NoCo Cyber Security and Tech Blog: Cisco Packet Tracer

There are some great tools out there for practicing building computer networks and configuring networking devices. One such tool is a tool from Cisco known as "Packet Tracer." Packet Tracer is not a new tool. When I was teaching full time at a Cisco Networking Academy about 20 years ago, we had begun using Packet Tracer in some of our courses. Back then, it was a very robust tool, but over the years, it has evolved with some incredible features. Packet Tracer is a free tool that can be downloaded and used to do actual network build simulations or as part of an educational program.

While it was once commonly assumed that you had to be enrolled in a Cisco Networking Academy course to get and use Packet Tracer, that is no longer the case. Through the Cisco "Skills for All" program, all you must do is sign up and enroll in one of the many free courses offered by Cisco. The link above will take you to a course entitled "Getting Started with Cisco Packet Tracer." It will take you step by step through the download and installation process, then introduce you to how to use Packet Tracer to get started building networks and verifying their operation. This particular course, as do many of the free Cisco courses, actually includes assessments where you have to use Packet Tracer to successfully configure networks, and answer questions on a final exam that can only be obtained by knowing how to use Packet Tracer to do each task.

Note: Cisco Packet Tracer is a network emulator, as opposed to an actual simulator. While some of the features are a little limited, the features are robust enough that it is considered as valid and extremely valuable practice for the Cisco CCNA certification.

The video above will give some useful information on downloading and using Packet Tracer, but the Skills for All link above will take you directly to the correct link to sign up. Also note that the Skills for All link will offer you the latest version of Packet Tracer, which at the time of writing this article is 8.2.0.0162. Don't worry if some of the information in David's video above is completely over your head! The information he provides is a good demo of what you can do with Packet Tracer, and there are many free or low-cost courses to get you started.

Credit for the video above goes to the David Bombal YouTube Channel. David Bombal is a Cisco CCIE. Not only does David have several videos on YouTube, but he has also put together some very good and inexpensive courses on Udemy that will give you the proper foundational skills and practice in preparation for the Cisco CCNA certification.

If you want to get started on using Packet Tracer labs, the Skills for All site has several free courses that include actual labs that you download, with instructions for completing each step. There are also free labs that you can download to get started at sites such as "Packet Tracer Labs" and "Packet Tracer Network." Do an Internet search and you will find others that will work well also.