VLAN Access Port Configuration

In this lab, I have configured VLANs on a Cisco 2960 switch, assigned ports to their respective VLANs, and connected multiple PCs using straight-through cables. I also verified VLAN assignments and tested connectivity to observe how devices communicate within the same VLAN and how communication fails across different VLANs without inter-VLAN routing.

Network Setup Overview

Device	VLAN	IP Address	Port	Cable Type
PC0	VLAN 10 (SALES)	10.10.10.1	Fa0/1	Straight-through
PC1	VLAN 10 (SALES)	10.10.10.2	Fa0/2	Straight-through
PC2	VLAN 20 (ENGINEERING)	10.10.10.3	Fa0/3	Straight-through
PC3	VLAN 20 (ENGINEERING)	10.10.10.4	Fa0/4	Straight-through

Core Device: Cisco 2960 Switch

Note: All PCs are connected directly to the switch using straight-through Ethernet cables.

Configuration Steps

Enable VLANs:

Switch(config)# vlan 10
Switch(config-vlan)# name SALES
Switch(config)# vlan 20
Switch(config-vlan)# name Engineering

Assign Access Ports to VLANs:

Switch(config)# interface fa0/1
Switch(config-if)# switchport mode access
Switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 10

Switch(config)# interface fa0/2
Switch(config-if)# switchport mode access
Switch(config-if)# switchport access vlan 10

Switch(config)# interface range fa0/3 - 4
Switch(config-if-range)# switchport mode access
Switch(config-if-range)# switchport access vlan 20

Shutdown Unused Ports:

Switch(config)# interface range fa0/5 - 24
Switch(config-if-range)# description Inactive ports
Switch(config-if-range)# shutdown

Switch(config)# interface range g0/1 - 2
Switch(config-if-range)# shutdown

Verification Commands

Check VLAN assignment:
Terminal window
```
Switch# show vlan brief
```

Output:

VLAN Name                             Status    Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- -------------------------------
1    default                          active    Fa0/5, Fa0/6, Fa0/7, Fa0/8
                                                Fa0/9, Fa0/10, Fa0/11, Fa0/12
                                                Fa0/13, Fa0/14, Fa0/15, Fa0/16
                                                Fa0/17, Fa0/18, Fa0/19, Fa0/20
                                                Fa0/21, Fa0/22, Fa0/23, Fa0/24
                                                Gig0/1, Gig0/2
10   SALES                            active    Fa0/1, Fa0/2
20   Engineering                      active    Fa0/3, Fa0/4
1002 fddi-default                     active
1003 token-ring-default               active
1004 fddinet-default                  active
1005 trnet-default                    active

Next Steps: Testing Network Connectivity

Pinging PC0 - PC1 (Sales VLAN: Same VLAN Communication)

Success — Communication succeeds as both PCs are in the Sales VLAN.

PC0 to PC1

Pinging PC1 - PC0 (Sales VLAN: Same VLAN Communication)

Success — Same result as above, as both are in the Sales VLAN.

PC1 to PC0

Pinging PC0 - PC2 (Sales - HR VLAN: Different VLANs)

Failed — Communication fails as the PCs are in different VLANs.

PC0 to PC2

Pinging PC1 - PC3 (Sales - Engineering VLAN: Different VLANs)

Failed — Communication is blocked due to the PCs being in different VLANs.

PC1 to PC3

Pinging PC2 - PC3 (HR - Engineering VLAN: Same Network Configuration)

Success — These PCs can communicate as they are part of the HR and Engineering VLANs, which are properly routed.

PC2 to PC3

Pinging PC3 - PC2 (HR - Engineering VLAN: Same Network Configuration)

Success — As above, the PCs can ping each other successfully.

PC3 to PC2

Pinging PC0 - PC2 (Sales - HR VLAN: Different VLANs)

Failed — Ping failed due to being on different VLANs.

PC0 to PC2 again

Network Ping Results Overview

Source	Destination	VLANs	Ping Result	Explanation
PC0	PC1	Sales VLAN	Success	Both PCs are in the same VLAN (Sales), so direct communication is possible.
PC0	PC2	Sales - HR VLAN	Failed	PCs in different VLANs, no routing configured.
PC1	PC3	Sales - Engineering VLAN	Failed	Communication blocked by VLAN separation, no inter-VLAN routing available.
PC2	PC3	HR - Engineering VLAN	Success	Routing enabled between HR and Engineering VLANs, successful communication.
PC0	PC3	Sales - Engineering VLAN	Failed	Devices in different VLANs; routing is required for communication.

Visual Summary

Ping Pair	VLAN Connection	Ping Outcome
PC0 - PC1	Same VLAN (Sales VLAN)	Success
PC0 - PC2	Different VLANs (Sales - HR)	Failed
PC1 - PC3	Different VLANs (Sales - Engineering)	Failed
PC2 - PC3	Different VLANs (HR - Engineering)	Success

Download the packet Tracer file