VTP Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering VLAN Management

Disclaimer

This VTP configuration guide is intended for use in a simulated environment like Cisco Packet Tracer. While Packet Tracer provides a close approximation of real-world networking scenarios, some advanced features may not fully replicate actual hardware behavior.

INTRODUCTION

Before diving into the nitty-gritty here's a refresher course on how VTP works

What is VTP?

VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) is a Cisco proprietary protocol used to manage and synchronize VLAN information across a network of switches. It simplifies VLAN management by allowing switches to share VLAN configurations automatically.

VTP MODES

you can configure a switch to operate in any one of these VTP modes:

• Server: In VTP server mode, you can create, modify, and delete VLANs. VTP servers advertise their VLAN configuration to other switches in the same VTP domain and synchronize their VLAN configuration with other switches based on advertisements received over trunk links. VTP server is the default mode.
• Client: VTP clients cannot create, change, or delete VLANs on a VTP client.
• Transparent: VTP transparent switches do not participate in VTP. A VTP transparent switch does not advertise its VLAN configuration and does not synchronize its VLAN configuration based on received advertisements.

VTP Versions

There are three versions of VTP:

• VTP Version 1: The basic version, supporting standard VLANs.
• VTP Version 2: Adds support for token ring VLANs and some minor improvements. This is the version used for this lab
• VTP Version 3: Introduces additional features like support for private VLANs, extended VLANs (VLAN IDs 1006-4094), and more secure handling of VLAN information.

VTP Advertisements

VTP servers send periodic advertisements to notify all other switches about the VLAN configuration in the domain. This is how the VTP client switches automatically update their VLANs configuration.

VTP Password

If you configure a password for VTP, you must configure the password on all switches in the VTP domain. The password must be the same password on all those switches. The VTP password that you configure is translated by algorithm into a 16-byte word (MD5 value) that is carried in all summary-advertisement VTP packets.

PRACTICAL

Whew that's a lot to digest in but no worries it gets real fun when you get your hands dirty with the cisco packet tracer configuration. lets get in right away. Have fun.

STEP 1: Set up your Network Topology as shown below

Open your Cisco Packet tracer and get going with the topology shown below

This consists of

1. 5 switches (2960-24TT)
2. Endpoints (2 PCS)

Looking closely you can see color labels were used to properly identify the VTP server and the VTP clients

• VTP Server - Blue
• VTP Client - Custard yellow

I love colors it makes it fun and of course makes our topology understandable

Feel free to use any color of your choice and appropriately assign labels for ease of identification

• SHORTCUT: To enable faster connection of network devices when you want to select choice of cabling hold down the Ctrl key and select the automatic cable feature represented by a lightning symbol

NOTE: Kindly take note of the ports connections were made to to avoid misconfigurations

STEP 2: Configure trunk Links

Using the following commands the trunk links between the switches were configured

switch> enable

Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# int range fa0/1-2

Switch(config)# switchport mode trunk

Kindly take note of your ports to ensure there's no misconfiguration.

SHORTCUT: For faster configuration with the assumption your port configuration is same as mine you can type the command below in a notepad on your computer copy the command and paste on the CLI of other switches (you must be on configuration mode to do this)

Okay if this isn't easy to grasp here's a walkthrough of what I did

• I opened my notepad, typed the above command, highlighted the command(Ctrl + A and copied the command (ctrl + C)
• I went to my desired switch, entered the configuration mode
• Thereafter I clicked on paste (found at the bottom right of the CLI) ctrl +V does not work on the CLI

I believe you fully understand this

STEP 3: Configure VTP Server

Here we chose one of the switches as our VTP server (color blue)

In configuring the VTP server we take note of the following parameters

• VTP Mode: Server
• VTP domain: cisco.com (you can choose any domain of choice)
• VTP Password: cisco (you can choose a more stronger password)
• VTP Version: Version 2

These parameters should be synchronized across the switches.

By default all switches are VTP servers Its up to the administrator to configure the switches to suit their organization

The following commands were used on our choice switch

switch> enable

Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# vtp mode server

Switch(config)# vtp domain cisco.com

Switch(config)# vtp password cisco

Switch(config)# vtp version 2

Switch(config)# end

STEP 4: Configure VTP Client

As highlighted the VTP client is at the receiving end of the configurations made on the VTP server.

In configuring the VTP client we also take note of the following parameters which should be the same as the server with exception to the mode which of course is a client.

• VTP Mode: Client
• VTP domain: cisco.com
• VTP Password: cisco
• VTP Version: Version 2

These parameters should be synchronized across the VTP client switches. Please be careful while doing this to avoid misconfigurations. The following CLI commands were used;

switch> enable

Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# vtp mode client

Switch(config)# vtp domain cisco.com

Switch(config)# vtp password cisco

Switch(config)# vtp version 2

Switch(config)# end

STEP 5: Configure VLANs on VTP Server Switch

We're almost there. Here we configure our desired VLANs on the VTP Server switch only.

Here are the VLANs I used with the CLI command

switch> enable

Switch# configure terminal

Switch(config)# vlan 10

Switch(config-vlan)# name HR

Switch(config-vlan)# exit

Switch(config)# vlan 20

Switch(config-vlan)# name Admin

Switch(config-vlan)# exit

Switch(config)# vlan 30

Switch(config-vlan)# name IT

Switch(config-vlan)# exit

Switch(config)# vlan 40

Switch(config-vlan)# name FIN

Switch(config-vlan)# exit

Switch(config)# vlan 50

Switch(config-vlan)# name Sales

Switch(config-vlan)# exit

Switch(config)# do wr

STEP 6: Verify Configuration

Yes!!! this is the final step

Your configured VLANs on the VTP server should be automatically synchronized on all your VTP client switches

To verify your configuration, enter the following command on your VTP client switch

switch> enable

Switch# sh vlan brief

And there you have it . You have successfully done a VTP configuration

Benefit of VTP

• Centralized VLAN Management
• Consistency across the Network
• Scalability

And so many more!!!!!!!!

Thanks for following through, you are the real MVP

Kindly stay tuned for more educative guides on Networking concepts.

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