Connecting Two LANs Using Static Routing

 

Experiment: Connecting Two LANs Using Static Routing

1. Aim

To connect two separate LANs using two routers in Cisco Packet Tracer, configure IP addresses on the PCs and router interfaces, configure static routes to reach non-directly-connected networks, and verify end-to-end connectivity using the ping command.

2. Objectives

After completing this experiment, students should be able to:

  1. Create two separate LANs using switches.
  2. Connect two routers to form an internetwork.
  3. Configure IPv4 addresses on PCs and router interfaces.
  4. Configure default gateways on PCs.
  5. Understand directly connected and non-directly-connected networks.
  6. Configure static routes using the ip route command.
  7. Examine the router routing table.
  8. Verify connectivity between different LANs.
  9. Troubleshoot static routing problems.
  10. Understand how packets travel through multiple routers.

3. Theory

In the previous experiment, two LANs were connected to one router.

In that situation, the router automatically knew about both networks because both networks were directly connected to its interfaces.

In this experiment, we introduce a second router.

The topology will be:

 
             LAN 1                              LAN 2
        192.168.1.0/24                     192.168.2.0/24

 PC0 ─── Switch0 ─── R1 ───────── R2 ─── Switch1 ─── PC2
                       \          /
                        10.0.0.0/30

The important concept is:

Router R1 does not directly connect to LAN 2, and Router R2 does not directly connect to LAN 1. Therefore, each router needs a static route to the remote LAN.

4. Network Topology

Use the following topology:




However, for simplicity, we will use the following precise addressing scheme.

5. IP Addressing Scheme

We will use three separate networks:

LAN 1

192.168.1.0/24

Router-to-router network

10.0.0.0/30

LAN 2

192.168.2.0/24

The /30 network is useful because a point-to-point router connection requires only two usable IP addresses.

Complete Addressing Table

DeviceInterfaceIP AddressSubnet MaskDefault Gateway
PC0    FastEthernet0    192.168.1.10    255.255.255.0192.168.1.1
PC1    FastEthernet0    192.168.1.11    255.255.255.0192.168.1.1
Router0    G0/0    192.168.1.1    255.255.255.0—
Router0    G0/1    10.0.0.1    255.255.255.252    —
Router1    G0/0    10.0.0.2    255.255.255.252—
Router1    G0/1    192.168.2.1    255.255.255.0—
PC2    FastEthernet0    192.168.2.10    255.255.255.0192.168.2.1
PC3    FastEthernet0    192.168.2.11    255.255.255.0192.168.2.1

Networks

NetworkPurpose
192.168.1.0/24    LAN 1
10.0.0.0/30    Router-to-router link
192.168.2.0/24    LAN 2

6. Devices Required

DeviceQuantity
Cisco Router2
Cisco 2960 Switch2
PC4
Copper Straight-Through Cable6

Cable connections

  • PC0 → Switch0
  • PC1 → Switch0
  • Switch0 → Router0
  • Router0 → Router1
  • Router1 → Switch1
  • Switch1 → PC2
  • Switch1 → PC3

Therefore, 7 cables are actually required.

All Ethernet connections can use Copper Straight-Through cables.

7. Important Concept Before Starting

Students should understand the difference between:

Directly connected network

Router0 directly connects to:

192.168.1.0/24

and:

10.0.0.0/30

Router1 directly connects to:

10.0.0.0/30

and:

192.168.2.0/24

Therefore:

Router0 does NOT know directly about:

192.168.2.0/24

Router1 does NOT know directly about:

192.168.1.0/24

This is exactly why we need static routing.

8. Procedure

Students should perform the following tasks in the given order.

Task 1: Open Cisco Packet Tracer

  1. Start Cisco Packet Tracer.
  2. Create a new blank workspace.

Task 2: Place Two Routers

  1. Select Network Devices → Routers.
  2. Select a router model with at least two Ethernet interfaces.
  3. Place two routers.
  4. Rename them conceptually: 
Router0 = R1
Router1 = R2

For this experiment, a Cisco 1941-type router can be used.

Task 3: Place Two Switches

Place two Cisco 2960 switches.

