Lab 4: Introduction to Routers and Static Routing

Lab Outcomes By the end of this lab, students will be able to:

• Understand the role of routers in a network.

• Learn the difference between routers and switches.
• Understand the concept of gateways and their role in inter-network communication.
• Learn how to design and create different networks using IP addressing and subnet masks.
• Understand subnetting for Class A, B, and C networks.
• Configure basic router settings, including hostname, passwords, and interfaces.
• Implement and verify static routing in Cisco Packet Tracer.

1. Introduction to Routers

Routers are network devices that connect multiple networks and direct data packets based on
their destination IP addresses. Unlike switches, which operate at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) and
use MAC addresses, routers operate at Layer 3 (Network Layer) and use IP addresses.

Difference Between Routers and Switches

Feature Router Switch

OSI Layer Layer 3 (Network Layer) Layer 2 (Data Link Layer)
Connects devices within the same
Function Routes data between networks
network
Addressing Uses IP addresses Uses MAC addresses
Broadcast
Blocks broadcast traffic Allows broadcast traffic
Control
Slower due to processing of
Speed Faster within local networks
packets

2. Role of Gateways

A gateway is a device that acts as an access point between different networks. Routers are
commonly used as gateways in networks to facilitate communication between different subnets
and external networks such as the internet.

• Default Gateway: The IP address assigned to a router interface that serves as an exit
point for traffic leaving a local network.
• Use Case: If a computer in Network A (192.168.1.0/24) wants to communicate with a
server in Network B (10.0.0.0/24), the router serves as the gateway to route the data
correctly.
3. Designing Networks with IP Addressing and Subnet Masks

Understanding IP Addressing

An IP address consists of two parts:

1. Network Portion - Identifies the network.

2. Host Portion - Identifies individual devices within that network.

Example:

• IP Address: 192.168.1.10
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
o Network: 192.168.1.0
o Host: .10

Subnetting Classes

Class A

• Range: 1.0.0.0 – 126.0.0.0

• Default Subnet Mask: 255.0.0.0 (/8)
• Usable Hosts: 16,777,214

Class B

• Range: 128.0.0.0 – 191.255.0.0

• Default Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0 (/16)
• Usable Hosts: 65,534

Class C

• Range: 192.0.0.0 – 223.255.255.0

• Default Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 (/24)
• Usable Hosts: 254

Example: Dividing 192.168.1.0/24 into two subnets:

1. Subnet 1: 192.168.1.0/25 (Hosts: 126)

2. Subnet 2: 192.168.1.128/25 (Hosts: 126)

This helps in efficient IP utilization and improved network performance.

4. Basic Router Configuration in Cisco Packet Tracer

To configure a router, we use the Command Line Interface (CLI) via console, SSH, or Telnet.

Step 1: Access the Router

Connect to the router using a console cable and open a terminal emulator (e.g., PuTTY, Tera
Term). Once connected, enter privileged EXEC mode:

Router> enable

Step 2: Set a Hostname

Assign a unique name to the router:

Router# configure terminal

Router(config)# hostname R1

Step 3: Configure Static Routing

Static routing is a manually configured routing method where specific routes are defined by the
network administrator.

To configure a static route to another network:

R1(config)# ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.2

This command tells the router to send traffic destined for the 192.168.2.0/24 network through the
next-hop IP address 192.168.1.2.

Step 4: Verify Static Routes

Use the following command to check if the static route is correctly configured:

R1# show ip route

To test connectivity, use:

R1# ping 192.168.2.1

Step 5: Save Configuration

Ensure the configuration is saved to avoid losing changes after a reboot:

R1# write memory

Example of Router Implementation

Example of Static Routing Implementation

 Lab Tasks
Task 1: Configuring Inter-VLAN Routing using a Router-on-a-Stick

Objective:

Configure a single router and a switch with two VLANs to allow inter-VLAN
communication.

VLANs Setup:

VLAN 10 – IT Department
VLAN 20 – HR Department

🛠 Steps to Complete:

1. Create VLANs on the switch and assign ports.

2. Configure the router’s sub-interfaces to enable inter-VLAN routing.
3️. Assign devices to VLANs and verify communication.

Solution Submission:

Screenshot 1: Network diagram showing VLAN configuration.

Screenshot 2: Router sub-interface configuration.
Screenshot 3️: Successful ping results between devices in different VLANs.

Task 2: Static Routing Between Two Routers with Two Switch Networks
Objective:

Implement static routing on two routers, each connected to a switch with multiple end
devices (total: 6 devices). Ensure devices can communicate within their network and across
networks via routers.

🛠 Steps to Complete:

1. Assign IP addresses to router interfaces and configure static routes.

2. Configure IP addresses on switch devices and verify connectivity within each network.
3️. Test inter-network communication using ping and troubleshooting commands.

Solution Submission:
 Screenshot 1: Network topology with router and switch connections.
Screenshot 2: Static routing configuration on both routers.
Screenshot 3️: Successful communication between devices across networks.

Task 3️: Creating a Three-Router, Three-Switch, Three-Network Topology

Objective:
Design a three-router network, where each router connects to its own switch and local
network. Implement routing to enable full communication between all networks.

🛠 Steps to Complete:

1. Configure IP addressing and interfaces on all three routers.

2. Set up static or dynamic routing to enable network connectivity.
3️. Ensure devices across all three networks can communicate successfully.

Solution Submission:

Screenshot 1: Network diagram showing routers, switches, and devices.

Screenshot 2: Routing table verification on each router.
Screenshot 3️: Ping tests showing successful communication across networks.
 Rubrics Based LAB

Lab #01 Marks distribution

ER1 ER6 ER8
Task 3 points 3 points 4 points

Lab # 01 Rubric Evaluation Guideline:

# Qualities & 0 < Poor <=4 4.1 < Satisfactory 7.1 < Excellent
Criteria <= 7 <=10
ER1 Task Completion Minimal or no Some tasks were All tasks were
program completed, but the completed, and
functionality was program has the program runs
achieved. errors or without errors.
incomplete
functionalities.
# Qualities & 0 < Poor <=4 4.1 < Satisfactory 7.1 < Excellent
Criteria <= 7 <=10
ER6 Program Output Output is Output is mostly Output is clear,
inaccurate or accurate but may accurate, and well
poorly presented. lack labels, presented with
captions, or labels, captions,
formatting. and proper
formatting.
# Qualities & 0 < Poor <= 4 4.1< Satisfactory 7.1< Excellent <=
Criteria <= 7 10
ER8 Question & Answers some Answers most Answers all
Answer questions but not questions questions
confidently or confidently and confidently and
based on lab task based on lab task demonstrates a
knowledge. knowledge. deep
understanding of
the given lab task.