Home labs & practical projects

Explain route selection during a link failure

A project to do with your own tools, with guidance on what to create and capture.

Local lab Suggested time: 3–4 hoursYour own authorised environment

What you could create

An enterprise network has two paths to a branch. A link failure causes unexpected routing, and the engineer must explain control-plane and forwarding behaviour.

Example evidence format

Project evidence map (example)

Route-selection analysisScope and inputs

Failure timeline and corrected configurationDecisions and reasoning

Evidence record (example)

Evidence	What to capture
Route-selection analysis	Show the inputs, scope and decisions behind this record. The explanation distinguishes learned routes from installed forwarding paths.
Failure timeline and corrected configuration	Include the evidence supporting your conclusion. The test records convergence behaviour and any transient loss.

What you'll need

Local lab

Use a licensed simulator or lab image with a multi-router topology and two candidate paths. Record protocol settings and initial route tables.

Project record

Keep the working files for route-selection analysis and record assumptions as you go.

Current reference material

Use the linked provider resources to verify the features, access terms and version relevant to your project.

Access & cost

Uses your own computer. Confirm hardware capacity, software licences and download terms before setup.

Use disposable VMs, containers or a simulator. Keep the lab separate from your everyday machine and work network.

Suggested milestones

1
Plan and investigate
Predict the preferred route and document the selection criteria.
2
Develop your approach
Interrupt one link and capture routing changes and traffic behaviour.
3
Verify and explain
Adjust a deliberate metric or policy error and repeat the failure test.

Evidence worth keeping

Keep clear, organised evidence of your design and any testing you carry out.

1
Route-selection analysis
Show the inputs, scope and decisions behind this record. The explanation distinguishes learned routes from installed forwarding paths.
2
Failure timeline and corrected configuration
Include the evidence supporting your conclusion. The test records convergence behaviour and any transient loss.

Label design proposals and observed results clearly.

Explain your work

Use these prompts to reflect on your decisions and what you learned.

Which part of your route-selection analysis needed the most judgement?
What observation or assumption changed your approach?
What would you improve, and what have you not verified?

Describe this as a personal project in your portfolio.

Useful resources

Use these resources to deepen your understanding and check key details.

Official certification objectives

Review the current provider requirements and relevant subject areas.

Cisco U. ENCOR learning path

Check relevance, platform versions and current access terms.

Explore external learning resources

Find relevant providers and check features, access requirements and costs.

A useful starting point

Use a licensed simulator or lab image with a multi-router topology and two candidate paths. Record protocol settings and initial route tables.

What a good result looks like

The explanation distinguishes learned routes from installed forwarding paths.
The test records convergence behaviour and any transient loss.

Finish the project

Save sanitised evidence, then remove the lab instances or revert to the clean snapshot. Remove temporary accounts and credentials.

Independent home-project guidance, not an official vendor lab or a claim of complete exam coverage. Use your own tools and label the work accurately.