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How do I use this in my topology to help advance switching studies
@arcadius
Cisco outlines very specific goals for the CCNP SWITCH exam. You can start by visiting the Cisco website and looking into what's required. You can also purchase a CCNP SWITCH exam book, or go on-line to find lab examples.
Once you know what the objectives are, there are several ways to integrate physical switches into your GNS3 topologies; you can create an 802.1Q trunk link from a GNS3 switch node to your real Cisco switch, you can create a breakout switch, or you can create one-to-one Ethernet links for each VLAN.
With all those NICS in your work PC, you may want to go the one-to-one route. Use a Cloud node for each VLAN in GNS3, and configure each Cloud to use an NIO Ethernet interface in your PC. Plug each NIC into an access port on your real switch, being sure that each switch port has been assigned to a unique VLAN. Do this for all your VLANS. This switch can then be configured with trunk ports to other real switches. When you create your GNS3 project, link a GNS3 router into each VLAN through the GNS3 Clouds.
This is a highly condensed and simplified example of what can be done, but it should get you started. The first step is to look into what skills you need to know for your certification.
Best of luck,
Jason