Cisco Packet Tracer provides two different ways to view and build networks: Logical Mode and Physical Mode. Logical mode focuses on device connectivity and configuration, while physical mode allows you to organize network infrastructure into realistic environments such as buildings, wiring closets, and server racks.

In this project we will gradually build a small enterprise-style network while learning how physical and logical views work together.

This lab will evolve over time as new components are added.

Lab Overview

In this Packet Tracer project we will build a small enterprise network containing:

• Cable modem representing the WAN
• Cisco 4331 router acting as the gateway
• Cisco 3650 multilayer switch
• VLAN segmentation
• DHCP services
• DNS server
• Inter-VLAN routing
• Configuration backups

Network VLAN layout:

VLAN	Purpose	Subnet
10	Office Network	10.0.10.0/24
20	Guest Network	10.0.20.0/24
30	Voice Network	10.0.30.0/24
80	Management Network	10.0.80.0/24

Lab 1 — Understanding Physical Mode in Packet Tracer

Open a new file in Packet Tracer.

On the third menu from the top, click the Physical option to enter the physical view.

To adjust the environment view:

• Click the minus (-) button to zoom all the way out
• Click the plus (+) button to zoom in

This allows you to see the entire simulated physical environment.

Customizing the Physical Background

Packet Tracer allows you to customize the physical environment using background images.

You can:

• Draw your own images in design software
• Generate images using AI tools
• Download images online

Be aware that you may need permission to use certain images depending on copyright restrictions.

To change the background image:

Click the Set Background Image icon on the third menu bar
The icon is located next to the wireless symbol
Click Browse
Select the background image
Click Apply
Click X to close the window

Organizing Physical Locations

Physical mode allows you to organize regions of your simulated network environment.

Examples include:

• State
• City
• Inner city
• Buildings
• Offices
• Wiring closets

This provides a more realistic approach when building network topologies.

Your logical and physical views correspond, so you always know where devices are located both physically and logically.

Naming Physical Locations

To rename physical views:

Navigate to the Navigation Panel icon.

To the left of the icon is a text input field where you can rename the location.

You can navigate through physical locations by:

• Left-clicking or right-clicking the location
• Clicking the Back Level icon
• Using keyboard shortcuts

Windows
ALT + Left Arrow

Mac
Option + Left Arrow

Navigate through the hierarchy until you reach the main wiring closet.

Lab 2 — Installing Network Infrastructure

Once inside the wiring closet, navigate to the bottom device menu.

Click the Network Devices icon.

Add the Cable Modem

Select WAN Emulation (cloud icon).

Drag the Cable Modem onto the wall.

Install the Router

Click Routers.

Drag the Cisco 4331 router underneath the Power Distribution device in the rack.

Right-click the router and select:

Inspect Rear

Turn the router off.

Install the following modules:

NIM-ES2-4 (two modules)

Each module provides four Gigabit Ethernet switching ports.

Turn the router back on.

Lab 3 — Rack Equipment Layout

Click Connections.

Select Structured Cabling.

Drag the Copper Patch Panel into the rack under the router while leaving space for the switch.

In Packet Tracer this is cosmetic only, but in real networks patch panels are used for professional cable management.

Lab 4 — Installing the Layer 3 Switch

Navigate to:

Network Devices → Switches

Drag the 3650-24PS multilayer switch into the rack between the router and the copper patch panel.

Open the switch configuration window.

Install the following modules:

• 4 × GLC-TE Cisco 1000BASE-T SFP modules
• AC Power Supply
• Power Cover Plate (optional)

Lab 5 — Connecting the Core Network

Click Connections.

Create the following links using copper straight-through cables.

Switch GigabitEthernet1/0/1 → Router GigabitEthernet0/0/0

Router GigabitEthernet0/0/1 → Cable Modem Port 1

Lab 6 — Installing the DNS Server

Click End Devices.

Drag a Server into the rack under the copper patch panel.

Configure the Server Interface

Navigate to:

Config → FastEthernet0

Disable automatic negotiation by unchecking:

• Auto Link Speed
• Auto Duplex

Configure Server IP Address

Navigate to:

Desktop → IP Configuration

Set the configuration to Static.

IP Address
10.0.80.3

Subnet Mask
255.255.255.0

Default Gateway
10.0.80.1

DNS Server
10.0.80.3

Enable DNS Service

Navigate to:

Services → DNS

Turn the DNS service ON.

Create a DNS record:

server.local → 10.0.80.3

Connect the Server

Connect:

Server FastEthernet0 → Switch GigabitEthernet1/0/3

Use a copper straight-through cable.

