About Packet Tracer 3.

0: Instructor FAQ

About Packet Tracer: Instructor FAQ

Copyright 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc

What is Packet Tracer? Packet Tracer 3.0 is an interactive tool for learning the basic operations of various networking devices at the data link and network layer of the OSI model. It is intended to teach beginning networking students how and why devices in a network work the way they do. A student using this simulation tool is able to build their own computer networks, and observe the behavior of data frames and packets as they traverse through routers, switches, and other devices. The goal of this software program is to help students internalize the basic functions of the various networking devices and how they handle frames and packets. May I distribute the Packet Tracer to my students for their personal use? Yes! Packet Tracer is free for Cisco Networking Academy students and may be downloaded on the Cisco Networking Academy Connection Site. Before downloading Packet Tracer from the website, you are required to agree to the terms and conditions, User Agreement, that define proper use of this software. Why should I use Packet Tracer? Packet Tracer will enhance the learning experience of the students. These interactive activities will help further explain and reinforce the material learned in lectures or online. It is a powerful instructional tool that was adopted by the Cisco Networking Academy to help you teach the curriculum. How should I use Packet Tracer in my class? Use Packet Tracer for exploratory activities. Use Packet Tracer for formative assessment and for student self-assessment. Use Packet Tracer for homework activities. Use Packet Tracer for review in CCNA 2, CCNA 3, and CCNA 4. How can I integrate Packet Tracer into my lecture? You may easily integrate Packet Tracer into your lecture. Packet Tracer may be used to reinforce information learned after the student reads the curriculum and the instructor lectures on the material. The instructor may assign a task of designing a network with certain specifications. The instructor may then evaluate the students networks by sending packets across the network. The instructor may also provide pre-designed networks that do not work perfectly, and assign the students the task of troubleshooting the network. To complete these activities in the past, the student would need to gain access to equipment that may not be readily available, particularly if the student is studying at home. Students may easily run simulations to validate many answers they would traditionally put on paper. Does Packet Tracer replace Labs or Lab (Skills) exams? No. The goal of the Academy program remains to teach students to design, install, operate, and troubleshoot networks. There is no substitute for actual lab experience when educating future networking professionals. How long will it take me to learn Packet Tracer? A person with basic networking skills can learn how to use Packet Tracer and build basic simulations in less than one hour. Packet Tracers help documents provide several 5- to 10-minute tutorials that can help users quick-start on this program.

About Packet Tracer: Instructor FAQ

Copyright 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc

Can I run simulations on networks that I create? Yes, one of the most valuable aspects of Packet Tracer is the ability to run simulations after creating networks. The user can create the network, and then create several different scenarios of sending packets from different sources to different destinations. The network along with these scenarios can be saved and used again. What kind of equipment can be used to create topologies? Topologies can be built using the following equipment: Router Cloud Switch Bridge Repeater Hub Wireless Access Point PC What type of interfaces can be used to interconnect devices? The following interfaces can be selected to interconnect hardware devices: Ethernet (copper) Fast Ethernet (copper and fiber) Gigabit Ethernet (copper and fiber) Serial Modem Wireless Which bandwidths are available on serial interfaces in Packet Tracer? The following bandwidths are available: 56 Kbps 128 Kbps 384 Kbps 786 Kbps 1.544 Mbps 2.048 Mbps Can I create topologies with wireless access points and wireless PCs? Yes, wireless access points and wireless PCs can be incorporated into the topologies and simulations. What routing algorithms do the routers use in Packet Tracer? Routers in Packet Tracer use RIP version 2. The routers exchange routing information dynamically to build their routing tables.

About Packet Tracer: Instructor FAQ

Copyright 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc

Is Spanning Tree Protocol supported by the switches and bridges? Switches and bridges in Packet Tracer use a simplified version of Spanning Tree Protocol to break Layer 2 loops in a network. Why do some links turn off when I switch from Topology to Simulation Mode? When switching from Topology to Simulation Mode, Packet Tracer breaks Layer 1 and Layer 2 loops so that packets sent in Simulation Mode would not loop indefinitely. To achieve this, hubs, repeaters, switches, and bridges turn off ports that are in loops. Why does it sometimes take so long to switch from Topology to Simulation Mode? When switching from Topology to Simulation Mode, Packet Tracer needs to initialize the devices in the network. This process involves hubs and repeaters breaking Layer 1 loops, switches and bridges breaking Layer 2 loops and building MAC tables, routers and clouds building routing tables, and routers and PCs building ARP tables. The more devices and connections there are in a network, the more time it takes to initialize them. Will there be future versions of Packet Tracer? Feedback from Cisco Networking Academy students and instructors will drive future updates and enhancements of this product. Where can I send comments, questions, and concerns regarding Packet Tracer? You can read and post comments, questions and concerns to the CCNA community discussion forums at http://academy-community.net/Instructor%20Community/CCNA/

About Packet Tracer: Instructor FAQ

Copyright 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc