BCMSN Home Lab

I'm wondering what people are using for BCMSN home labs. Cisco's suggestions are just ridiculous:

4 x 3550
2 x 2950

I saw someone mention that ideally a 3550 and 2 2950s would get the job done. However, I don't think I'm going to be able afford even one 3550. I can probably swing 2 2950s though.

Also, what is the difference between a 2950 and the other 2900 series switches?

I'm just wondering if either one 2950 and a 2924XL would be sufficient, and how big a deal it is if I can't afford a L3 switch. I do come in contact with these every once in a while at work, so it's not like I never see them, I just can't afford one for home.

Dynamips has been great so far for BSCI, I just wish there was some equivalent for BCMSN. It also looks like I can get by with just dynamips for the other two exams, so it seems even more painful to buy a bunch of switches I won't use again until I go for CCIE.

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Comments

keenon

you should be good with 2 2950s and a 2900xl-en.. the 2900xl just lacks the range command other than that it should be fine

all you need is 3 switches for all the labs .. otherwise 1 3550 and 2 2900xl-en i keep mentioning EN as they have the extra flash and ram to run the latest code version. any 3550 version will do L3 with the code update

skaeight

keenon wrote:

you should be good with 2 2950s and a 2900xl-en.. the 2900xl just lacks the range command other than that it should be fine

all you need is 3 switches for all the labs .. otherwise 1 3550 and 2 2900xl-en i keep mentioning EN as they have the extra flash and ram to run the latest code version. any 3550 version will do L3 with the code update

I think I can live without the range command. Would 2 x 2900xl-en and 1 2950 work?

Darthn3ss

i'd rent rack time from someplace online.. i will have access to my schools 3550s, but if you don't have that i'd look into renting vs spending $1000+ on a switch.

keenon

Darthn3ss wrote:

i'd rent rack time from someplace online.. i will have access to my schools 3550s, but if you don't have that i'd look into renting vs spending $1000+ on a switch.

this is a valid point if your wanting to spend the money to have the gear on hand 24/7 or spending a little but not having any flexibility with the scheduling

however i like having the gear on hand as you can learn to mess up and learn more.. like not setting the boot system when updating the ios

Darthn3ss

keenon wrote:

Darthn3ss wrote:

i'd rent rack time from someplace online.. i will have access to my schools 3550s, but if you don't have that i'd look into renting vs spending $1000+ on a switch.

this is a valid point if your wanting to spend the money to have the gear on hand 24/7 or spending a little but not having any flexibility with the scheduling

however i like having the gear on hand as you can learn to mess up and learn more.. like not setting the boot system when updating the ios

oh i agree with that.... most people would call me crazy for putting together my lab... but a 3550 is pretty high price. so unless you're already making big bucks and can afford that, you may be better off using someone elses. there isn't really that much of a difference in reloading IOS and such between different equipment...

although, i always say, if you can afford it or you're okay with living off of scraps for a while.. ppick up 4 3550s and 2 2950s. i would.

skaeight

So is the consensus that I really should have some hands on a 3550 if at all possible?

So how about this:

1 x 2950
2 x 2900-xl-en

Then I rent rack time to get some hands on exprience with a 3550 when it comes to the point that I'm studying L3 switching?

BTW, does BCMSN have trunking, IOW, is it required to have routers to interact with the switches?

NetworkGod

the more i read these posts guys the more i think some of you are millionaires... spending so much money on something that can be done with 3640 NM-16ESW module in Dynamips or simply Boson CCNP which can emulate 3550s.
to each his own of course but i just have no money to buy even one 3550..

jvax

skaeight wrote:

So is the consensus that I really should have some hands on a 3550 if at all possible?

Yes, I do believe so.

skaeight wrote:

So how about this:
1 x 2950
2 x 2900-xl-en
Then I rent rack time to get some hands on exprience with a 3550 when it comes to the point that I'm studying L3 switching?

I already got 1 x 2950 + 2 x 2900-xl-en so this is what I am planning to do.

skaeight wrote:

BTW, does BCMSN have trunking, IOW, is it required to have routers to interact with the switches?

Trunking, EtherChannels etc... between switches you can do with 2900 & 2950, but unless you have/use a L3 switch, you can't do inter-vlan routing without a router.

skaeight

NetworkGod wrote:

the more i read these posts guys the more i think some of you are millionaires... spending so much money on something that can be done with 3640 NM-16ESW module in Dynamips or simply Boson CCNP which can emulate 3550s.
to each his own of course but i just have no money to buy even one 3550..

I can assure you a $1000 switch is not a possibility for me.

Tell me more about the 3640 NM-16ESW with dynamips. Is it possible to just use three instances of this instead of purchasing switches?

If I can study for BCMSN without purchasing hardware I would be extremely happy.

Thanks

Slowhand

Sometimes, it's not so much about spending the money as it is getting lucky. I saw a 3550 go on eBay for a song, (a $200 song, but a song, nonetheless). The 2950's, I've seen go for as low as $100, if you can snag 'em in time, and you simply get lucky enough that no one outbids you in those last few seconds. Getting this equipment is still going to be expensive, make no mistake, but with a little scrounging, you can pull it off for much cheaper than "retail".

mikej412

From the Labs for ONT and ISCW thread I gave my opinion of the suggested labs for the new CCNP exams....

mikej412 wrote:

The 2 2950s and 4 3650s for BCMSN, along with a wireless AP and controller seems a little excessive and expensive for a CCNP exam.

I'd go with rack rental for the layer 3 stuff if you don't have any plans to start studying for the CCIE any time soon. For the layer 3 routed ports you can just remember "no switchport" and then pretend it a router interface. Same with the routing protocols (but remember you have to enable ip routing on the switch first). For layer 3 Etherchannels -- rent the rack time after you've practiced layer 2 Etherchannels.

I currently have no plan to add a wireless controller to my home lab.

dtlokee

I would be careful trying to use Dynamips for the layer 2 switching stuff, I have seen lots of bugs with the NM-16ESW in dynamips with configs that work fine on production equipment. Last thing you need while learning is to be unsure if it is somthing you have done incorrectly or if the problem is a bug in the software. The official BCMSN course uses all 3560G-24TS-E, but you can use the 2950 for most of the labs, you won't be able to do the layer 3 stuff on the switches, no private VLAN configurations and depending on the switch version and software may not be able to practice the RSTP, and MST configurations. There is some POE in the courseware, nothing you can't figure out from reading about it for the most part.

skaeight

I ran across this thread while searching for BCMSN equipment, oddly enough I started it, weird.

Anyways I'm starting to think about what I'm going to need for my BCMSN lab. I currently have the following equipment:

2x1900
2924xl
2950
2x2500
2600

Will the 2 29xx switches along with the 1900's be adequate, or do I really need 3 29xx switches? I can buy another one if I really do need it, but if I can use one of the 1900s and save $100 I'd be happy.

As I stated earlier I'll probably rent rack time for the layer 3 stuff. I may experiment with the Dynamips switch module as well. Does anyone know, has the switching gotten any better in dynampis?