Cisco CCNA (200-301)
FHG University prepares you for this exam on the Network Foundations track. Here are the modules mapped to its published objectives, and the opening of one to read now.
Examination preparation — these exams are set and awarded by their issuers. FHG prepares you for them and cannot grant them.
Cisco states the last day to test on 200-301 v1.1 is 2 February 2027.
The modules mapped to it
6 modules · about 20 h 15 min estimated in all
Network Fundamentals: The Vocabulary Every Later Domain Assumes
Every objective in CCNA v1.1 domain 1.0, Network Fundamentals, taught at the depth Cisco's verbs ask: components and topologies, cabling and the interface counters that diagnose it, TCP and UDP, IPv4 and IPv6 configured and verified on IOS, switching, wireless principles and virtualization. A final section covers the client-connectivity troubleshooting that CCNA v2.0 adds from 3 February 2027, so the module serves both exam versions.
Network components and topology architectures
When a fault report arrives, the first question is which device made the decision that went wrong. That depends on knowing what each component decides, and on which information.
| Component | Decides | Using |
|---|---|---|
| Router | Which network a packet goes to next; separates broadcast domains | Destination IP against the routing table |
| Layer 2 switch | Which port a frame leaves on, within a VLAN | Destination MAC against the MAC address table |
| Layer 3 switch | Both, in hardware, using SVIs or routed ports | MAC table within a VLAN; routing table between VLANs |
| Next-generation firewall | Whether a flow is permitted, inspected or blocked | Session state plus application, user identity, URL category and threat intelligence |
| IPS | Whether attack traffic is dropped | Signatures and anomaly detection, inline |
| Access point | Bridges wireless clients onto the wired network | 802.11 frames; the SSIDs and security it is given |
| Controller | Central configuration and policy for many devices | A WLC manages lightweight APs over CAPWAP; an SDN controller such as Catalyst Center manages switches and routers |
| Endpoints, servers | Generate and consume traffic | Their own IP configuration (see the client-OS section) |
IPS versus IDS. An IPS sits inline and can drop traffic; an IDS gets a copy (from a SPAN port, for example) and can only alert. NGFWs, such as Cisco Secure Firewall, usually include an IPS engine.
PoE (1.1h). The switch, as power sourcing equipment, powers a powered device (phone, AP, camera) over the data cable. Power at the switch port: 802.3af up to 15.4 W, 802.3at (PoE+) up to 30 W, 802.3bt up to 60 W (Type 3) or 90 W (Type 4); Cisco UPOE and UPOE+ are Cisco's 60 W and 90 W implementations. The switch has a finite budget: when it is spent, a new device stays unpowered even though the link is fine. show power inline shows the budget available, used and remaining, and each port's class and draw. Per-port PoE configuration belongs to the Network Access module.
Topology architectures (1.2).
- Two-tier (collapsed core): access switches uplink to a pair that combines distribution and core. Fits a building or small campus.
- Three-tier: access (endpoints connect), distribution (policy, inter-VLAN routing, aggregation) and core (fast transport between distribution blocks, minimal policy). Fits large campuses.
- Spine-leaf: data center design. Every leaf connects to every spine; leaves never interconnect, nor do spines. Servers attach to leaves, so any server reaches any other through one leaf-spine-leaf path, and capacity grows by adding spines or leaves. It suits east-west traffic between servers.
- WAN: connects sites over distance: leased lines, MPLS, Metro Ethernet, internet VPN and SD-WAN overlays.
- SOHO: one device often acts as router, switch, AP, firewall and DHCP server behind a broadband modem.
- On-premises and cloud: on-premises means the organization runs the infrastructure; cloud means a provider does, as IaaS, PaaS or SaaS, public, private or hybrid. The network question becomes how sites reach it: internet, VPN or a private connection.
CCNA v2.0's exam topics do not name components or topologies as objectives. Cisco calls its list a general guide, so this stays as background for both versions.
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Preparation means the material maps to the published objectives. It is not a promise of a pass, and Cisco sets, administers and awards the exam.