https://packetmentor.com/blog/ 1:1 mentorship voice on CCNA and CCNP topics — OSPF, VLANs, ACLs, DHCP, port security, and the interview questions US employers actually ask. en-US Fri, 17 Jul 2026 18:53:21 GMT PacketMentor / Astro https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-vs-aws-networking-specialty/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-vs-aws-networking-specialty/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cisco's CCNA and AWS's Advanced Networking Specialty overlap in name only. Which one fits your US networking career trajectory, whether you should do both, and the honest 2026 salary picture for cloud-focused NetEngs. ccna aws cloud-networking us-careers certifications https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-vs-network-plus/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-vs-network-plus/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cisco's CCNA and CompTIA's Network+ overlap on paper but target different careers. Which one US employers actually want, which pays more, and which order to sit them if you're going to do both. ccna network-plus us-careers certifications https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-timers-dr-bdr-exstart/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-timers-dr-bdr-exstart/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The three OSPF problems that trip up every CCNA candidate: timer mismatches that never form a neighbor, DR/BDR election producing an unexpected router as DR, and the classic EXSTART/EXCHANGE stall from an MTU mismatch. With show commands, real numbers, and the fixes. ccna ospf routing troubleshooting https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-vs-eigrp/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-vs-eigrp/ Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A candid comparison of OSPF and EIGRP: what the CCNA 200-301 exam tests on each, where each one is actually deployed in US enterprise networks, and how to answer the interview question about picking between them. ccna ospf eigrp routing https://packetmentor.com/blog/static-routing-done-right/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/static-routing-done-right/ Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Everything you need to configure static routes with confidence: next-hop vs exit-interface, admin distance, floating statics as backup, the default route ('quad zero'), and why the wrong syntax silently drops your recursive lookup. ccna static-routing routing https://packetmentor.com/blog/ipv6-for-ccna/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ipv6-for-ccna/ Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The IPv6 subset the CCNA actually tests — address structure, EUI-64, SLAAC vs DHCPv6, link-local vs global, and the exact CLI commands to bring a host up on a fresh v6 network without needing a DHCP server. ccna ipv6 slaac routing https://packetmentor.com/blog/etherchannel-lacp/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/etherchannel-lacp/ Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to bundle multiple switch uplinks into a single logical Port-channel so STP stops blocking your redundant cables. LACP vs PAgP vs static, mode combinations that actually form a bundle, load-balance methods, and the diagnostic commands. ccna etherchannel lacp switching https://packetmentor.com/blog/port-security-and-dhcp-snooping/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/port-security-and-dhcp-snooping/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The three access-layer defenses that stop 90% of L2 attacks: MAC flooding, rogue DHCP servers, and ARP spoofing. How they interact, the trust-port model, sticky-MAC pros and cons, and the diagnostic commands when something goes err-disabled. ccna port-security dhcp-snooping dai layer-2-security https://packetmentor.com/blog/standard-vs-extended-acl/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/standard-vs-extended-acl/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A practical breakdown of Cisco IOS ACL types. When a one-line standard ACL is the right tool, when you need extended for protocol + port filtering, where to place them, and the mistakes that make ACLs silently do nothing. ccna acl security https://packetmentor.com/blog/hsrp-explained/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/hsrp-explained/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Two routers, one virtual IP, zero downtime when the primary router dies. HSRP's active/standby election, priority, preempt, tracking, and the show commands that prove it works — plus the CCNA-favorite question about virtual MAC addresses. ccna hsrp fhrp routing redundancy https://packetmentor.com/blog/stp-root-bridge-election/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/stp-root-bridge-election/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT How switches decide which one becomes the STP root bridge, what happens when priorities tie, why lowering priority is safer than lowering MAC, and how to force the root to sit where you actually want it. ccna spanning-tree stp switching https://packetmentor.com/blog/inter-vlan-routing-svi-vs-router-on-a-stick/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/inter-vlan-routing-svi-vs-router-on-a-stick/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free CCNA-level inter-VLAN routing tutorial for US networking learners. Why VLANs can't talk by default, router-on-a-stick with dot1Q sub-interfaces, the Layer-3 switch SVI method real networks use, and the #1 mistake that leaves SVIs up but routing dead. ccna ip-connectivity inter-vlan-routing svi https://packetmentor.com/blog/dhcp-explained-dora-and-relay/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/dhcp-explained-dora-and-relay/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free CCNA-level DHCP tutorial for US networking learners. The DORA exchange step by step, why every message is a broadcast, the Cisco IOS server config, ip helper-address relay across subnets, and the show commands that prove leases are landing. ccna ip-services dhcp dora https://packetmentor.com/blog/layer-2-security-explained/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/layer-2-security-explained/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free tutorial on Cisco access-layer security for US networking learners. How DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), IP Source Guard, port security and 802.1x stack together to lock down the switch port — with the config and show commands. ccna ccnp security dhcp-snooping dynamic-arp-inspection ip-source-guard https://packetmentor.com/blog/nat-pat-explained/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/nat-pat-explained/ Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free CCNA-level NAT and PAT tutorial for US networking learners. Static vs dynamic vs PAT/overload, the four inside/outside local/global terms decoded, the config, and the show commands that prove it works. ccna ip-services nat pat https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-v2-2027-changes/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ccna-v2-2027-changes/ Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Cisco announced the CCNA 200-301 v2.0 blueprint. Here's what changed — a new AI section, a big shift toward configuration and troubleshooting, six domains down to five — when it goes live (Feb 3, 2027), and which version you should actually study based on your exam date. ccna exam ccna-v2 https://packetmentor.com/blog/acls-the-mental-model/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/acls-the-mental-model/ Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free CCNA-level tutorial on Cisco ACLs for US networking learners. Implicit deny, wildcard masks, in vs out direction, and how to read any ACL in 10 seconds. ccna security acl https://packetmentor.com/blog/vlans-without-the-overload/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/vlans-without-the-overload/ Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free CCNA-level VLAN tutorial for US networking learners. Trunks, access ports, 802.1Q tagging, and native VLAN gotchas — the mental model that makes it click in 15 minutes. ccna switching vlans https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-in-12-minutes/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/ospf-in-12-minutes/ Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT How OSPF actually works — the LSDB, SPF, neighbors, DR/BDR — explained as a story before you write a single `router ospf 1`. ccna routing ospf https://packetmentor.com/blog/trunk-not-passing-vlan/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/trunk-not-passing-vlan/ Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Step-by-step troubleshooting for the classic CCNA-lab moment when you've configured the trunk but VLAN 20 traffic isn't reaching the other switch. ccna switching troubleshooting vlans trunks https://packetmentor.com/blog/free-certs-before-ccna/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/free-certs-before-ccna/ Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Free Cisco and cloud certificates that thicken a junior NetEng CV before you sit the paid CCNA exam — sequenced for someone starting from help-desk or community college. ccna career certifications https://packetmentor.com/blog/subnetting-magic-numbers/ https://packetmentor.com/blog/subnetting-magic-numbers/ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT The one method that turns CCNA subnetting from 'do the binary math' into 'glance at the mask, subtract, done'. Worked examples for /27, /28, /22, /21. ccna subnetting fundamentals