[ CCNA · STUDY HUB · BUILDING IN PUBLIC ]

CCNA STUDY HUB_

Everything I've built, written, and broken on the way to the CCNA 200-301 — labs, drills, articles, and study notes — mapped to the six exam domains so you can find exactly what you need. From a working network analyst at Halton DSB.

▼ JUMP TO FULL EXAM BLUEPRINT 53 official Cisco topics · 6 domains · linked to every covered resource
10 ARTICLES
5 FREE LABS
2 BROWSER TOOLS

★ EXAM DOMAIN MAP

The CCNA 200-301 exam is broken into six domains. Each domain card below shows what's covered, what's coming, and what % of the exam it weighs. Green border = solid coverage. Yellow = partial. Gray = on the way.

DOMAIN 1.0 NETWORK
FUNDAMENTALS
20% OF EXAM
█░░░░░░░░░8% COVERED
[ COVERED — TOPIC 1.6 ] [ COMING SOON ]
  • Network components & topology architectures (1.1, 1.2)
  • TCP vs UDP, switching concepts (1.5, 1.13)
  • IPv6 addressing & types (1.8, 1.9)
  • Wireless principles, virtualization (1.11, 1.12)
DOMAIN 2.0 NETWORK
ACCESS
20% OF EXAM
███░░░░░░░33% COVERED
[ COVERED — TOPICS 2.1, 2.2, 2.5 ] [ COMING SOON ]
  • L2 discovery — CDP & LLDP (2.3)
  • EtherChannel / LACP (2.4)
  • Wireless architectures, AP modes, WLAN GUI (2.6, 2.7, 2.9)
  • Device management access — SSH, TACACS+, RADIUS (2.8)
DOMAIN 3.0 IP
CONNECTIVITY
25% OF EXAM
██░░░░░░░░20% COVERED
[ COVERED — TOPIC 3.4 ] [ COMING SOON ]
  • Routing table anatomy — how the router decides
  • Static routing & floating static routes
  • FHRP / HSRP — first-hop redundancy

Heaviest weighted domain on the exam. Full OSPF cluster live — concepts, lab, troubleshooter. More routing content landing through May/June.

DOMAIN 4.0 IP
SERVICES
10% OF EXAM
░░░░░░░░░░0% COVERED
[ COMING SOON ]
  • NAT & PAT — overload, static, dynamic
  • DHCP server & relay configuration
  • DNS basics for network engineers
  • NTP, syslog, SNMP, SSH, FTP/TFTP
DOMAIN 5.0 SECURITY
FUNDAMENTALS
15% OF EXAM
░░░░░░░░░░0% COVERED
[ COMING SOON ]
  • ACLs — standard & extended (5.6)
  • L2 security — DHCP snooping, DAI, port security (5.7)
  • IPsec remote access & site-to-site VPNs (5.5)
  • Wireless security — WPA/WPA2/WPA3 (5.9)
  • Device passwords, MFA, security program basics (5.3, 5.4)
DOMAIN 6.0 AUTOMATION &
PROGRAMMABILITY
10% OF EXAM
░░░░░░░░░░0% COVERED
[ COMING SOON ]
  • REST APIs & JSON for network engineers
  • Ansible basics for network automation
  • Cisco DNA Center vs traditional CLI
  • SDN concepts at the CCNA level

★ INTERACTIVE TOOLS

Drill the concepts in your browser, or grab a Packet Tracer file and build it yourself. No login, no signup, no install — just open the page and start practicing.

┌─/24─/25─/26─┐ │ subnet drill │ └──────────────┘
SUBNET PRACTICE [ DOMAIN 1.0 · ALL CCNA CANDIDATES ]

Randomized subnetting questions. Get the network ID, broadcast, host range, wildcard mask, and usable hosts — checked field by field. Timed mode for exam pace, untimed for learning. Refreshes give you a brand-new question every time.

► LAUNCH PRACTICE TOOL LEARN THE METHOD ↗
┌─[ CCNA LABS ]──┐ │ LAB 1 VLANS │ │ LAB 2 INT-VLAN│ │ LAB 3 STP │ │ LAB 4 RSTP │ └────────────────┘
FREE PACKET TRACER LABS [ FULL CCNA LAB SERIES · .PKT FILES ]

Every lab on the site in one place. Topology diagrams, IP addressing tables, step-by-step tasks, and a downloadable Packet Tracer file you can open and break. Build it from scratch — that's the only way the configs stick.

