CCNA Network Operator.

Take control of your first switch. Learn what its prompt means, ask it for help, and get ready to configure it.

• CLI prompts
• Privileged mode
• Built-in help

Set the switch hostname and verify it in the running configuration.

• Hostname
• Device identity
• Running configuration

Break the CLI on purpose: trigger IOS's classic error messages, read the ^ marker, finish an incomplete command, and unlock show commands from config mode with 'do'.

• % Invalid input and the ^ marker
• % Incomplete command
• EXEC vs config commands

Practice moving between CLI modes without getting lost.

• User EXEC mode
• Privileged EXEC mode
• Global configuration

Abbreviations and Tab make you fast — learn where they bite before the exam does.

• Abbreviations
• Tab completion
• Ambiguous commands

Use show commands to inspect VLAN membership and practice shutting down an interface.

• Show commands
• VLAN brief
• Shutdown

Create two VLANs, confirm them with show vlan brief, then remove them with the no command and confirm they are gone.

• VLAN database
• Creating VLANs
• The no command

Use show commands to inspect interface status and bring a port back up.

• Show commands
• Interface status
• Administrative vs link state

Learn the difference between running and startup configuration, then save your changes.

• Running configuration
• Startup configuration
• NVRAM

Audit a misconfigured switch, fix the hostname, create the required VLANs, bring the disabled desk port back online, and save your work.

• Audit
• Troubleshooting
• Show commands

Configure a message-of-the-day banner and verify it appears in the running configuration.

• Banner MOTD
• Device identity
• Running configuration

Set an enable password and test logging in with it.

• Enable password
• Security
• Authentication

Set an enable secret and configure the console line password.

• Enable secret
• Console access
• Line password

Configure VTY lines for remote access and set a shared password.

• VTY lines
• Remote access
• Line password

Create local user accounts and switch from shared line passwords to per-user authentication.

• Local username
• Privilege levels
• VTY lines

Reinforce console security, VTY access, local authentication, verification, and saving.

• Console access
• VTY lines
• Local authentication

Combine everything you learned in Meet the CLI into one complete baseline configuration.

• Exam
• Synthesis
• Hostname

Turn a console-only switch into one you can administer remotely: build the full SSH stack, then prove it by opening an SSH session from the PC.

• SSH
• crypto key generate rsa
• ip domain-name