CCNA Curriculum

Understand what a computer network is and why networking skills are essential for IT and the CCNA.

Learn the difference between local, wide-area, and wireless networks and how they connect.

Identify the core devices that make up a network and the role each one plays.

Follow a piece of data from one computer to another and see how every device contributes.

Learn all 7 OSI layers, their names, PDUs, and the role each layer plays in network communication.

Understand the 4-layer TCP/IP model and how it maps to the OSI model.

See how headers are added and removed at each layer as data travels through the network stack.

Learn the Protocol Data Unit name at each OSI layer and what information it carries.

Walk through a complete end-to-end data journey and identify what happens at each layer.

Learn the physical connection points on network devices and what types of media connect them.

Compare UTP copper and fiber optic cables, their use cases, and the standards that govern them.

Understand how Ethernet works as the dominant Layer 2 technology in modern LANs.

Examine the fields inside an Ethernet frame: preamble, addresses, type, payload, and FCS.

Learn how 48-bit MAC addresses work, how they are formatted, and where they come from.

Distinguish between one-to-one, one-to-all, and one-to-many Ethernet delivery methods.

Understand the dynamic MAC learning process switches use to build their forwarding tables.

See how a switch uses its MAC table to decide where to send each incoming frame.

Learn what happens when a switch does not have a destination MAC in its table.

Understand how switches and routers define the boundaries of collision and broadcast domains.

Learn how the Address Resolution Protocol maps IP addresses to MAC addresses.

See how devices cache ARP results and how ARP request and reply messages are exchanged.

Follow a full Layer 2 conversation between two PCs on the same network segment.

Understand the 32-bit dotted-decimal format of IPv4 addresses and what each octet represents.

Learn how an IPv4 address is split into a network portion and a host portion.

Understand slash notation (e.g. /24) and how prefix length defines the network portion.

Learn the binary number system and how to convert between binary and decimal for IP math.

Understand how subnet masks work in both dotted-decimal and CIDR prefix formats.

Learn the RFC 1918 private ranges and how NAT connects private networks to the Internet.

Identify loopback, APIPA, limited broadcast, and other reserved IPv4 address ranges.

Understand why subnetting is used and the core concepts behind dividing a network.

Calculate the network address, broadcast address, and valid host range for any subnet.

Use block size patterns and cheat-sheet methods to subnet quickly on the exam.

Learn how to use different prefix lengths within the same major network for efficient addressing.

Understand the role of the default gateway and why hosts need one to reach remote networks.

Compare how a host sends data to a device on the same subnet versus a different subnet.

Understand how ICMP works, what ping tests, and how to interpret ping output.

Apply a systematic approach to diagnose and resolve common IPv4 connectivity problems.

Understand the core job of a router: forwarding packets between different networks at Layer 3.

Learn how router interfaces are configured with IP addresses and how L3 forwarding decisions are made.

Read and interpret a router's routing table, including destination, next-hop, and interface columns.

Understand the two automatic route types added when a router interface is configured.

Configure and troubleshoot static routes that manually define paths to remote networks.

Configure a default route (0.0.0.0/0) to catch traffic destined for unknown networks.

Learn how routers choose between competing routes from different sources using administrative distance.

Follow a packet across multiple routers from source host to a destination on a remote network.

Understand what VLANs are, why they are used, and how they logically segment a network.

Learn the difference between access ports (single VLAN) and trunk ports (multiple VLANs).

Understand the 802.1Q standard and how VLAN tags are added and removed on trunk links.

Learn why a router or Layer 3 switch is needed for traffic to move between VLANs.

Configure subinterfaces on a router to route between multiple VLANs over a single trunk link.

Use Switched Virtual Interfaces on a Layer 3 switch to perform inter-VLAN routing without a router.

Understand how broadcast storms and MAC instability arise from Layer 2 loops.

Learn how STP blocks redundant paths to create a loop-free Layer 2 topology.

Understand STP root bridge election and the five port roles and states in the STP process.

Compare RSTP (802.1w) to classic STP and learn how RSTP converges faster.

Bundle multiple physical links into a single logical link for increased bandwidth and redundancy.

Configure EtherChannel using the open-standard LACP (802.3ad) and Cisco-proprietary PAgP protocols.

Understand how OSPF dynamically builds routing tables using link-state advertisements.

Learn how OSPF routers discover each other and form neighbor adjacencies to share topology.

Understand how OSPF calculates interface cost and selects the best path with Dijkstra's algorithm.

Learn the 128-bit IPv6 address format, hexadecimal notation, and how to abbreviate addresses.

Identify global unicast, link-local, multicast, and anycast IPv6 address types.

Understand how SLAAC auto-configures IPv6 addresses and how NDP replaces ARP in IPv6.

Learn how DHCP automatically assigns IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, and DNS to hosts.

Understand how DNS resolves human-readable domain names to IP addresses.

Learn how Network Address Translation allows private IP hosts to reach the public Internet.

Understand why accurate time synchronization matters and how NTP keeps devices in sync.

Learn how syslog collects and stores device log messages and how severity levels work.

Understand how SNMP monitors and manages network devices using MIBs, OIDs, and traps.

Learn how Quality of Service prioritizes critical traffic like voice and video over bulk data.

Use Cisco Discovery Protocol and Link Layer Discovery Protocol to identify neighboring devices.

Understand how Access Control Lists filter traffic and where they are applied on a router.

Configure numbered and named standard ACLs that filter traffic based on source IP address only.

Configure extended ACLs to filter traffic based on source, destination, protocol, and port.

Restrict switch port access by MAC address to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting.

Learn 802.11 wireless standards, frequency bands, channels, and how wireless devices communicate.

Compare autonomous APs and lightweight APs managed by a Wireless LAN Controller (WLC).

Understand the differences between WPA2 and WPA3 and how 802.1X provides enterprise wireless security.

Understand why network automation matters and the shift from manual CLI to programmable infrastructure.

Read and interpret the three data formats used by network APIs and automation tools.

Learn how REST APIs allow software to communicate with network devices and support network automation.

Compare the leading configuration management tools and their role in network automation.