CCNA lab equipments

abodu_30

Hi all.

I am new in this forum, any wellcoming!!!!

I am on a CCNA self study track, I need help form members to advace me about how to keem my self motivied and what equipment do I need for a complete CCNA lab at home.

Wishing you the best success

Jon_Cisco

Welcome to the forum.
If you are just starting my advice is to pick a book and read it from start to finish. You won't understand it all the first time but it will expose you to everything you will need to learn. Alternatively I found for CCENT it was helpful to watch a video series before reading the book. Same idea just cover all of the material as quickly as possible. Then go back to really study the details.

As for equipment you have to never ending debate between simulators and real gear. There is no right way it's just what works for you.

Packet tracer and GNS3 are the two simulators recommended most often. There are other commercial versions that work but I have not used them.
GNS3 takes a few days to get configured but it is worth the effort. If you can get a copy of packet tracer it's super fast and easy to get started. Keep in mind packet tracer is limited in it's commands so you can do up to CCNA with it but not all commands will work. It's really not a big deal but when your reading about something usually you also want to try it out.

Equipment I won't really go into the best models. I think the real learning comes from shopping for them. You start to learn what the different features are when comparing deals.

If you are going to buy equipment before you start reading I would start with one router like an 1841 and one layer two switch like a 2950.
As you start using them you will have better ideas what you need but this will expose you to the full IOS on the router and switch for a relatively cheap price. My personal take on real equipment is it's just another tool to learn with. You don't need it but if you can afford it and it helps then go for it.


Good Luck!

ImYourOnlyDJ

As mentioned above Packet Tracer and GNS3 are both solid tools for labbing. Personally though I find that having real equipment to get hands on experience was worth the cost. I think having one router and a switch is a great start for a CCENT/CCNA home lab and you can just use Packet Tracer or GNS3 when you need more. When I started I bought a Cisco 2621XM and a 2950 (used previous router as an AP) and had those running my home network that had 15+ devices. A couple months later I purchased 2 881Ws (one for my gf's house) and have been running both routers ever since.

abodu_30

Thanks for advice, and hope to post a 'passed' news closely.

Jasiono

Read read read, memorize, lab lab lab, know the lingo, pay special attention to the new language you will learn, learn the basics. The basics will set you up for understanding later topics so make sure you are an expert in them.

I've been using packet tracer. I do, however, have a lab at home and have 5 switches and 2 routers but that is not needed, I just got a good deal on it by someone who owned a car dealership and wanted to get rid of them.