HSRP: Priority and Preempt
HSRP supplies a resilient default gateway, but active-router selection is not simply a permanent highest-priority contest. This lab covers the operational effect of preempt after a failure and recovery.
The problem
R1 was intended to be the active HSRP gateway. After a maintenance event R2 became active; when R1 returned with the higher priority, it stayed standby because preempt is not configured.
What you'll practice
- Read HSRP active and standby state
- Interpret priority
- Explain preempt
- Verify the virtual gateway remains reachable during role changes
The topology
Two routers connect to a common user VLAN and upstream network, sharing one HSRP virtual IPv4 address.
Commands to run yourself
The real diagnostic commands for this lab, copy-paste ready. Run these in the same order to reproduce the investigation on your own session.
show standby briefshow standbyping <virtual-ip>Topology diagram
Frequently asked
Is this aligned to CCNA practice?
Yes. It focuses on configuration, verification, and troubleshooting skills covered by the CCNA-level technology domain named on this lab.
Ready to run this lab yourself?
No setup, no image sourcing. Book a session or ask for a live demo.