Packet Tracer 3.2 Usage

Editing Switches

Simple Mode On

With Simple Mode on, a GUI is used to configure switches (make sure that Console Mode is off). As with routers, you can copy the running configuration to the startup configuration by clicking the save button. Similarly, you can erase the startup configuration by clicking the erase button (these features are equivalent to the copy run start and erase start IOS commands). You can write a description for the switch by clicking the Information button. You can also configure each port individually in the "Port Config" panel and configure the switch's VLAN database in the "Vlan Database" panel.

> Port Configuration

> | In port configuration, you can edit the parameters of each available port on the switch. These include the power status, bandwidth and duplex settings. You can also toggle between "Access VLAN" and "Trunk VLANs" for the port's Switch Mode, and select desired VLAN(s) for each mode.
> | The CONSOLE port on the switch works the same as the router's console port. For more information regarding Console Mode, see the "Editing PCs"

> Configuring VLAN database

> | In Vlan Database, you can add and name any number of VLANs to the switch's database.

Simple Mode Off

> With Simple Mode off (make sure that Console Mode is off), you can configure the switch via a command line interface using Cisco IOS. You can still toggle the power and add/remove ports graphically. Click here for a complete listing of all supported Cisco IOS commands.

> Just like the router, you may copy the text from the command line interface. For example, you may use show running-config, copy the running configuration, paste it to another application and upload this configuration to an actual switch. Note that you'll have to edit these configurations (for example to reflect the existing interfaces on the real switch) for this to work. In this you can do large parts of your configuration tasks in Packet Tracer, off-line of real switches. This allows more efficient use of precious time on the real switches.

Console Mode On

> | When Console Mode is on (regardless of whether Simple Mode is on or off), you can only toggle the power, change the name, and add/remove ports on the switch graphically. Any other configuration must be done via a console session from a PC. See "Editing PCs" for more information.