In this project, I configured the network devices for the branch office based on the provided design requirements. I began by subnetting the network address 192.168.1.100/24 into four /26 subnets to accommodate three VLANs and a future expansion. I created VLAN 10 (Dept1), VLAN 20 (Dept2), and VLAN 100 (MGMT) across all switches, assigned VLANs to specific ports, and configured trunk and access ports appropriately to support VLAN segmentation.

I then configured Switch Virtual Interfaces (SVIs) on each switch for VLAN 100, assigned management IP addresses, and set the default gateways. I enabled Inter-VLAN routing on Router1, configuring subinterfaces with dot1Q encapsulation for each VLAN, ensuring seamless communication across VLANs. I customized all device hostnames to include my last name, configured SSH access on the Core Switch, and verified remote management capabilities by successfully establishing SSH sessions from the Admin PC.

To enhance network resilience and performance, I implemented EtherChannel using LACP between switches, grouped two Gigabit links into logical Portchannels, and ensured VLAN 10, 20, and 100 traffic could traverse the trunk links. Additionally, I configured Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) root bridge priorities, designating Switch 1 as the root for VLAN 10, Switch 2 for VLAN 20, and the Core Switch for VLAN 100. After completing all configurations, I tested connectivity by verifying ping success across VLANs and confirming SSH access to the Core Switch, demonstrating a fully operational, segmented, and secure branch network infrastructure.