► BROWSE ALL LABS START WITH LAB 1 ↗

★ CCNA 200-301 EXAM BLUEPRINT

The full official Cisco CCNA 200-301 exam blueprint (v1.1), organized by domain in the order I'd study them. Topics marked [ COVERED ] link straight to the article, lab, or tool on this site. Topics marked [ COMING SOON ] are on the writing queue — when they ship, they're linked here first.

Suggested order: Domain 1 (foundations, especially 1.6 subnetting) → Domain 2 (network access) → Domain 3 (routing, the heaviest weighted on the exam) → Domain 5 (security) → Domain 4 (services) → Domain 6 (automation). Subnetting first, always.

DOMAIN 1.0 NETWORK FUNDAMENTALS 20% OF EXAM
  • 1.1Explain the role and function of network components (routers, L2/L3 switches, NGFW/IPS, APs, controllers, endpoints, servers, PoE)COMING SOON
  • 1.2Describe characteristics of network topology architectures (2-tier, 3-tier, spine-leaf, WAN, SOHO, on-prem & cloud)COMING SOON
  • 1.3Compare physical interface and cabling types (SMF, MMF, copper; shared media and point-to-point)COMING SOON
  • 1.4Identify interface and cable issues (collisions, errors, duplex/speed mismatch)COMING SOON
  • 1.5Compare TCP to UDPCOMING SOON
  • 1.6Configure and verify IPv4 addressing and subnettingCOVERED→ How subnetting clicked · CIDR cheat sheet · Subnet practice tool
  • 1.7Describe the need for private IPv4 addressing (RFC 1918)COMING SOON
  • 1.8Configure and verify IPv6 addressing and prefixCOMING SOON
  • 1.9Describe IPv6 address types (unicast — global/unique-local/link-local; anycast; multicast; modified EUI-64)COMING SOON
  • 1.10Verify IP parameters for client OS (Windows, macOS, Linux)COMING SOON
  • 1.11Describe wireless principles (non-overlapping channels, SSID, RF, encryption)COMING SOON
  • 1.12Explain virtualization fundamentals (server virtualization, containers, VRFs)COMING SOON
  • 1.13Describe switching concepts (MAC learning & aging, frame switching, frame flooding, MAC address table)COMING SOON
DOMAIN 2.0 NETWORK ACCESS 20% OF EXAM
  • 2.1Configure and verify VLANs (normal range) spanning multiple switches — access ports (data & voice), default VLAN, inter-VLAN connectivityCOVERED→ Lab 1 — VLAN segmentation · Lab 2 — Inter-VLAN routing
  • 2.2Configure and verify interswitch connectivity — trunk ports, 802.1Q, native VLANCOVERED→ Lab 1 (trunking) · Lab 2 (router-on-a-stick)
  • 2.3Configure and verify Layer 2 discovery protocols (CDP and LLDP)COMING SOON
  • 2.4Configure and verify L2/L3 EtherChannel (LACP)COMING SOON
  • 2.5Interpret basic operations of Rapid PVST+ Spanning Tree Protocol — root bridge/port roles, port states, PortFastCOVERED→ Lab 3 — STP root election · Interactive STP lab · Lab 4 — RSTP
  • 2.6Describe Cisco Wireless Architectures and AP modesCOMING SOON
  • 2.7Describe physical infrastructure connections of WLAN components (AP, WLC, access/trunk ports, LAG)COMING SOON
  • 2.8Describe network device management access (Telnet, SSH, HTTP/S, console, TACACS+/RADIUS, cloud-managed)COMING SOON
  • 2.9Interpret WLAN GUI configuration for client connectivity (WLAN creation, security, QoS profiles, advanced settings)COMING SOON
DOMAIN 3.0 IP CONNECTIVITY 25% OF EXAM
  • 3.1Interpret components of the routing table (protocol code, prefix, mask, next hop, AD, metric, gateway of last resort)COMING SOON
  • 3.2Determine how a router makes a forwarding decision by default (longest prefix match, AD, routing-protocol metric)COMING SOON
  • 3.3Configure and verify IPv4 and IPv6 static routing — default, network, host, floating staticCOMING SOON
  • 3.4Configure and verify single area OSPFv2 — neighbor adjacencies, point-to-point & broadcast (DR/BDR), router IDCOVERED→ OSPF concepts · Lab 5 — OSPF single-area · OSPF adjacency states
  • 3.5Describe the purpose, functions, and concepts of first hop redundancy protocols (FHRP — HSRP)COMING SOON