Lab 7 — Out-of-Band Switch Management

Drag a Laptop to the table.

Click Connections.

Select the Console cable.

Connect:

Laptop RS-232 → Switch Console Port

This allows Out-of-Band Management, meaning the device can be managed even if the network is not operational.

Lab 8 — Basic Switch Configuration

Open the laptop.

Navigate to:

Desktop → Terminal

When prompted:

Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog?

Enter:

Enter Privileged Mode

en

Enter Configuration Mode

conf t

Rename the Switch

hostname MainSwitch

Save the Configuration

do copy run start

Press Enter when prompted.

Lab 9 — Secure Privileged Mode

enable algorithm-type scrypt secret what ya gonna do brother

This protects privileged EXEC mode using a Type-9 scrypt hash.

Lab 10 — Enable Discovery Protocols

cdp run
lldp run

LLDP allows discovery with non-Cisco equipment such as Juniper, HP, Ubiquiti, and Linux systems.

Lab 11 — Configure the Routed Uplink

interface gigabitethernet1/0/1
description Uplink to router gateway
no switchport
ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.0.0.1
duplex full
speed 100
exit

This converts the switch port into a Layer 3 routed interface.

Lab 12 — Creating VLAN Interfaces

VLAN 10 — Office

interface vlan 10
ip address 10.0.10.1 255.255.255.0
description Office

VLAN 20 — Guest

interface vlan 20
ip address 10.0.20.1 255.255.255.0
description Guest

VLAN 30 — Voice

interface vlan 30
ip address 10.0.30.1 255.255.255.0
description Voice

VLAN 80 — Management

interface vlan 80
ip address 10.0.80.1 255.255.255.0
description Management

Lab 13 — DHCP Configuration

Management VLAN

ip dhcp excluded-address 10.0.80.1 10.0.80.3
ip dhcp pool 10.0.80.0_Clients
network 10.0.80.0 255.255.255.0
default-router 10.0.80.1
dns-server 10.0.80.3

Office VLAN

ip dhcp excluded-address 10.0.10.1
ip dhcp pool 10.0.10.0_Clients
network 10.0.10.0 255.255.255.0
default-router 10.0.10.1
dns-server 10.0.80.3

Guest VLAN

ip dhcp excluded-address 10.0.20.1
ip dhcp pool 10.0.20.0_Clients
network 10.0.20.0 255.255.255.0
default-router 10.0.20.1
dns-server 10.0.80.3

Voice VLAN

ip dhcp excluded-address 10.0.30.1
ip dhcp pool 10.0.30.0_Clients
network 10.0.30.0 255.255.255.0
default-router 10.0.30.1
dns-server 10.0.80.3

Lab 14 — Enable Inter-VLAN Routing

ip routing

This allows the multilayer switch to route traffic between VLAN networks.

Lab 15 — Trunk Configuration

vlan 299
name Native

interface gigabitethernet1/0/2
description trunk to AccessSwitch
switchport mode trunk
switchport trunk native vlan 299

Verify trunk configuration:

show interface gig1/0/2 switchport

Lab 16 — Testing DHCP and DNS

Connect a laptop to Gig1/0/4.

Configure the laptop to use DHCP.

Enable DNS lookup on the switch.

ip domain-lookup

On the laptop command prompt:

ping server.local

Repeat this test for VLAN 10, VLAN 20, and VLAN 30.

If successful, devices in each network should receive an IP address and resolve the DNS hostname.

Lab 17 — Router Gateway Configuration

en
conf t
hostname RouterGateway
enable secret do you smell it
cdp run
lldp run

Configure the router interface.

interface gigabitEthernet0/0/0
ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
speed 100
duplex full

Add default routes.

ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.0.0.2
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 204.50.38.5

Lab 18 — Backing Up Configurations

Backup the running configuration.

copy run tftp

Server IP

10.0.80.3

Filename

Runbackup-1

Backup startup configuration.

copy start tftp

Server IP

10.0.80.3

Filename

Startbackup-1

Lab 19 — Backing Up the IOS Image

show flash

Copy the IOS image to the TFTP server.

copy flash tftp

Enter the IOS filename and server address.

Exporting Configurations

Back in Logical View, click the Layer 3 switch.

Navigate to:

Config → Export

Export both the running configuration and startup configuration to your local PC.

You can also back up configurations to secure cloud storage for disaster recovery.

Bookmark this page and check back later as the lab continues to evolve.