Networking Exam Academy

I released Networkcraft – The Online Network Simulator a while ago, but never included in labs or tutorials to go with it. Since Cisco routers use a command line interface there is a pretty heavy learning curve if you don’t have experience working with the command line. Networkcraft also uses a command line interface and for the CCNA exam you will also be required to know how to use the command line interface of a Cisco Router and Switch. This first lab and all the subsequent labs are to help you become familiar with learning how to how to configure Cisco Equipment, not only so that you can pass the CCNA Exam, but so that you can become an experienced network administrator.

Below is the Networkcraft terminal window for a sample router. You can type commands into it to configure the router. This first lab is going to show you how to name your router and how to set a password on it. The following labs will teach you many more things that you will need to know to pass the CCNA Exam. Let’s begin!

Step 1: Change the name of your router

You always want to give your router a descriptive name. Chances are that you will be configuring more than one router at a time and have two terminal windows open on your screen. If both of the routers your are configuring both have the same name like “router”, then it might be really easy to start configuring the wrong one.
In this step we are going to change the name of our router from “router” to “r1″. Sometimes people use the city that the router is in like, “Seattle” or “Portland”. Follow these steps to change your routers name to “r1″:


Router>enable
Router#config t
Router(config)#hostname r1
r1(config)#exit
r1#


See how the prompt changes from “Router>” to “Router#” to “Router(config)#”. Once we are in router configuration mode we can use the ‘hostname’ command followed by the new name of the router: r1. Notice when you press enter the name changes from “Router” to “r1″.

Congratulations! You have no successfully changed the name of your router.

Step 2: Configure the Enable Password

We want to make sure that your router is secure so that unauthorized people can’t make any changes. To set a password for the enable mode follow the steps below:


r1>enable
r1#config t
r1(config)#enable password cisco


Now that we have the enable password set, let’s back all the way out and try and get back into enable mode. Typing ‘exit’ will take us out of configuration mode. Then by typing ‘disable’ we will back out of enable mode.


r1(config)#exit
r1#exit
r1#disable
r1>


Now you can get back into enable mode and notice that it asks you for your password this time:


r1>enable
password: cisco
r1#


Now let’s see what happens when we type in the wrong password. Go ahead and back out of enable mode with the ‘disable’ command and then go back into enable mode with the ‘enable’ command. This time though type in a bogus password like “asdf”. It shouldn’t let you in. Now type in your real password.


r1#disable
r1>
r1>enable
password: asdf
password: cisco
r1#


Now let me show you why we typically don’t use the enable password command to secure your router. I’ll show you a better way in the next section. Let’s go ahead and looking at our running configuration by typing in the ‘sh run’ command. You then should get an output similar to the trunkcated output I have below. You might need to scroll up inside of the simulator to view the beginning of the ‘sh run’ output.
See where it says “enable password cisco”. It is showing your password in plain text. This usually isn’t a good thing to have your password exposed like that. Let’s go on to the next lab to see how you can encrypt your password instead.


r1#sh run
Current configuration:
!
version 0.0.1
service timestamps debug uptime
service timestamps log uptime
no service password-encryption
!
hostname r1
!
enable secret 5
enable password cisco
!
!
!


Video Demo

Below is a video showing you how to set the enable password. Sometimes it is easier to learn by watching someone else.

Congratulations!

You have completed the first lab

If you have any questions about the lab please post a commend below or feel free to email me using my email listed on the about page. I wish you success in your CCNA studies and thanks for your support!

-Blake Erickson

Click here to move onto CCNA Lab 02: Securing Your Router with the Enable Secret Password Command