CCNA Exam Preparation / Network fundamentals
CCNA technique 024: Network architectures — practice and verify
An original CCNA exercise on network architectures with predictions, evidence, and a changed-condition check.
Environment and inputs: CCNA 200-301 v1.1 study; isolated Cisco IOS / IOS XE lab or paper exercise where applicable.
Practice task
Sketch both campus designs and identify where a single distribution device failure would affect users.
Expected reasoning
Two-tier combines distribution and core roles; three-tier separates access, distribution, and core.
Produce evidence
Use an isolated simulator, approved lab or paper trace. Record the topology, prediction and observed result. Before device changes, capture the relevant interface, route, neighbor or service state. Ping alone may not prove the behavior under study.
Introduce a counterexample
Change one condition in the network architectures exercise and predict the result before checking it. Explain which observation would disprove your hypothesis. Restore the baseline, repeat from blank notes and keep both results.
Exam scope
Independent CCNA 200-301 v1.1 exercise, checked against Cisco resources on 2 November 2026. It is not a recalled exam question. The collection’s 200 techniques do not represent exam question counts or weights. Check Cisco’s current exam rules and your simulator’s supported syntax.