DOMAIN 4.0 IP SERVICES 10% OF EXAM
  • 4.1Configure and verify inside source NAT using static and poolsCOMING SOON
  • 4.2Configure and verify NTP operating in client and server modeCOMING SOON
  • 4.3Explain the role of DHCP and DNS within the networkCOMING SOON
  • 4.4Explain the function of SNMP in network operationsCOMING SOON
  • 4.5Describe the use of syslog features including facilities and severity levelsCOMING SOON
  • 4.6Configure and verify DHCP client and relayCOMING SOON
  • 4.7Explain forwarding per-hop behavior (PHB) for QoS — classification, marking, queuing, congestion, policing, shapingCOMING SOON
  • 4.8Configure network devices for remote access using SSHCOMING SOON
  • 4.9Describe the capabilities and functions of TFTP/FTP in the networkCOMING SOON
DOMAIN 5.0 SECURITY FUNDAMENTALS 15% OF EXAM
  • 5.1Define key security concepts (threats, vulnerabilities, exploits, mitigation techniques)COMING SOON
  • 5.2Describe security program elements (user awareness, training, physical access control)COMING SOON
  • 5.3Configure and verify device access control using local passwordsCOMING SOON
  • 5.4Describe security password policy elements — management, complexity, MFA, certificates, biometricsCOMING SOON
  • 5.5Describe IPsec remote access and site-to-site VPNsCOMING SOON
  • 5.6Configure and verify access control lists (standard & extended)COMING SOON
  • 5.7Configure and verify Layer 2 security features (DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, port security)COMING SOON
  • 5.8Describe IPv4 and IPv6 source guardCOMING SOON
  • 5.9Describe wireless security protocols (WPA, WPA2, WPA3) and authenticationCOMING SOON
  • 5.10Configure and verify WLAN within the GUI using WPA2 PSKCOMING SOON
DOMAIN 6.0 AUTOMATION & PROGRAMMABILITY 10% OF EXAM
  • 6.1Explain how automation impacts network managementCOMING SOON
  • 6.2Compare traditional networks with controller-based networkingCOMING SOON
  • 6.3Describe controller-based, software-defined architecture — overlay, underlay, fabric; control/data plane separation; northbound & southbound APIsCOMING SOON
  • 6.4Explain AI and machine learning in network operations — AIOps, predictive analytics, anomaly detection, traffic optimizationCOMING SOON
  • 6.5Describe characteristics of REST-based APIs (authentication types, CRUD, HTTP verbs, data encoding)COMING SOON
  • 6.6Recognize the capabilities of configuration management mechanisms — Ansible, TerraformCOMING SOON
  • 6.7Recognize components of JSON-encoded dataCOMING SOON

Topics covered so far: 5 of 53. Heaviest weighted gaps next: Domain 3 (routing — static routing, FHRP) and Domain 5 (security — ACLs, L2 security). When something new ships, the [ COMING SOON ] badge above flips to [ COVERED ] with the link inline. Recommended books/video/lab gear if you want to cover a topic that's still on my queue.

[ ★ THE METHODOLOGY BEHIND THE PLAN ] Half of passing the CCNA is technical. The other half is whether you can show up daily for six months without burning out. I've trained for an Ironman and worked through the same problem with the CCNA — the lessons translate exactly. Read how endurance training shaped my study approach if you want the long version._

★ WHO BUILT THIS

[ AUTHOR · NETWORK ANALYST · CCNA CANDIDATE ] I'm Dylan Doyle — full-time network analyst at Halton District School Board in Burlington, ON, BIT NET grad from Carleton & Algonquin (joint program), Fortinet NSE 1–3 certified, and currently studying for the Cisco CCNA 200-301. Day job: managing VLANs, switches, wireless, and incident response across a multi-site school district. Everything on this hub comes from real work, real labs in Packet Tracer, and real exam prep. Full bio & credentials ↗
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