Noob question regarding lab setup

jphillips

I am just getting rolling on putting a lab together for CCNA and then on to CCVP. Well I currently have a Cisco 2501 and a Cisco 1760. How do I connect the serial based 2501 to the ethernet based 1760 to simulate a wan connection simular to the DCE/DTE cable between two 2500 series routers?

Webmaster

What you're asking is not possible. You cannot connect Ethernet to Serial, even if the cable would physically be able to, the signalling is very different so they won't understand eachother. I.o.w. to set up a CCNA lab, you need, at the very least, two routers, each with at least one serial interface.

jphillips

Okay so would I have to get a serial WIC card for the 1760?

Webmaster

That would work yes. Another 2501 would work as well, and may be a cheaper solution. What do you have in the 1760 now? Only a single Ethernet int?

jphillips

The 1760 has a 4 port ethernet in one wic slot and a CSU/DSU slot in another. I also have a 1602 that has a CSU/DSU ethernet slot onthe back. Can you just go crossover ethernet between the two?

Webmaster

Yes you can. Although that way you still won't be able to practice the serial connection technologies, you can configure routing protocols, practice CDP, etc.etc. Hence an additional 2501 would be nice since you could connect it to the other 2501 thru a serial back-to-back, and connect the 1760 as to one of the 2501 routers.