The scenario
PC-A (10.0.0.10), PC-B (10.0.0.20) and PC-C (10.0.0.30) are each cabled to LAN Switch, and all three use the /24 subnet 10.0.0.0/24. Any PC can reach any other directly: the switch carries frames between whichever two ports are talking, and the third PC is not involved. There is no router, so nothing outside 10.0.0.0/24 is reachable.
What you will work out
See how a switch lets several devices share one LAN, and what a single cable fault does and does not break.
Why this matters
This is how a small office or a home network is built: the LAN ports on a home router are a small built-in switch. When one device cannot reach the others, comparing it with its neighbours on the same switch quickly separates a problem with that device or its cable from a problem with the whole LAN.
Running it
Three Hosts, One LAN opens on a canvas, already wired and addressed. Trace a packet through it hop by hop, or run the same topology live on real Linux network namespaces. How the two modes differ.
Open Three Hosts, One LAN
Runs in your browser. No install, no signup, and the simulation starts instantly.
Open the lab →