Switch0 → LAN 1
Switch1 → LAN 2

Task 4: Place Four PCs

Place:

PC0
PC1
PC2
PC3

Arrange them:

       LAN 1                         LAN 2

 PC0       PC1                   PC2       PC3
  |         |                     |         |
  +---- Switch0 ---- R1 ---- R2 ---- Switch1 ----+

Task 5: Connect LAN 1

Using Copper Straight-Through cables:

PC0 FastEthernet0 → Switch0 Fa0/1

PC1 FastEthernet0 → Switch0 Fa0/2

Switch0 Fa0/24 → Router0 G0/0

LAN 1 becomes:

 PC0
  |
  |
Switch0
  |
  |
 R1 G0/0

Task 6: Connect the Two Routers

Use a Copper Cross-Over cable for the router-to-router Ethernet connection if your Packet Tracer router/interface setup requires the traditional cable type.

Connect:

Router0 G0/1
      |
      | Cross-Over
      |
Router1 G0/0

If the selected router/interface supports Auto-MDIX in your Packet Tracer version, the connection may also work with a straight-through cable. For teaching purposes, use the cross-over connection here to reinforce the traditional router-to-router Ethernet connection.

Task 7: Connect LAN 2

Using Copper Straight-Through cables:

Router1 G0/1 → Switch1 Fa0/24

Switch1 Fa0/1 → PC2 FastEthernet0

Switch1 Fa0/2 → PC3 FastEthernet0

The complete topology is:

                       ROUTER-TO-ROUTER LINK
                     10.0.0.1       10.0.0.2

192.168.1.0/24                                           192.168.2.0/24

 PC0       PC1                                             PC2       PC3
  |         |                                               |         |
  |         |                                               |         |
  +----+----+                                               +----+----+
       |                                                         |
    Switch0                                                   Switch1
       |                                                         |
       |                                                         |
     G0/0                                                     G0/1
    Router0                                                   Router1
     G0/1                                                     G0/0
       +-------------------- 10.0.0.0/30 -----------------------+

Task 8: Configure PC0

Go to:

PC0 → Desktop → IP Configuration

Enter:

IP Address:       192.168.1.10
Subnet Mask:      255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:  192.168.1.1

Task 9: Configure PC1

Enter:

IP Address:       192.168.1.11
Subnet Mask:      255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:  192.168.1.1

Task 10: Configure PC2

Enter:

IP Address:       192.168.2.10
Subnet Mask:      255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:  192.168.2.1

Task 11: Configure PC3

Enter:

IP Address:       192.168.2.11
Subnet Mask:      255.255.255.0
Default Gateway:  192.168.2.1

Task 12: Configure Router0 G0/0

Click Router0 → CLI.

Enter:

Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface gigabitEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit

This interface connects Router0 to LAN 1.

Task 13: Configure Router0 G0/1

Enter:

Router(config)# interface gigabitEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.252
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit

This interface connects Router0 to Router1.

Task 14: Configure Router1 G0/0

Click Router1 → CLI.

Enter:

Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
Router(config)# interface gigabitEthernet 0/0
Router(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.252
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit

Task 15: Configure Router1 G0/1

Enter:

Router(config)# interface gigabitEthernet 0/1
Router(config-if)# ip address 192.168.2.1 255.255.255.0
Router(config-if)# no shutdown
Router(config-if)# exit

Then:

Router(config)# end

Task 16: Verify Router0 Interfaces

On Router0:

show ip interface brief

Expected:

InterfaceIP AddressStatusProtocol
G0/0192.168.1.1upup
G0/110.0.0.1upup

Both should ideally show:

up/up

Task 17: Verify Router1 Interfaces

On Router1:

show ip interface brief

Expected:

InterfaceIP AddressStatusProtocol
G0/010.0.0.2upup
G0/1192.168.2.1upup

Task 18: Test the Router-to-Router Link

This is an important intermediate test.

From Router0:

ping 10.0.0.2

It should succeed.

From Router1:

ping 10.0.0.1

It should also succeed.

Why perform this test?

Before configuring static routes, we must verify that the two routers can communicate directly.

Task 19: Examine Router0's Routing Table

On Router0:

show ip route

Router0 should know about:

192.168.1.0/24

and:

10.0.0.0/30

But it should not yet know about:

192.168.2.0/24

This is the important observation.

