1. Cisco Packet Tracer Overview
May 2013

2. Agenda Cisco Packet Tracer Overview Packet Tracker Key Features
Packet Tracer Key Benefits
Summary

3. Packet Tracer Overview

4. What is Cisco Packet Tracer?
Comprehensive networking technology teaching and learning software developed by Cisco Networking Academy
Offers a unique combination of realistic simulation and visualization experiences, complex assessment and activity authoring capabilities, and opportunities for multiuser collaboration and competition

5. Packet Tracer Simulation-Based Learning
Innovative features help students and teachers collaborate, solve problems, and learn concepts in an engaging and dynamic social environment
Supports lectures, group and individual labs, homework, exams, games, collaborations and competitions
Allows instructors to easily teach and demonstrate complex technical concepts and networking systems design
Helps students develop important 21st century skills

6. Benefits of Simulation-Based Learning
Students who explore and experiment using Packet Tracer develop intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills.
Packet Tracer’s visually rich simulation environment facilitates comprehension of complex technology concepts.
Students who troubleshoot networks using Packet Tracer develop problem solving skills.
Students who design and build virtual networks using Packet Tracer improve their innovation and creativity skills.
Students who explore concepts at their own pace in Packet Tracer’s safe, virtual environment gain confidence in their decision making skills and abilities.
Using Packet Tracer for team collaboration and competition activities builds social, communication, and negotiation skills.

7. Packet Tracer Key Features

8. Simulation, Visualization, Collaboration
Simulate IOS Commands
Visualize Network Traffic
Collaborate on Multiuser Activities
Innovative features of Packet Tracer help students and teachers collaborate, solve problems, and learn concepts in an engaging and dynamic social environment. Some of the benefits of Packet Tracer are as follows:
Provides a realistic simulation and visualization learning environment that supplements classroom equipment
Enables multiuser, real-time collaboration and competition for dynamic learning

9. Supports Homework, Pre-Lab Prep, and Assessment
These screenshots represent typical examples of how an instructor might use Packet Tracer support classroom activities.
Allows students and teachers to design, build, configure, and troubleshoot networks using virtual equipment
Supports a variety of teaching and learning tasks such as lectures, group and individual labs, homework, and competitions

10. Packet Tracer Activity Wizard
Anyone can author, the PT Activity Wizard guides you
The process is basically write instructions, build a correct answer network, specify grading, specify an initial network, save
Ability to create your own learning activities, tasks, labs, games and complex assessments
Build scaffolded learning experiences, formative and summative assessments

11. Activity Wizard for Editing PT Activities
This examples shows how you can use the Activity Wizard to also edit existing activities, in this example the instructions were localized for a Spanish-speaking class.
Enables authoring and localization of structured learning activities such as labs, demonstrations, quizzes, exams, and games
Instructors can localize, edit, or enhance existing activities using the Activity Wizard

12. Packet Tracer Multiuser Functionality
PT is a network-capable (peer to peer) application, using the real network (TCP socket connections) to carry the Packet Tracer virtual packets
The PT application running on one computer can communicate with the PT application running on 1 or more other computers
This connectivity between multiple instances of PT supports teamwork, classroom games, collaboration, competition, remote instructor-student interaction, and social networking
Packet Tracer traffic is isolated to prevent any access to external equipment keeping your school network secure.

13. Example Multiuser Scenarios
2 teams,
1 instructor
3 Packet Tracer instances interacting via Packet Tracer Messaging Protocol (PTMP)
3 different classes
Real TCP Socket Connection
PC 2
PC 1
Real TCP Socket Connection
Real TCP Socket Connection
3 students from home
PC 3

14. Multiuser Games for Social Learning
These are examples of 2 multiuser games from the instructor’s view on his console
Instructor console view of multiuser “Relay Race” game
Instructor console view of multiuser “King of the Hill” game

15. Packet Tracer Features
Logical and Physical Workspaces
Real-Time and Simulation Modes
User friendly Command Line Interface (CLI)
Global event list (packet sniffer)
LAN, switching, TCP/IP, routing, and WAN protocols
Activity Wizard, Lab grading
Multiuser functionality
Multiple platform support
Multiple language support
Integrated Help and Tutorials

16. Key E-Learning Component
Learning theories stress early hands-on experiences
Key components of Networking Academy e-learning strategy include
In-person, hands-on labs with real equipment
Online curriculum and assessment
Cisco Packet Tracer
Instructor
Collaboration Tools
Learning cycles alternating both Packet Tracer activities and in-person, hands-on lab experiences with real equipment are a best practice for teaching CCNA-level networking to beginners

17. Supports Networking Academy Curricula
Supports the majority of protocols and technologies taught in CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA Discovery, CCNA Exploration, and CCNA Security, and can also be used to teach concepts from IT Essentials and CCNP courses
Students Launch Packet Tracer Directly From CCNA Curricula to Access Activities That Reinforce the Curriculum

18. Packet Tracer 6.0.1

19. Packet Tracer 6.0.1 Highlights
IOS 15 - Models new devices and IOS licensing
IPv6 - IPv6 desktop config. IPv6 Tunnel over IPv4, CBACv6
HSRP - Hot Standby Routing Protocol
Graded Circling Tool - Model the key classroom interaction of “circling” aspects of networks
Isomorphs - Isomorphs with varying IP addresses, device names, & topology orientations

