what is the best CCNA Network Simulator out there?

rockstar81

Which one is recommended by most?

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EdTheLad

Dont waste your time with a sim, if you can't get hands on experience your CCNA is pretty pointless.I have Boston and never use it, how they cant sell this product? i dont know as it probably has about 50% of available commands for the exam and about 1% of a real router or switch.
But if you want to know whats the best rubbish to buy then get Boston.This topic is covered all over this forum,its probably more difficult not to find than to find here.Buy afew 2500's on ebay and forget about the sims.

DW [banned]

Ouch...

pizzafart

Yeah I got through the CCNA using the Boson netsim and felt that it had everything I needed for the exam. The labs were helpful too. Though, it's true that this particular sim is uber-crippled in comparison to real equipment. In fact, I found what I believe to be some computational errors that drove me nuts. Still, it was good enough for CCNA exam preparation in my opinion. I've heard less impressive reviews about their CCNP software though I haven't used it myself.

I checked out Gamit. It looks more sophisticated than Boson but boy it's not cheap! ($499)

optimus

If you can't get the real equipment, using a simulator is fine for passing the CCNA. Many have done it. I have Boson Netsim. Works great.

If you decide later to go for a CCNP I would recommend getting the real stuff. I think it is fairly pointless to go CCNP without actually touching a router. CCNAs are so entry level, it is not too much to worry about.

- Optimus

rockstar81

Thanks guys. I am basically out of work currently so buying the real stuff at this point could be a problem. I am however in this for the long run, so once I have got the CCNA done I will definitely buy some real equipment.

EdTheLad

If you plan on spending the cash on the sim you may as well spend the same amount on some cheap routers,if you obtain the sim through other means i can understand your point.
My advice is, if you can stretch your budget a little, try getting little pieces of your lab now,it takes some time trying to put a lab together, waiting for good deals on ebay,shipments etc..
At least do some research on this forum so you know what to buy when the time comes.

DW [banned]

Not applicable.

rockstar81

I see both your points. As a bare min what equipment would you advise me to obtain, Inc boxes/leads etc.

This is my first week so far studying CCNA, currently I am using CBT nuggets and Sybex book. Its going good but I agree I think having hands on practice would be good.

EdTheLad

As a bare min, get yourself 2 2501 routers, 1 2950 switch,maybe a cheaper 2900 will do but i never used, a DB60 back to back serial cable, 2 ethernet tranceivers and a straight through lan cable.
Avoid the 1900 switch like the plague,i think this setup will do,the 2950 can be expensive about $300 plus, but maybe the cheaper 2900 will do!
Anyway the important thing for CCNA is to have a couple of routers,the switch commands you can learn off for the exam but its esential in my opinion to get comfortable with the routers.

TheShadow

I don't see the reason why many people say avoid the 1900 like the plague when you compare it to a Sim. If you match up the actual commands between a 1900 and 2950 needed for the ccna they are better than 90 percent identical. I think it is the menu only 1900 versions that started this. Until you need something past ISL or you need 2950 specific commands the basics can be learned quite well. Comparing the cost of a 1900 ~$50 to a 2950 ~300-400 I just don't see why the poor recommendation to persons with severly limited budgets. Is it not better to say be aware that there are substantial vlan configuration differences between the two?

Sims go for ~300 but this very night I can find a dozen starter labs with dual 2514's, 2503's, or 2501's and a 1900 for $299 "buy it now" including all cables, converters, a basic SIM, and a backdated butr still good for the basics Cisco Press book. They are probably less than $350 delivered to the door with 12.1 to 12.3 IOS's and enterprise in the switch. I tell people if all you have is a 1900 then use it and read about the differences between it and a 2950 because the actual hands on is far better than nothing at all.

Both Odem for Cisco press and Lammle for Sybex still fully cover the differences between the two. It is like saying don't use a 2950 because everyone really needs a 3560 or 3570. When the most up to date books from Cisco Press and Sybex still give full coverage to the configuration of both 1900 command line and 2950 command line I just don't see the problem. There is still something that seeing for example those cross over ports change from amber to green and what happens if they don't that a Sim can't provide. So I don't buy it is better to have nothing than to buy a 1900.

Do a search on ebay with the title "Cisco lab" and be surprised.

homerj742

I'm currently going for my CCNA, I have 2 2507 routers, and I do like to use them. However since I don't have a switch at the moment, I can use the latest Boson netsim to for practice with a switch (though they do not have ALL of the commands I would like).

Also I can setup a frame relay and things like that using the sim.

But nothing is better than the real thing. I plan on going for my CCNP/CCSP, and I hope to have a nice lab setup when persuing those.

asoft

rockstar81 wrote: »

Which one is recommended by most?

There are a few netsims available for CCNA prep. These include Boson, CertExams.com, and Packet Tracer. Note that the sims are usually directed towards covering exam objectives. If you want to learn Cisco router networking in general, and have money, it is recommended to get some real routers and switches.

Boson: CCNA Network Simulator - NetSim 8.0

CertExams.com: CCNA Network Simulator Designer

Packet Tracer: Cisco Packet Tracer - Cisco Systems (Available only for Cisco academy students)

Network Simulators are usually aimed at beginners and not experienced network engineers who are preparing for advanced certifications like CCNP or CCIE. These sims come with dozens of lab exercises that are useful for exam preparation. For example, check out Network Simulator: Available Router Labs. that include 100+ lab exercises.

On the other hand, if one intends to have one's own home lab, equipment may be purchased on eBay or other networking hardware vendors.

martell1000

tried out gns 3 last night if it is good fpr my ccnp studies:

ok to get gns 3 running good you need to read some stuff / watch some tuts - but once you got it up and configured it is amazing!

just emulated an ospf area with 6 routers - runs like a charm...

for ccna prep packet tracer just did the job for me - but if you got the money/space its always good to get some real gear, specially some switches as you cant emulate them properly with gns3.