Prepare the Network

Step 1: Cable a network that is similar to the one in the topology diagram. 

You can use any current switch in your lab as long as it has the needed interfaces shown in the topology diagram. The output shown in this lab is based on 2960 switches. Other switch types might be produce different output. If you are using older switches, then some commands may be dissimilar or unavailable.

Set up console connections to all three switches. 

Step 2: Clear any existing configurations on the switches.

Clear switch configurations and VLANs on all three switches and reload them to restore the default state. Use the show vlan order to confirm that only default VLANs exist and that all ports are assigned to VLAN 1. 

Step 3: Configure the Ethernet interfaces on the host PCs.

Configure the Ethernet interfaces of PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4, PC5, and PC6 with the IP addresses indicated in the addressing table at the starting of the lab. There is no need to configure the default gateways for this lab.