CCNAs and CCNA candidates hear it all the time: 'Get some
hands-on experience'. From my personal experience climbing
the Cisco certification ladder, I can tell you firsthand that
there is no learning like hands-on learning. No simulator
in the world is going to give you the experience you will
get cabling and configuring your own routers.
Whenever I mention this to one of my students, they always
say it costs too much. The truth is, it is cheaper now to
build your own CCNA and CCNP lab than it has ever been. The
secret? Used routers.
The word 'used' turns off a lot of people; not many of us
buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, though,
are robust; I personally own a Cisco 4000 router that I use
as a Frame Relay switch in my lab that I've had for about
four years, and I've never had a problem with it.
The good news for current CCNA and CCNP candidates interested
in building their own labs is that used Cisco equipment has
never been more plentiful or cheaper. eBay is a good way to
get an idea of what's out there and what the prices are, but
you don't have to assemble your lab one piece at a time. Many
eBay vendors who sell used Cisco equipment sell ready-made
CCNA and CCNP labs for one price, including cables.
I asked one major vendor of CCNA and CCNP labs, www.ciscokits.com,
what the most common questions are regarding building your
own home lab. Here's what they had to say:
Why do I need real routers instead of a simulator?
You need a physical router as the simulators just don't have
the ability to give you the 'hands on' you need to see what
happens when you disconnect a cable or put a cable in the
wrong location. You will come to find quite quickly that mistakes
you make on Router 1 are affecting Router 5 all because you
did not screw in a cable properly. No simulator can simulate
that.
How many routers do I need?
Two routers really are required to see if anything works.
If you have a very limited budget, you can receive value from
only purchasing a single router over working with a simulator.
However, you will not be able to see the main thing we are
trying to accomplish. The propagation of route tables! The
only way you can see if your configurations work, is to have
at least two routers. Therefore, I strongly recommend that
you purchase a dual router kit that comes with all the accessories
you need. Otherwise you can spend days trying to find all
the little extra pieces you need to get your lab up and running.
Do I need a switch?
Well, it is nice to have. However, with only about 2 questions
on the test dedicated to 'hands on' switch knowledge, if you
have to skimp on something, skimp on the switch.
What routers and switches should I buy?
Choices, choices, choices! Which 2500/2600 router do I pick?
I will list some pros and cons of each router below, along
with current prices (note that prices are generally lower
if you buy a dual router kit instead of a single router):
1) Cisco 2501 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $94.99. The
cheapest introduction router, and it can support a vast majority
of the commands that you will need to learn for your CCNA
test. All 2500 routers that we will discuss come with a minimum
of two serial ports and an Ethernet port. You will need to
add a transceiver to this unit to convert the Ethernet AUI
port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.
2) Cisco 2503 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99.
This is the same as a Cisco 2501, except it adds an ISDN port
so you can complete all your ISDN commands for the CCNA test.
You will need to add a transceiver to convert the Ethernet
AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.
3) Cisco 2505/2507 with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $109.99. The
same as a Cisco 2501 except it has a built-in 8 or 16 port
hub so you do not have to purchase a transceiver.
4) Cisco 2514 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $149.99.
This router is the same as a Cisco 2501 except instead of
one Ethernet port you have two. You may ask, what is the big
deal? Well, you can use this as your Cable Modem/DSL Modem
router. Now you can test your ability to setup a firewall
and router in a live environment on the Internet. Lots of
fun! You will need to add two transceivers to convert the
Ethernet AUI ports to an RJ-45 style Ethernet ports.
5) Cisco 2520 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99.
This is the same as a 2503 but it also adds two more serial
ports so you can use this as a frame relay switch later in
your CCNA studies. It costs the same as a 2503, so this is
a great money saving tip.
6) Cisco 2612 Router with 32 DRAM and 8 MB Flash $199.99.
This is a modular router unlike any of the 2500 series routers.
So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to
add functionality such as more serial ports, ISDN ports, Ethernet
ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you
will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the
next it is your ISDN router. In the long run it will be cheaper
than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline
you want to learn.
7) Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software $109.99.
This is a good low cost switch.. The only draw back is it
is a 10 MB switch except for the two 100 MB uplink ports.
Not a big deal since you have 10 MB routers.
8) Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software $249.99.
This switch will run all the current commands needed for the
test and is a full 100 MB switch.
And should you desire to sell your lab after you complete
your certification, you can either negotiate a price with
the vendor who sold it to you, or you can sell it yourself
on ebay. It's my experience that 95% of candidates who earn
their CCNA go on to pursue their CCNP within one year, though,
so don't sell it too quickly.
In the end, you spend only a few hundred dollars, and you
gain invaluable experience and knowledge that will help you
both in your certification quest and your job performance.
Having been there, I can tell you that you will learn much
more from actually configuring and cabling your own equipment
than you ever will from any simulation of the real thing.
To your success
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!
|
