Cisco Packet Tracer Review – PT vs. Live Cisco Equipment

Let me start out by saying that I’ve got no beef with Cisco Packet Tracer and have used it myself, in fact, many times. But I wanted to give you my honest opinion of how useful it is for the CCNA exam and beyond. I have posted my thoughts on forums in the past, especially when students post complaints about commands not working, protocols not being supported, or general bugs breaking things that should work.

Can we agree on a couple of things at the outset from here:

• You want to pass your Cisco CCNA exam
• You want to make a living supporting Cisco equipment

If the answer is yes to both, does it make sense to configure and troubleshoot all the commands, protocols, and technologies listed in the exam syllabus? I hope so.

What is Packet Tracer?

Cisco Packet Tracer is a free tool that simulates a network. It includes routers, switches, cables, servers, PCs, wireless access points, and much more. It’s free to the general public after you create a free account. You download the software onto your PC, and away you go.

Packet Tracer doesn’t actually run Cisco software (IOS), so the programmers have to implement all the features and functions. For this reason, some things are missing, and some options won’t be available. It’s just a business decision by Cisco, I’m guessing.

The Pros

So, apart from being cheap, Packet Tracer lets you quickly set up simple to complex networks using multiple devices, which would be beyond the budgets of most of us. You can add multiple servers running DHCP, HTTP, and RADIUS that connect to high-end switches and routers, then lead to groups of PCs and laptops, as well as smart devices.

Convenience is also a big plus. When I worked at Cisco, I had to remotely connect to an access server and then from there to say six devices and start configuring my labs for my CCNP and CCIE exams. Often, I had to book slots because others were also studying and wanted to practice their labs.

The Cons

I gave you a clue at the start of the blog post. Packet Tracer is cheap and convenient, but it isn’t running IOS. So there has to be a compromise, and some features have to be left out.

I’ll spell out where I think you'll encounter problems. It’s worth mentioning before, though, that PT is not suitable for the Cisco CCNP. It doesn’t support major features and commands you need to know, so please use live racks, Cisco online tools such as the Sandbox, GNS3, or your own equipment.

Not All Syllabus Items Supported

Check through the CCNA exam syllabus yourself. I know some topics indicate that you only need to know the theory, such as ‘describe X but in reality, you can’t understand what you haven’t configured. So, First Hop Redundancy Protocols are mentioned, but only HSRP is supported. There is no VRRP or GLBP, and if you are asked to look at the output for these and explain which is which, you wouldn’t be able to.

Limited Show Commands

The show commands are your best way of checking your configurations. You also use them before you start your troubleshooting. You will use them to check your interfaces, routing tables, NAT tables, ARP cache, and so on. Take your show ip route command options on a live router vs Packet Tracer.

Packet Tracer has very limited show commands available, which limits your ability to delve into your configs and find out if there is an issue.

Very Limited Debugs

Debugs let you see live traffic and determine the root cause of an issue. I used them daily while I worked at Cisco to troubleshoot NAT and WAN connections. If you can see traffic being NATed on your router and leaving for the next hop, you can quickly rule out your side as the issue and move on to the next step.

What to Do?

I recommend you spend around 80% of your time using Packet Tracer. It’s great for most of your commands and services. The rest of the time, use live equipment or an alternative that runs iOS, such as GNS3, Eve-NG, live racks, or your own equipment. You can pick up used routers and switches for cheap on eBay and sell them when you are finished.

We have live Cisco racks here available 24/7. They are available to members only.

Drop a comment or suggestion if you have one.