Shadowing Practice: FREE CCNA Lab 001: Basic Router Security Configuration 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome to this free Cisco CCNA Packet Tracer Practice Lab.
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You can download the lab file from the link in the description.
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See if you can complete the lab yourself first, and then continue watching this video if you have any trouble,
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or watch it afterwards to check your solution.
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In this lab, we will be working with two routers, R1 and R2.
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We will configure basic security on the routers by using the enable password, which is used to enter privileged exec mode,
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also known as enable mode.
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I will only work with one of the routers in this video for the sake of time,
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but I highly recommend that you perform the configurations on both of the routers for practice.
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Repetition is essential to become familiar with the command Handline Interface or CLI.
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Step 1 is to connect the two routers by their Gigabit Ethernet 00 interfaces.
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I will refer to these as the Gig00 interfaces.
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Click on Connections in the bottom left and select the cable.
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Connect it to the Gig00 interface on R1 and then R2.
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There we have it!
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Step 1 is complete.
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Step 2 is to set the host names according to the network diagram, that is to R1 and R2.
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Click on each router and then select CLI to access the command line interface from which we will configure each router.
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The current hostname for each router is displayed here.
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As you can see, each router is currently named Router.
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To change the hostname of a router, we must enter
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Global Configuration mode, however to get there we must first enter
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Privileged Exec mode.
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This is achieved by using the Enable command.
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To demonstrate a shortcut, I will use the exit command to return to the previous exec mode.
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Notice that you can enter privileged exec mode by simply typing en.
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You can also type en and then use tab to autocomplete it to enable, but this isn't necessary, en alone is fine.
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E, however, is too short, and we are told this is an ambiguous command.
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This is because there are other potential commands that begin with E, which we can see by typing E and then a question mark.
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As you can see, there are two potential commands, enable and exit.
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So if you just enter E, the router doesn't know which command you mean.
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However, enable is the only command beginning with en, so en is all the router needs to know which command you mean.
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Now that we are in privileged exec mode, we can use the configure terminal command to get to global configuration mode.
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If you want to use shortcuts again as we did with enable and en, the shortest version of the configure terminal command is conf t.
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From here we can set the hostname of the router.
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This is done with the hostname command.
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I will enter hostname R1.
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As you can see, the hostname has changed from router to R1.
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Change the hostname on R2 as well, and then step 2 is complete.
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Step 3 is to set the enable password on each router to Cisco.
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The enable password is used to enter privileged exec mode, which as I mentioned before is also called enable mode.
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Previously we had no password set, so we were able to enter privileged exec mode without any password.
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Now we are going to protect privileged exec mode so that only administrators can access it.
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The command is simple, and it is done in global configuration mode, which we are already in.
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Type enable password cisco.
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That's it.
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Now let's test it out.
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From here I will use the exit command twice.
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Once to bring me back to privileged exec mode, and then once again to bring me back to exec mode.
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Now I will use the enable command again.
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However, this time I am asked for a password.
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The characters do not appear as I type.
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However, if I type the password Cisco correctly and press enter, I am brought to privileged exec mode.
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Now let's see what happens if I fail to enter the correct password.
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I enter the wrong password once, twice, and then three times before being rejected for having bad secrets.
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Now I will try again with the correct password, and I'm in.
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Step 3 is now complete.
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Step 4 is simply to view the password in the running configuration.
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The running configuration is the current configuration of the router, whether or not you have actually saved it.
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If you turn off the router without saving the running configuration, you will lose any changes.
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If you want to keep your changes, you will save them to what's called the startup configuration.
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That will be for another lab.
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To view the running configuration, use the show running config command from privileged exec mode, which we are already in.
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You can abbreviate it to, for example, shrun.
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Enter the command, and you can see the password right here, with the exact command we used before, enable password cisco.
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Step 4 asks if the password is encrypted, meaning translated into an unreadable code,
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to protect it from being discovered by people who should not know the password.
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As you can see it is not encrypted, it is written in clear text right here,
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Cisco, so the answer is no. Step 4 is now complete.
