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CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Assembling Your Cisco Home Lab |
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A CCNA or CCNP candidate who wants to be totally prepared
for their exams is going to put together a home lab to practice
on. With used Cisco routers and switches more affordable and
plentiful then ever before, there's really no excuse to not
have one!
With the many different models available, there is some understandable
confusion among future CCNAs and CCNPs about which routers
to buy and which ones to avoid. You can take almost any set
of Cisco routers and put together a home lab; part of the
learning process is taking what equipment you have available
and putting together your own lab! For those of you preparing
to start your home lab or add to your existing one, this article
will list the routers I use in my Cisco pods. You certainly
don't have to have all this equipment, but this will give
you some good ideas on how to get started.
The most versatile router you can get for your CCNA / CCNP
home lab is a 2520. These routers come with four serial ports,
one ethernet port, and one BRI interface for ISDN practice.
This mix of interfaces means you can actually use it as a
frame relay switch while using the ethernet and BRI ports
for routing. (There is no problem with using a lab router
as both your frame relay switch and a practice router; for
a frame relay switch sample configuration, visit my website!)
My pods consist of five routers and two switches, and three
of the five routers are 2520s, due to their versatility. A
recent ebay search showed these routers selling for $99 -
$125, an outstanding value for the practice you're going to
get.
I also use 2501s in my home labs. These have fewer interfaces,
but the combination of two serial interfaces and one ethernet
interface allows you to get plenty of practice.
A combination that works very well is using three 2520s;
one as my dedicated frame relay switch, one as R1, and another
as R2. Add a 2501 as R3, and you can have a frame cloud connecting
R1, R2, and R3, a direct serial connection between R1 and
R3, an Ethernet segment that includes all three routers, and
an ISDN connection between R1 and R2 if you have an ISDN simulator.
That combination will allow you to get a tremendous amount
of practice for the exams, and you can always sell it when
you're done!
2501s are very affordable, with many in the $50 range on
ebay. It's quite possible to get three 2520s and one 2501
for less than $500 total, and you can get most of that money
back if you choose to sell it when you're done.
With four routers to work with, you're probably going to
get tired of moving that console cable around. An access server
(actually a Cisco router, not the white boxes we tend to think
of when we hear "server") will help you out with
that. An access server allows you to set up a connection with
each of your other routers via an octal cable, which prevents
you from moving that console cable around continually. For
an example of an access server configuration, just visit my
website and look in the "Free Training" section.
Access server prices vary quite a bit; don't panic if you
do an ebay search and see them costing thousands of dollars.
You do NOT need an expensive access server for your CCNA /
CCNP home lab. 2511s are great routers to get for your access
server.
One question I get often from CCNA / CCNP candidates is "What
routers should I buy that I can still use when I'm ready to
study for the CCNP?" The CCIE lab changes regularly and
sometimes drastically when it comes to the equipment you'll
need. During my CCIE lab studies, I found that renting time
from online rack rental providers was actually the best way
to go. Don't hesitate when putting your CCNA / CCNP home lab
together, wondering what will be acceptable for the CCIE lab
a year or so from now. None of us know what's going to be
on that equipment list, so get the CCNA and CCNP first - by
building your own Cisco home lab!
About the Author:
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage,
home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study
Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy
of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and
“How To Pass The CCNP”, visit the website and download
your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam
questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!
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Need Cisco Hardware for your Cert? |
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| Call 813.852.6400 now for more information to find the best router or switch to best help you with your certification exam. Having "real" hands-on experience is extremely beneficial not just for testing, but also ensures you are actually familiar with the device you are working on.
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