20. Packet Tracer 6.0.1 Features (1 of 3)
New Features
Description
Benefits
IPv6 Enhancements
IPv6 desktop configuration
IPv6 Tunnel over IPv4
Context-Based Access Control (CBAC)
Up-to-date practice, feedback, assessment, and gaming for ALL learners as the world moves to the IPv6 vision of an “internet of Things”
Support Cisco ISR 1941, 2901, 2911 and IOS 15
New Cisco devices
New IOS licensing mechanism
Enhance opportunities to practice on new Cisco products and new IOS licensing mechanism
HSRP (Hot Standby Routing Protocol)
High availability gateways and load balancing
Enhance opportunities to practice with redundancy
Enhanced modeling of hands-on lab environments
PC firewall + terminal server + async octal cable + server with 2 NICs + ACL Sequence number
Enable increased comparison and contrast of the simulated Packet Tracer environment to the hands-on lab environments
Enhance “learning by modeling”

21. Packet Tracer 6.0.1 Features (2 of 3)
New Features
Description
Benefits
Next Generation Performance Exams
Isomorphs with varying IP addresses, device names and topology orientations
Problem injection & event feedback
Variable Manager
Address exam security by creating tasks at the same level-of-difficulty with vary “surface” features
Enables a wide variety of practice, feedback, intelligent tutoring, and game-like experiences
Graded Circling Tool
Ability to annotate the topology and have them graded as the authors specify
Model the key classroom interaction of “circling” aspects of networks like collision and broadcast domains, IP subnets, VLANs, OSPF areas, etc.
Save as Common Cartridge
PT file operations now support metadata (web page info, tags)
Enable LTI/CC interoperability in future technology phases

22. Packet Tracer 6.0.1 Features (3 of 3)
New Features
Description
Benefits
Under the Hood Code Improvements
Increased use of Coverity Code Analysis
More of model exposed via API
Script Module Enhancements
More efficiently running code for users
Improved bug identification
More powerful PT Ecosystem products that use the API and Script Module features

23. IPv6 Enhancements
Packet Tracer 6.0 is a major release that includes new and enhanced functionality.

24. Support Cisco ISR 1941, 2901, 2911 and IOS 15

25. Graded Circling Tool
The Encirclement Tool ( Add Shape Test) located in the Answer Network page allows you to specify certain devices and even down to the port level on those devices.
Then the used is expected to use the Polygon tool and draw a circle around those objects and none of the objects excluded from the Shape test.

26. LAN Multiuser Agent
The Packet Tracer LAN and WAN servers provide an effective and time efficient way for synchronously deploying multiuser activities and games in and out of the classroom.

27. Other Features
Server with 2 NICs
Host Based Firewalls
HSRP

28. Packet Tracer Key Benefits

29. Packet Tracer Benefits
Makes teaching easier by providing a multiuser environment for instructors (and free to NetAcad students) to easily teach complex technical concepts
Makes learning easier by providing a realistic simulation and visualization environment for exploration, experimentation and explanation
Packet Tracer benefits both instructors and students in many ways
Instructors and students can create their own virtual “network worlds” for teaching and learning networking concepts and technologies

30. Key Instructor Benefits
Ability to teach complex networking concepts
Demonstrate technologies and configurations
Author custom guided activities, labs and assessments with immediate feedback using the Activity Wizard
Use for lecture demonstration, individual and group labs, homework, assessments, games, network design, troubleshooting and modeling tasks, reinforcement of hands-on lab activities, case studies, competitions
Supplements classroom equipment and provides complementary learning opportunities that are not possible in the classroom alone
Supports social learning processes via multiuser collaboration and competition

31. Benefits for Students
Provides a free practice and visualization environment for the design, configuration and troubleshooting of network environments
Observe virtual packets in controlled time as they travel through your network
Allows practice outside of the physical classroom and lab (home computers, mobile laptops)
Create and configure much larger topologies than possible with physical equipment available
Provides a rich learning environment beyond standard networking technology instructional practices
Provides valuable hands-on expertise to help you succeed in the classroom and on the job

32. Summary

33. Packet Tracer Key Take Aways
Packet Tracer is a powerful network simulation program that allows students to experiment with network behavior and ask “what if” questions
Makes teaching and learning network technologies easier
Not intended to replace experiences with real equipment, but rather to complement them
A laboratory for teaching and learning; you can experiment, you can create your own virtual network “world”
Helps students develop 21st century skills such as decision making, creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Packet Tracer is an integral part of the Networking Academy comprehensive learning experience

34. Packet Tracer Availability
Packet Tracer is available free to all Networking Academy instructors, students and alumni
To download Packet Tracer, log in to Cisco NetSpace, click Offerings >Packet Tracer, then select your download package

35. For More Information
The following Packet Tracer resources are available on Cisco NetSpace > Offerings > Packet Tracer
FAQs
At A Glance
Overview Presentation
Packet Tracer 6.0.X Errata List
Packet Tracer Executables
Windows
Linux
Linux – Ubuntu installation

36. Packet Tracer Discussion Forum
Access the global instructor community for questions, discussions, collaboration, and activity sharing