Task 20: Examine Router1's Routing Table

On Router1:

show ip route

Router1 should know about:

10.0.0.0/30

and:

192.168.2.0/24

But it should not yet know about:

192.168.1.0/24

Task 21: Test LAN 1 Connectivity

From PC0:

ping 192.168.1.11

This should succeed because PC0 and PC1 are on the same LAN.

Task 22: Test LAN 2 Connectivity

From PC2:

ping 192.168.2.11

This should succeed because PC2 and PC3 are on the same LAN.

Task 23: Test Communication Between the Two LANs

Now perform:

From PC0:

ping 192.168.2.10

This is an important test.

Expected result at this stage:

The ping should fail.

Why?

Because Router0 does not yet have a route to:

192.168.2.0/24

Similarly, Router1 does not have a route to:

192.168.1.0/24

This is the point where students should understand why routing information is necessary.

9. Configure Static Routes

Now we configure the missing routes manually.

Task 24: Configure a Static Route on Router0

Router0 needs to know:

"To reach the 192.168.2.0 network, send the packet to Router1 at 10.0.0.2."

On Router0:

Router0# configure terminal

Enter:

Router0(config)# ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

Then:

Router0(config)# end

Meaning of the command

ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

means:

Destination network = 192.168.2.0
Subnet mask         = 255.255.255.0
Next-hop router     = 10.0.0.2

In simple words:

To reach LAN 2, send the packet to Router1.

Task 25: Configure a Static Route on Router1

Router1 needs to know:

"To reach the 192.168.1.0 network, send the packet to Router0 at 10.0.0.1."

On Router1:

Router1# configure terminal

Enter:

Router1(config)# ip route 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.1

Then:

Router1(config)# end

10. Verify the Static Routes

Task 26: Check Router0

Enter:

Router0# show ip route

You should now see an entry similar to:

S    192.168.2.0/24 [1/0] via 10.0.0.2

The letter:

S

means:

Static route

Task 27: Check Router1

Enter:

Router1# show ip route

You should see:

S    192.168.1.0/24 [1/0] via 10.0.0.1

Again:

S = Static

11. Task 28: Test Inter-LAN Connectivity Again

Now return to PC0.

Execute:

ping 192.168.2.10

This time the ping should succeed.

The packet travels:

PC0
 |
 | 192.168.1.10
 ↓
Switch0
 |
 ↓
Router0
 |
 | 10.0.0.1 → 10.0.0.2
 ↓
Router1
 |
 ↓
Switch1
 |
 ↓
PC2
192.168.2.10

12. Task 29: Test the Reverse Direction

From PC2:

ping 192.168.1.10

This should also succeed.

The reverse path is:

PC2
 ↓
Switch1
 ↓
Router1
 ↓
Router0
 ↓
Switch0
 ↓
PC0

This demonstrates that both routers require appropriate routing information.

13. Connectivity Verification Table

Students should complete the following table.

SourceDestinationCommand    Before Static RouteAfter Static Route
PC0PC1ping 192.168.1.11    SuccessSuccess
PC2PC3ping 192.168.2.11    SuccessSuccess
PC0PC2ping 192.168.2.10    FailureSuccess
PC2PC0ping 192.168.1.10    FailureSuccess
PC1PC3ping 192.168.2.11    FailureSuccess
PC3PC1ping 192.168.1.11    FailureSuccess

This table is particularly useful because it demonstrates the effect of static routing rather than merely asking students to type commands.

14. Task 30: Use tracert to Observe the Path

On PC0, open Command Prompt.

Enter:

tracert 192.168.2.10

The command shows the path taken by packets toward PC2.

Conceptually, the path will contain:

PC0
 ↓
Router0
 ↓
Router1
 ↓
PC2

This is a very useful way of demonstrating the role of routers.

15. Task 31: Examine the Routing Table Again

On Router0:

show ip route

Students should identify:

C    192.168.1.0/24
C    10.0.0.0/30
S    192.168.2.0/24

On Router1:

show ip route

Students should identify:

C    10.0.0.0/30
C    192.168.2.0/24
S    192.168.1.0/24

16. Task 32: Observe the Routing Process in Simulation Mode

This is an excellent exercise for students.

  1. Change Packet Tracer from Realtime to Simulation mode.
  2. From PC0, execute: 
ping 192.168.2.10
  1. Click Capture/Forward.
  2. Observe the packet as it travels through:
    • PC0
    • Switch0
    • Router0
    • Router1
    • Switch1
    • PC2

Ask students to identify the point at which routing occurs.

17. Task 33: Introduce a Static Route Error

This is an important troubleshooting activity.

On Router0, temporarily change the static route to an incorrect next-hop address:

Router0(config)# no ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

Then configure:

Router0(config)# ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.5

Now test from PC0:

ping 192.168.2.10

The ping should fail.

Ask students:

Why does the ping fail?

Because 10.0.0.5 is not the correct next-hop router on the 10.0.0.0/30 network.

18. Task 34: Correct the Static Route

Remove the incorrect route:

Router0(config)# no ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.5

Add the correct route:

Router0(config)# ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

Test:

ping 192.168.2.10

The ping should succeed.

19. Task 35: Save the Configuration

Once everything works, save the configurations.

On Router0:

Router0# copy running-config startup-config

Press Enter when prompted for the destination filename.

Repeat on Router1:

Router1# copy running-config startup-config

20. Important Commands Used

PurposeCommand
Enter privileged mode    enable
Enter configuration mode    configure terminal
Configure interface    interface gigabitEthernet 0/0
Assign IP address    ip address IP MASK
Enable interface    no shutdown
Display interface status    show ip interface brief
Display routing table    show ip route
Add static route    ip route NETWORK MASK NEXT-HOP
Remove static route    no ip route NETWORK MASK NEXT-HOP
Test connectivity    ping IP-address
Trace packet path    tracert IP-address
Display configuration    show running-config
Save configuration    copy running-config startup-config

21. Static Route Commands — Most Important Part

Students should specifically record these two commands.

Router0

Router0(config)# ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

Meaning:

To reach LAN 2, forward packets to Router1.

Router1

Router1(config)# ip route 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.1

Meaning:

To reach LAN 1, forward packets to Router0.

22. Routing Table Observation

Students should complete this table.

Router0

Destination NetworkRoute Type    Next Hop    Interface
192.168.1.0/24Connected    —    G0/0
10.0.0.0/30Connected    —    G0/1
192.168.2.0/24Static    10.0.0.2    G0/1

Router1

Destination     NetworkRoute Type    Next Hop    Interface
10.0.0.0/30Connected        —G0/0
192.168.2.0/24Connected—G0/1
192.168.1.0/24Static10.0.0.1G0/0

23. Key Concept: How Static Routing Works

Consider this packet:

PC0: 192.168.1.10
       |
       | Destination = 192.168.2.10
       ↓
     Router0

Router0 looks at its routing table:

Destination             Route
192.168.1.0/24          Connected
10.0.0.0/30             Connected
192.168.2.0/24          Static → 10.0.0.2

It finds:

192.168.2.0/24
       ↓
next hop = 10.0.0.2

Therefore, it forwards the packet to Router1.

Router1 then recognizes:

192.168.2.0/24
       ↓
Directly connected through G0/1

and delivers the packet to PC2.

24. Observation

PC Configuration

PC    IP Address    Subnet Mask    Default Gateway
PC0    192.168.1.10    255.255.255.0    192.168.1.1
PC1    192.168.1.11    255.255.255.0    192.168.1.1
PC2    192.168.2.10    255.255.255.0    192.168.2.1
PC3    192.168.2.11    255.255.255.0    192.168.2.1

Router Configuration

Router    Interface    IP Address
Router0    G0/0    192.168.1.1
Router0    G0/1    10.0.0.1
Router1    G0/0    10.0.0.2
Router1    G0/1    192.168.2.1

25. Result

Two separate LANs were successfully connected using two routers in Cisco Packet Tracer. The router interfaces, PCs, subnet masks, and default gateways were configured. Static routes were configured on both routers to provide paths to the non-directly-connected LANs. Connectivity between the two LANs was successfully verified using ping and the packet path was examined using tracert.

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