AP Networking Lab 3: Segmented LAN Build (Browser VLAN Simulator)

Segmented LAN Build

Separate three groups of users on one physical network, then prove it. 8 class periods, 8 checkpoints.

What you need: a browser. Nothing to install, no admin rights, no networking hardware. It runs on a Chromebook. The network below is simulated, so you can break it, fix it, and break it again without touching anything real.

The situation

One switch, three groups of people who must not all reach each other: staff, students, and guests. You will assign every port to a segment, decide what may cross between segments, and then prove the result with a reachability matrix rather than with an assurance that it should work.

Run the lab

Work the terminal on the left. ipconfig, ping, tracert, arp -a, nslookup, speedtest all answer from the simulated network, so the evidence you gather is consistent and repeatable. Answer the checkpoints as you go and submit when you are done: your score saves to your gradebook, and the reasoning for each checkpoint appears after you submit.

How the 8 periods are used

Session Focus What you should be able to do after it
1 Why segment at all State the problem segmentation solves before touching the config.
2 Assign the segments Put every device in the right segment.
3 What breaks when you segment Discover that segmentation also blocks traffic you wanted.
4 Routing between segments Enable the crossings that should exist and only those.
5 Filtering Write rules that permit the needed crossings and deny the rest.
6 Prove it Produce a reachability matrix that matches the intended policy exactly.
7 Break it and fix it Diagnose a segmented network you did not configure.
8 The blueprint Document the design for the Unit 3 performance task.
This is a model, not a capture. The devices, addresses and command output are authored for this lab. Real equipment behaves in messier ways: timeouts vary, cables are intermittent, and output differs between operating systems. What transfers is the reasoning, which is the part that is graded here and on the exam.

Questions students ask

Do I need to install anything?

No. Everything runs in this page. If you can read this, you can run the lab.

Can I redo it?

You can work the lab as many times as you like. Whether a retake replaces your recorded score depends on the retry setting your teacher chose for your class.

Will these exact commands work on a real machine?

The commands are real and the output format follows the real tools closely. tracert is the Windows spelling; macOS and Linux use traceroute. Run them on a real network when you have one, and expect more noise than you see here.

Back to Unit 3: Managing Many Connections AP Networking course guide

Objectives practised: 3.1.A, 3.2.A, 3.3.A, 3.3.B, 3.4.A, 3.4.B, 3.5.A, 3.5.B. Skills: 1.B, 1.C, 1.D, 2.C.

AP is a trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this resource.

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