Packet Tracer 3.2 Usage

Getting Started With Packet Tracer

When you open Packet Tracer v3.2, you will by default be presented with a blank workspace, and you can immediately create a new network. You may at any point save this network by going to the "File" menu and choosing "Save" or "Save As". From the "File" menu, you may also open an existing network by choosing "Open", start a new network by choosing "New", or print the current screen by choosing "Print". The following keyboard shortcuts are available for fast operation:

Keyboard Shortcut | Action
Shift | Hold down to select multiple devices
Ctrl + N | Start a new network
Ctrl + O | Open an existing network
Ctrl + S | Save the current network
Ctrl + Shift + S | Save As : Save the current network to a specific name.
Ctrl + P | Print the current network
Ctrl + W | Run the Activity Wizard
Alt + F4 | Exit Packet Tracer
F5 | Toggle Simple Mode on/off.
F6 | Toggle Console Mode on/off.
F7 | Toggle Challenge Mode on/off.
F8 | Toggle Auto DHCP on/off.
F3 | Toggle Animation on/off.
F4 | Toggle Sound on/off.
Ctrl + I | Toggle Show Packets on/off.
Ctrl + L | Toggle Hide Ports on/off.
F2 | Show the Zoom Radar.
F1 (or Ctrl + H) | Open the help files.
F11 | Open the Tutorials.
F12 | About Packet Tracer.
Del | Delete all selected devices (requires yes/no confirmation).
Esc | Closes certain pop-up window or cancels/stops the current action (i.e. continuously placing devices, continuously making connections).
C | Selects "Cancel" for "yes/no/cancel" confirmation.
N | Selects "No" for "yes/no/cancel" confirmation.
Y | Selects "Yes" for "yes/no/cancel" confirmation.
Page Up | Zoom in.
Page Dn | Zoom out.

In addition to keyboard shortcuts, you may also use the buttons on the tool bar to access many of Packet Tracer's options. Going from left to right, they are: New, Open, Save, Print, Activity Wizard, Simple Mode, Console Mode, Challenge Mode, Zoom, and Help. When in doubt, mouse over the buttons to see what it does.

Note about undoing: unfortunately, Packet Tracer 3.2 does not have the ability to undo actions in case you make a mistake. You would need to correct them manually. Therefore, it is a good idea to save often so you can always go back to a network's last saved state.

Operating Modes

Packet Tracer 3.2 has three essential modes of operation: Topology mode, Simulation mode, and Realtime mode (where you may issue pings).You may switch between these modes by clicking on the "Topology", "Simulation", and "Realtime" tabs.

In Topology mode, you build a network by choosing, connecting, and configuring devices. In terms of filtering and forwarding packets, the network is not "intelligent" at this point because network convergence hasn't occurred. You may inspect Layer 1 connectivity in Topology mode, but some IOS diagnostic commands (like show arp) will not work until you go into Simulation or Realtime Mode, where the network converges (MAC tables and routing tables get populated). In Simulation mode, you may run and diagnose the network one step at a time, by sending packets in the desired sequence and viewing network parameters at each hop. Certain commands, like ping and traceroute, are not suited for this step-by-step approach. One single ping operation involves many packets being sent back and forth in the network, and would take a long time in Simulation mode to complete. This is why Realtime mode exists, so that you may issue pings and receive a timely response. From the Cisco IOS and PC command line interfaces in realtime mode the user may issue extended ping and traceroute commands as well.

Writing Notes and Descriptions
In Packet Tracer v3.2, whenever you see the or "Information" button, you can click it to read or write notes pertaining to the situation or object. You may lock these notes (to prevent changes by others) by clicking the or "Password Lock" button from the main program screen, then create a password in the pop-up dialog box. The button will change into to confirm that the lock is in place. Once locked, all information boxes in the Packet Tracer file are "Read-Only". They can be unlocked by pressing the button and entering the correct password.

Functional Modes

Packet Tracer v3.2 also has several modes that affect how networks are edited and simulated; they are designed to suit the user's preference and expertise. From the "Options" menu, you may choose to turn on or off "Simple Mode", "Console Mode", "Challenge Mode", and "Auto DHCP".

"Simple Mode" is designed to increase Packet Tracer v3.2's ease-of-use, at the expense of configuration detail and realism. When this mode is on (the default), you can quickly create networks and run simulations without needing to deal with a lot of configuration dialog menus or console screens. Many parameters are automatically set or chosen, and you only have to manually set important parameters such as the IP address and Subnet Mask for a port on a device. When simple mode is off, however, you must configure all parameters manually and use the Cisco IOS command line interface for routers and switches. More information regarding Simple/Expert Mode is explained in other sections of this help file.

"Console Mode" is designed to further enforce the realism in configuring routers and switches. When this mode is turned on, you must console into routers and switches with PCs to configure non-basic parameters. You can still toggle the power, change the name, and add/remove ports. For all other parameters, users must connect a PC to the router or switch with a console connection, then configure the router or switch using the PC's terminal window. Note that this feature is also already available when "Simple Mode" is off.

"Challenge Mode" is designed to "challenge" you on your knowledge of what happens to a packet as it traverses the network in Simulation Mode. When this mode is turned on, you will be able to guess what actions are taken by the networking devices at various OSI layers, then compare it to the correct answers. When this mode is turned off (which is the default), the actions taken are automatically displayed. See the "Simulation Mode" help section for more information.

"Auto DHCP" is designed to streamline the DHCP process. When you run the network in Simulation Mode with this mode on, PCs that don't have an IP address will automatically attempt DHCP to get an address from a connected router. Thus, this feature makes it so that you do not have to manually assign IP addresses to PCs in Topology Mode.

Miscellaneous Options

Packet Tracer v3.2 offers support for several languages, but requires your operating system to have the appropriate international language fonts to display them correctly. You may change the language by going to "Options" ---> "Languages".

Other options available in Packet Tracer v3.2 are the "Sound" and "Animation" options. You may turn these on to fully experience this program, or if it runs sluggishly, you may turn them off. Turning off animation will disable the connection line tracker, and disable animated packet movements. Turning off sound will disable all sounds.

Show Packets is used in Simulation mode to automatically display a short summary of each packet as it traverses the network.

Hide Ports will hide the port numbers shown on the links to decrease the clutter in the workspace.