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Step 5 is to enable password encryption on the router.
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We can protect passwords by encrypting them to render them unreadable.
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This is done from global configuration mode with the command service password hyphen encryption.
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I will enter the command and now step 5 is complete.
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Step 6 is to once again view the running config.
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I will use the same command as before, and now let's check the password.
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However, the command doesn't work.
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That is because we are currently in global configuration mode, and showrunnconfig must be entered from privileged exec mode.
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Now, I could type exit to drop back to privileged exec mode, and then enter the command.
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But there is one more way.
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If I type do in front of the command, I can enter it from global configuration mode.
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Do show running config.
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There we go.
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Let's look at the password.
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You can see here enable password followed by a 7 and then a string of other numbers.
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The password has successfully been encrypted.
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Although we didn't type this 7 when we entered the command, it refers to the type of encryption used.
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There are other types as well, but that's not something to worry about now.
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The string of numbers that follow are the password Cisco, encrypted to be unreadable, so that anyone looking over our shoulder can't read the password.
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Keep in mind that the encryption used in the Service Password Encryption command isn't very secure and can be cracked,
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but this at least renders the password safe from someone simply glancing over your shoulder.
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Step 6 is complete.
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Step 7 is to disable password encryption.
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We enabled password encryption with the Service Password Encryption command.
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Now we will simply type no, followed by the same command.
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No Service Password Encryption.
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That's it.
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Step 7 is now complete.
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Step 8 is once again to view the password in the running configuration.
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This time I'll exit down to privileged exec mode and type show running config to view the running configuration.
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As you can see, the password is still encrypted.
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Why is that, even though we disabled password encryption?
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Well, disabling password encryption will prevent future passwords from being encrypted.
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However, it does not unencrypt passwords that are already encrypted.
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So the answer to step 8 is yes, the password is encrypted.
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Step 8 and the lab are both now complete.
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If you want to support my channel, I accept Bitcoin donations via the address in the description.
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I am also a Brave verified publisher and accept BAT donations in the Brave browser.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “FREE CCNA Lab 001: Basic Router Security Configuration 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: password, command, mode, router, step. This video has 108 sentences and 1307 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:58. The speaker talks at a steady 131 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| password noun | /ˈpæs.wɜɹd/ | A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information. |
| enable verb | /ɪˈneɪ.bəl/ | To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to. |
| configuration noun | /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/ | The form of a thing, as depending on the relative placement of the parts of a thing's shape. |
| privilege noun | /ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/ | A particular benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity enjoyed by some but not others; a prerogative, preferential treatment. |
| encryption noun | /ɪnˈkɹɪpʃən/ | The process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge, key files, or passwords. |
| exit noun | /ˈɛɡzət/ | An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure. |
| interface noun | /ˈɪn(t)ɚˌfeɪs/ | The point of interconnection or contact between entities. |
| disable verb | /dɪsˈeɪbəl/ | To render unable; to take away an ability of, as by crippling. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
| select verb | /sɪˈlɛkt/ | To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options. |
| string noun | /stɹɪŋ/ | A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| terminal noun | /ˈtɚmɪnəl/ | A building in an airport where passengers transfer from ground transportation to the facilities that allow them to board airplanes. |
| donation noun | /doʊˈneɪʃən/ | A voluntary gift or contribution for a specific cause. |
| render verb | /ˈɹɛn.dɚ/ | To cause to become. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look over verb | To check quickly; to make a brief or cursory visual inspection of. |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is displayed · is achieved · are told |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has changed · have actually saved |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | password, which is · people who should |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, isn't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: configuration /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/, encryption /ɪnˈkɹɪpʃən/, donation /doʊˈneɪʃən/, publisher /ˈpʌblɪʃɚ/, shortcut /ˈʃɔːtkʌt/
- Long words — get the stress right: configuration /kənˌfɪɡ.əˈɹeɪ̯.ʃən/, successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, administrator /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stɹeɪ.tɚ/, ambiguous /æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/, abbreviate /əˈbɹi.vi.eɪt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like password, enable, configuration.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.