zNetLaB › Guided labs › Enterprise
Multilayer switch routing 18 — three VLANs, no router
Enterprise Intermediate 4 devices 4 checked tasks 100 points Plan lab
Scenario — the Agra office bought a multilayer switch and wants to retire its router. Create VLANs 61, 62, 63 (Library, Support, Servers), put each PC on its VLAN (Fa0/1 – Fa0/3), give every VLAN an SVI gateway at .1 of 192.168.37.0/24, 192.168.38.0/24 and 192.168.39.0/24, enable IP routing and show the departments reach each other through the switch alone. You build it in a browser, type real commands at each device, and every task below is
checked against the running configuration — so you find out it is wrong before anybody else does.
Open this lab in the simulator
The simulator runs in your browser with nothing to install. This lab is part of the full simulator: open it free for 7 days with a new account, then with a plan. It needs an account, which keeps your progress.
The scenario
the Agra office bought a multilayer switch and wants to retire its router. Create VLANs 61, 62, 63 (Library, Support, Servers), put each PC on its VLAN (Fa0/1 – Fa0/3), give every VLAN an SVI gateway at .1 of 192.168.37.0/24, 192.168.38.0/24 and 192.168.39.0/24, enable IP routing and show the departments reach each other through the switch alone.
Your role: a network engineer on the enterprise team. Level: Intermediate Done when: all 4 goals show as passed (100 points).
Network status
Devices: 1 switch, 3 PCs, cabled as drawn. No Layer 1 or Layer 2 faults: every link is connected and up. Library-PC is a host with 192.168.37.11/24, gateway 192.168.37.1. Support-PC is a host with 192.168.38.11/24, gateway 192.168.38.1. Servers-PC is a host with 192.168.39.11/24, gateway 192.168.39.1. L3-Agra starts with an empty configuration. Known problems
None: nothing is misconfigured. The network is simply not finished: what the goals list is what you have to build or secure. Goals
VLANs 61, 62, 63 exist and each PC port is in its own (25 pts) IP routing is on and each SVI is the gateway of its subnet (35 pts) Library reaches Support (20 pts) Servers reaches Library and Support (20 pts) The activity, in order
VLANs 61, 62, 63 exist and each PC port is in its own Why: A port assigned to a VLAN that does not exist carries nothing. Verify with: show vlan brief IP routing is on and each SVI is the gateway of its subnet Why: Without it the device only switches and never routes between subnets. Verify with: show running-config | include ip routing Library reaches Support Why: A ping needs a route in BOTH directions. This is the end-to-end proof that everything before it worked. Verify with: ping 192.168.38.11 Servers reaches Library and Support Why: A ping needs a route in BOTH directions. This is the end-to-end proof that everything before it worked. Verify with: ping 192.168.37.11 Tips
Work in the order given: later goals depend on the earlier ones. After every change, run the verify command before moving on; do not guess. Stuck? Read the verify output first. It names the interface, neighbour or route that is wrong. Common mistake: Forgetting ip routing — SVIs exist but nothing is routed Common mistake: An SVI that stays down because no port is active in its VLAN Common mistake: Hosts pointing at the wrong gateway Why this matters
A multilayer switch routes between VLANs in hardware: each VLAN gets a switched virtual interface (SVI) that acts as the gateway, and ip routing turns the switch into a router. No trunk to an external router, no hairpin.
What you will be able to do
Create VLANs and SVIs
Enable ip routing on a multilayer switch
Verify inter-VLAN reachability
The network
Catalyst 3560-24PS, PC — 4 devices in all, already cabled.
Fa0/1 Fa0 Fa0/2 Fa0 Fa0/3 Fa0 L3-Agra Library-PC 192.168.37.11/24 · gw 192.168.37.1 Support-PC 192.168.38.11/24 · gw 192.168.38.1 Servers-PC 192.168.39.11/24 · gw 192.168.39.1 Drawn from this lab: devices, cables, ports and the addresses already set. Device Model Address already set
L3-Agra Catalyst 3560-24PS configure it Library-PC PC 192.168.37.11 / 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.37.1 Support-PC PC 192.168.38.11 / 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.38.1 Servers-PC PC 192.168.39.11 / 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.39.1
Cabling
L3-Agra Fa0/1 ↔ Library-PC Fa0 L3-Agra Fa0/2 ↔ Support-PC Fa0 L3-Agra Fa0/3 ↔ Servers-PC Fa0
What is configured at the start
Nothing is configured to start with beyond the addresses above: you build the configuration from a clean start.
Tasks, and how each one is checked
Every task is decided by reading the live network — a neighbour in FULL, a ping that succeeds, a line in the running configuration — not by looking for a keyword you typed. The same command shows you what the lab sees.
# Task Pts How to verify it yourself
1 VLANs 61, 62, 63 exist and each PC port is in its own 25 On L3-Agra: show vlan brief lists VLAN 61. and On L3-Agra: show vlan brief — Fa0/1 is an access port in VLAN 61. and On L3-Agra: show vlan brief lists VLAN 62. and On L3-Agra: show vlan brief — Fa0/2 is an access port in VLAN 62. and On L3-Agra: show vlan brief lists VLAN 63. and On L3-Agra: show vlan brief — Fa0/3 is an access port in VLAN 63. 2 IP routing is on and each SVI is the gateway of its subnet 35 On L3-Agra: show ip route works (routing is enabled). and On L3-Agra: show running-config contains the line(s) matching interface Vlan61 … ip address 192\.168\.37\.1 . and On L3-Agra: show running-config contains the line(s) matching interface Vlan62 … ip address 192\.168\.38\.1 . and On L3-Agra: show running-config contains the line(s) matching interface Vlan63 … ip address 192\.168\.39\.1 . 3 Library reaches Support 20 On Library-PC: ping 192.168.38.11 must succeed. 4 Servers reaches Library and Support 20 On Servers-PC: ping 192.168.37.11 must succeed. and On Servers-PC: ping 192.168.38.11 must succeed.
Stuck? Ask the coach
Tell the coach what you see or what you tried. It gives you a hint, not the answer, the way a senior engineer would. Included with a free trial or any plan.
Ask the coach
Common mistakes
Forgetting ip routing — SVIs exist but nothing is routed
An SVI that stays down because no port is active in its VLAN
Hosts pointing at the wrong gateway
Reference solution
Try it yourself first — the lab checks your work either way. This is one configuration that makes every task pass, device by device:
L3-Agra ip routing
vlan 61
name LIBRARY
exit
interface fa0/1
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 61
exit
interface vlan 61
ip address 192.168.37.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
vlan 62
name SUPPORT
exit
interface fa0/2
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 62
exit
interface vlan 62
ip address 192.168.38.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
vlan 63
name SERVERS
exit
interface fa0/3
switchport mode access
switchport access vlan 63
exit
interface vlan 63
ip address 192.168.39.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit Where this is examined
CCNA 2.0 inter-VLAN routing; CCNP ENCOR Layer 3 switching.
This lab practises these topics in the zNetLaB certification courses:
Related labs
Where to start
The lessons all guided labs plans
CCNA®, CCNP® and Cisco® are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. zNetLaB is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco.