The Ultimate 200-301 Cheat Sheet & Study Guide

Your essential resource for the CCNA (Cisco Certified

Network Associate) Exam

Brought to you by: Sterling Next

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About the CCNA 200-301 Exam

Exam Code: 200-301
Number of Questions: 100-120 questions
Test Duration: 120 minutes
Question Types: Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, simulations
Passing Score: 800-850 (on a scale of 1000)
Exam Price: $300 USD

Why Get CCNA Certified?

 Validate Networking Fundamentals: Prove your ability to install, configure, and
troubleshoot networks
 Unlock Network Roles: Qualify for positions like Network Administrator, Network
Engineer, and Systems Administrator
 Industry Standard: The foundation for all Cisco certifications and networking careers

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 Core Concepts - Networking Fundamentals

OSI Model Layers

[CREATE A TABLE WITH 3 COLUMNS AND 8 ROWS]

Layer Name Function Protocol Example

7 Application Interface between applications and network HTTP, DNS, SMTP

6 Presentation Data translation, encryption, compression SSL, TLS, JPEG

5 Session Establishing, managing, terminating sessions NetBIOS, RPC

4 Transport End-to-end connections, reliability TCP, UDP

3 Network Logical addressing and routing IP, ICMP, OSPF

2 Data Link Physical addressing, error detection Ethernet, PPP

1 Physical Physical connectivity, bits transmission Cat5, Fiber, Wireless

TCP/IP Model

 Application Layer: Combines OSI Layers 5-7

 Transport Layer: Same as OSI Layer 4
 Internet Layer: Same as OSI Layer 3
 Network Access Layer: Combines OSI Layers 1-2
 Core Concepts - IP Addressing & Subnetting

IPv4 Addressing

 Class A: 1.0.0.0 to 126.255.255.255 (/8)

 Class B: 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255 (/16)
 Class C: 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255 (/24)
 Private IP Ranges:

o 10.0.0.0/8
o 172.16.0.0/12
o 192.168.0.0/16

Subnetting Cheat Sheet

CIDR Subnet Mask Hosts per Subnet Usable Hosts

/24 255.255.255.0 256 254

/25 255.255.255.128 128 126

/26 255.255.255.192 64 62

/27 255.255.255.224 32 30

/28 255.255.255.240 16 14

/29 255.255.255.248 8 6

/30 255.255.255.252 4 2

/32 255.255.255.255 1 1
 Core Concepts - Routing & Switching

Routing Protocols

Protocol Type Protocol Administrative Distance Key Feature

Distance Vector RIP 120 Hop count metric

Link State OSPF 110 Cost metric, fast convergence

Hybrid EIGRP 90 Bandwidth/delay metric

External BGP 20 Path vector, internet routing

Switching Concepts

 MAC Address Table: Learns source MAC addresses from incoming frames
 VLANs: Virtual LANs that segment broadcast domains
 STP: Spanning Tree Protocol prevents switching loops
 EtherChannel: Bundles multiple physical links into one logical link

Core Concepts - Network Services

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

 DORA Process:

o Discover: Client broadcasts discover message

o Offer: Server responds with IP offer
o Request: Client requests offered IP
o Acknowledge: Server confirms lease

DNS (Domain Name System)

 Record Types:

o A: IPv4 address
o AAAA: IPv6 address
o CNAME: Canonical name (alias)
o MX: Mail exchange
o NS: Name server

NAT (Network Address Translation)

 Static NAT: One-to-one mapping

 Dynamic NAT: Pool of public addresses
 PAT: Port Address Translation (NAT Overload)

Core Concepts - Network Security

Security Fundamentals

 AAA Framework:

o Authentication: Who are you?

o Authorization: What can you do?
o Accounting: What did you do?
 Firewall Types:

o Stateless: Packet filtering

o Stateful: Tracks connection state
o Application: Deep packet inspection
 VPN Technologies

 Site-to-Site VPN: Connects entire networks

 Remote Access VPN: Connects individual users
 IPsec: Provides encryption and authentication
 SSL VPN: Web-based remote access

Essential Cisco IOS Commands

Task Command Description

Enter privileged mode enable Access configuration mode

Show interfaces show ip interface brief Display interface status

Show routing table show ip route View routing information

Show MAC table show mac address-table Display MAC addresses learned

Show running config show running-config Current configuration

Save configuration copy running-config startup-config Save to NVRAM

Configure interface interface gigabitethernet 0/1 Enter interface config mode

Set IP address ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0 Configure interface IP

Create VLAN vlan 10 Create new VLAN

Set hostname hostname Router1 Configure device name

 Common Network Troubleshooting

Symptom Possible Cause Troubleshooting Steps

Check physical connections, verify IP

No connectivity Cable issue, wrong IP
config

Intermittent connectivity Duplex mismatch, STP Check duplex settings, verify STP

Can't reach remote

Routing issue, ACL Check routing table, verify ACLs
network

DNS resolution failing DNS server config Verify DNS settings, test with nslookup

Slow network Bandwidth saturation,

Check bandwidth usage, verify STP
performance loops

VLAN communication
Missing trunk config Verify trunk configuration
issue

Your Study Plan

1. Use this Cheat Sheet for key networking concepts and commands
2. Hands-On Practice: Work with real equipment or simulators like Packet Tracer
3. Master Subnetting: Practice until you can calculate subnets quickly
4. Learn IOS Commands: Become comfortable with Cisco command-line interface
5. Understand Protocols: Know how each protocol works and when to use it
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 Career Support: Get help launching your networking career

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