Lab Summary
- Lab Title: VLAN Creation and Assignment
- Level: Beginner
- Estimated Time: 30–40 minutes
- Image Used: iol-l2
- Book Reference: CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Vol.1, Chapter 4
Story Start: “Two Departments. One Messy Network.”
You’ve got two departments:
- Sales
- HR
You connect their PCs to the same switch.
Everything’s powered up.
But they’re all in the same VLAN — and talking to each other.
Not good.
Sales doesn’t need access to HR files.
HR doesn’t need to see Sales traffic.
Now your job is clear: Segment the switch. Isolate the departments.
That’s where VLANs come in.
Let’s build it right.
Why This Lab Matters
Plugging in a cable is easy. But isolating traffic between departments? That’s a real job.
This lab gives you hands-on practice configuring VLANs from scratch.
You’ll separate devices into distinct VLANs, assign ports, and see the results instantly.
By the end, you’ll not only understand VLANs — you’ll know how to implement them.
What You’ll Build
- One Cisco switch (iol-l2)
- Two PCs (PC1 and PC2)
- VLAN 10: Sales
- VLAN 20: HR
- Port assignments matching each department
This is core VLAN configuration — no fluff, just the essentials.
Topology Diagram
Below is the topology diagram for this lab setup:
Step-by-Step Implementation
Step 1: Create VLANs
Switch> enable // Enter privileged EXEC mode
Switch# configure terminal // Enter global configuration mode
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Switch(config)# vlan 10 // Create VLAN 10
Switch(config-vlan)# name Sales // Name VLAN 10 as "Sales"
Switch(config-vlan)# exit // Exit VLAN configuration mode
Switch(config)# vlan 20 // Create VLAN 20
Switch(config-vlan)# name HR // Name VLAN 20 as "HR"
Switch(config-vlan)# exit // Exit VLAN configuration mode
Switch(config)# // Back in global config mode, ready for next stepsWhy This Step? You’re telling the switch to treat Sales and HR as two separate broadcast domains.
Just like giving them different meeting rooms — they don’t hear each other’s chatter anymore.
