commands in Cisco IOS

Accessing the Switch CLI

1. Open Cisco Packet Tracer and drag a switch (e.g., 2960) into the workspace.

2. Click on the switch and go to the CLI tab.

(#).

bash

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Switch> enable

Switch#

Basic Configuration Commands

Setting Hostname

bash

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Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# hostname SW1

SW1(config)#

Setting Passwords (Console & Enable Secret)

bash

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SW1(config)# enable secret class123 (Privileged mode password)

SW1(config)# line console 0

SW1(config-line)# password cisco

SW1(config-line)# login
SW1(config-line)# exit

SW1(config)# line vty 0 15 (Remote access via Telnet/SSH)

SW1(config-line)# password cisco

SW1(config-line)# login

SW1(config-line)# exit

Encrypting Passwords

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SW1(config)# service password-encryption

Port Configuration (Access & Trunk Ports)

Setting Access Port (Connects to End Devices)

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SW1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

SW1(config-if)# switchport mode access

SW1(config-if)# switchport access vlan 10

SW1(config-if)# no shutdown

SW1(config-if)# exit

Setting Trunk Port (Connects to Another Switch/Router)

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SW1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/24

SW1(config-if)# switchport mode trunk

SW1(config-if)# no shutdown

SW1(config-if)# exit

VLAN Configuration (Basic)

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SW1(config)# vlan 10

SW1(config-vlan)# name Sales

SW1(config-vlan)# exit

SW1(config)# vlan 20

SW1(config-vlan)# name HR

SW1(config-vlan)# exit

Saving Configuration

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SW1# copy running-config startup-config

SW1# write memory

3. Lab Demonstration in Cisco Packet Tracer

Step 1: Setting Up the Topology

1. Drag a Switch (2960) and two PCs into the workspace.

2. Connect PC1 → FastEthernet 0/1 and PC2 → FastEthernet 0/2.

Step 2: Configuring Hostname & Passwords

bash

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Switch> enable

Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# hostname SW1

SW1(config)# enable secret admin123

SW1(config)# line console 0

SW1(config-line)# password cisco

SW1(config-line)# login

SW1(config-line)# exit

Step 3: Configuring Switch Ports

bash
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SW1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/1

SW1(config-if)# switchport mode access

SW1(config-if)# no shutdown

SW1(config-if)# exit

SW1(config)# interface fastEthernet 0/2

SW1(config-if)# switchport mode access

SW1(config-if)# no shutdown

SW1(config-if)# exit

Step 4: Verifying Connectivity

● Assign IP addresses to PCs:

○ PC1: 192.168.1.10/24

○ PC2: 192.168.1.20/24

● Ping from PC1 to PC2 (should work).

Step 5: Saving Configuration

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SW1# copy running-config startup-config

● A switch forwards traffic based on MAC addresses.

● Basic configurations include hostname, passwords, VLANs, and port settings.

● Use show running-config to verify settings.

● Always save configurations using copy run start.

This guide provides a hands-on approach to configuring a Cisco switch in Packet

Tracer. 🚀

Would you like any additional details or advanced configurations? 😊