CCNA lab home build

chipcreep

I recently acquired a Cisco 3560 PoE 48 port switch, Cisco 1941 router, and Cisco 2900 series router. 

I haven't gotten into any Cisco devices in several years and was wanting to jump back in.  I maybe asking an already answered question but does anyone have any good pointers on where to start.  I'll obviously need a console cable, some power cables, etc.  I'm assuming a USB to serial adapter for the console cable if I remember correctly. 

I'll need to get Telnet for logging into the switch/router, correct? 

Any pointers in the right direction for a beginner would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

Infosec_Sam

Power, Ethernet, and console cables (USB to serial/console if you don't have a serial port on your computer) are great places to start! If your routers have serial interfaces, you'll want to pick up a serial cable so you can play around with encapsulation. Other than that, PuTTY should have you covered for SSH, Telnet, and console sessions.

As far as what you should do with your lab, check out https://www.freeccnaworkbook.com/! They're a great free resource that walks you through basic labs all the way to the more challenging concepts. When I was studying for the ICND1 a year ago, I stumbled upon this site and it's been in my favorites ever since! 

I should also mention that Infosec Skills offers a networking cyber range that features a ton of online labs in our virtual environment for you to work through as well! If you ever decide you want to try out some more advanced configuration that requires more equipment, be sure to give this a look! Here's a screenshot of some of the labs we've got:

chipcreep

Wow, thank you so much Sam!  Great info!  I'm going to favorite that site now.

Someone actually just tried to discourage me on pursuing the CCNA because the Cisco examine is completely changing next year?  Doesn't seem like a good reason for me to stop learning this stuff though.  Especially if I have a general interest in routing and switching. 

Anyway, thanks again!

Jon_Cisco

Get your gear up and running but also get packet tracer. Cisco lets everyone have it just by signing up for the intro course.

I think combining both methods of labbing is the best approach. You want to have an idea how to connect cables and access real hardware but the theory will be easier to practice in packet tracer.

chipcreep

Thanks Jon!  

I forgot about packet tracer!  Going to look into that.  

AvgITGeek

David Bombal's Udemy Packet Tracer Lab course is really good. The price looks like it went up but they may have a sale this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled.

https://www.udemy.com/course/cisco-ccna-packet-tracer-ultimate-labs-ccna-exam-prep-labs/

Infosec_Sam

chipcreep said:

Wow, thank you so much Sam!  Great info!  I'm going to favorite that site now.

Someone actually just tried to discourage me on pursuing the CCNA because the Cisco examine is completely changing next year?  Doesn't seem like a good reason for me to stop learning this stuff though.  Especially if I have a general interest in routing and switching. 

Anyway, thanks again!

I would say that the new exam actually incentivizes you to learn in this year. The format change is about 7 months away now, which is more than enough time to study for and pass the ICND1-2. The reason I think this is a good idea is because the new CCNA is going to pull in topics from the old retired CCNAs, so you'll both have a lot more to study and it's not going to be as in-depth as any of the old standalone exams. I'm currently holding my CCENT and studying for the ICND2, so I'm planning to knock that out in a couple months.

Either way you choose to do it, the CCNA is a great cert to have, so you're on the right track there. Good luck with your exam prep and your homelab, and let me know if you have any questions!

chipcreep

I got Putty installed on my laptop.  Need to get a couple of more power cables and a console cable.  I'm thinking i'll need a DB-9 to USB adapter for the console cables.   A buddy of mine is going to let me have some console cables.  I'm anxious to jump in these devices.

Also, I have been reading and taking notes from https://www.freeccnastudyguide.com/study-guides/ which has been super helpful. 

atrembla50

ON your journey to CCNA, try getting the electronic version of the official study guides.  They're less expensive, have all the resources online as far as exam simulators, labs, flashcards, memory games etc.  Plus if you buy the one from Cisco press online you get access to the authors blog which contains several labs for Packet Tracer.  Also check this video source for IP subnetting, it really is fantastic. 
Due to newbie restrictions, place
youtube dot com "Here" watch?v=GSX1GlaznKM

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 100-105 Official Cert Guide.  

weielsa

Excellent news! I am using braindump2go 100-105 vce, i don't know whether it is a good preparation material, anyone has some good recommendations?

DFTK13

@weielsa

Just letting you know that braindumps are actually illegal to study and can get you banned from sitting for the CCNA if they find out that you used one. Braindumps are test sheets that usually contain questions and answers that are on the actual exam itself. I don’t think you knew that from what you said, so I would delete that braindump2go sheet and study the OCG by Wendell Odom and get a Boson exsim-max practice test, Boson is legitimate and will help you learn the stuff. Braindumps do not help at all, they are just that a set of questions and answers that serve no purpose but for you to memorize them to pass the exam, there is no studying or growth from that on top of them being illegal.