please help me purchase a lab, my budget is $1000

ok so here is a little bit about myself.

im currently a junior sys admin for a company here and i would like to familiarize myself more with the networking side of things(cisco switches, routers and firewalls). every other area i am already familiar with(desktop support, building servers and raids, building racks, etc...) except for networking. i know nothing about it other than really basic stuff.

can someone recommend me some decent hardware that will fit my needs? my goal is to get ccent than ccna. the most important thing for me is something that can last me more than a year, hopefully 2. i get confused on which hardware to buy because alot of the sellers state that thier equipment supports the new IOS version that is required for the ccent and ccna exams that were recently reworked. for example, the site cisco kits recommends at least working with a 2610xm series and up, however most of thier kits use 2500 series routers and 1900 switches(which i am told are useless for the cert). ive read that 2950+ switches are recommended. i need to know what routers and switches to buy for the new test, and how many of them. please do not recommend using a router simulatior. i will use a router simulator WITH the hardware i will be getting. for the firewalls, i can just use some at work since we have pix's and asa's just lying around.

i just want to make sure i get my moneys worth when purchasing this stuff since its costing me alot.

thanks

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dynamik

This thread covers that pretty well: http://techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28422

I'd imagine $1000 is more than enough for a CCNA lab.

I've been buying equipment bit by bit over the past year since I am going to do the CCNA after my MCSE.

I personally own a 2501, two 2520s, a 2511, 26xx (2610 or 20 maybe?), and a 1950 switch. I'm going to add another switch or two, which should hopefully be more than enough. I'm probably sitting around $600 thus far. I haven't really looked into what has changed in the new exam, so I may have to pick up something else as well.

Here are a couple of other links to check out:
http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/HOME%20LAB%20Building%20One.htm
http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/CCNACCNPHomeLabSuggestions.htm
http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/HOME%20LAB%20Suggested%20Topologies.htm
http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/CCNACCNPHomeLabSetupFAQ.htm

[edit]
After re-reading your post, you have me second-guessing myself. I might have a 2950 switch... I'll follow-up once I get home.

Young Grasshopper

thanks for the reply, however i took a look at the thread prior and it is rather confusing just like every other trhead i find on other forums. i need someone to say "you need these routers and these switches" and be clear on it instead of "you could get this, or this, this might work too" stuff.

khristov

The best way you can buy the right equipment is to figure out what exactly features you would require. Then go to www.cisco.com/go/fn (guest level access required) and find the right devices, and how much RAM is needed for the specific IOS image. Then you will know what to look for (keep in mind that some models require ROM upgrade to handle more RAM if you intend to buy RAM separately)
2600 series routers (try to find serial interfaces also) are good to preprare for the CCNA exam.
2950 (non EN the are not in your price range) also would do the work as switches.
Consider buying something to act as a frame-relay switch (2520). It is very valuable if you can have hands-on expirience of this hard to learn protocol.
Also keep in mind that your devices should support IPv6 routing

dynamik

There's not really a "right" way to do it. I can just make a decision for you, if you like

From the Bryant Site:
I've found that a combination of three 2520 routers and one 2501 is a great way to practice for CCNA certification success. You can use one 2520 as a frame relay switch, one as the hub router in a hub-and-spoke configuration, and the other 2520 and the 2501 as the other spokes. If you're lucky enough to have an ISDN simulator, you can connect two of the 2520s via ISND as well. You can find 2520s for around $100 and 2501s for about $50 or less.

and

A Cisco 2950 switch is particularly affordable these days; any IOS-based switch is a major plus to your Cisco lab.

From the other thread:

phreak wrote:

I just remembered we have a spare 2950-12.... I could probably rob that for a temporary lab until i can wing the cash for my own. That'd give me two 2900 series switches to play with for VLAN and VTP. Adding the third would give me a lab for STP.

Get three 2950s, three 2520s, a 2501, and a 2509 or 2511 if you want an access server where you can access all your equipment from one router (so you don't have to shuffle cables around). If you have extra money, go with 2600 or 2800. You might get more life out of those if you go after a CCNP (although I have absolutely no idea what's necessary for that, so those may or may not be useful later on). You can also get a great deal done with just a pair of routers. It's your call.

dynamik

Here's what I have now (I wasn't too far off):

Routers: 2501, 2520, 2520, 2511, and 2613

Switch: 2950 (12-port)

Also, you don't need to get everything at once. Just a couple of routers will probably keep you busy for awhile.

arcanium

my first post here

here is what i have for my ccna lab

2621xm with WIC-1T (SDM, SSH, Router On A Stick, and frame relay hub for hub and spoke config)
2521 (Frame Relay Switch)
2501 (frame relay spoke multipoint Serial0 and ecapsulation PPP on Serial1)
2513 (frame relay spoke point-to-point Serial0 and ecapsulation PPP on Serial1)
2950C-24 for vtp and stp
2950C-24 for vtp and stp
2924-XL-EN for vtp and stp
1900C-EN (old, bought before i realized)
1900C-EN (same as above)

I got this thru a combo if ciscokits and ebay. I paid a total of $900 with shipping costs and am able to do RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, VTP, STP, ACL's and various other ccna labs and they are just fun to play with.

phreak

Great post...

I am in the same boat. I am looking at getting 3 2611's each with 64DRAM and 16F, a WS-C2924M-XL-EN, and a WS-C2916M-XL.

I think this would be just great (from what I understand from the guys here everything should support all the nessisary routing protocols (mainly OSPF and EIGRP), and I can do VTP and VLAN's between the switches (trunking) and do router-on-a-stick.

The above will compliment the items I have already:

2620XM (has two WIC-1-T1 cards, no 'normal' serial interfaces)
2502 (POS model, do not buy these because they only have a token lan interface)
2900XL-12 switch
2950-24 switch (i have to fix this one, someone "broked teh flashz!!11!")
Aironet AIR-BR1310-A-K9 (to practice any wireless activities)
4-foot self-support rack
Windows 2000 server (AMD1100)

I also am looking at getting an older 2520 ( i think that was the model??) to set up as an access server so I do not have to move console cables around, and I can access the rack anywhere, and any time from any network. Oh yeah, and also to keep from **** the wife off, because with just the two switches and the 2620 powered on, the fan noise is insane. She wants the whole thing in the garage..... meh... :P

Your $1000 will get you a lot. You could proabably buy all 2600 series routers with plenty of ram. Make sure they run at least 12.3 IOS but I'd try and find ones that run 12.4 so you can play with SDM. If you wanted to save some cash, get a 2620XM loaded with enough ram to satisfy the needs for 12.4 IOS for SDM config, and then suppliment with 2500 series routers like 2505 or 2507 so you do not have to use those lame AUI adapters.

With the rest of the cash, get some 2950's with enterprise IOS (at least 3, you want to be able to try spanning-tree and VTP).

Don't forget to make sure your gear has WIC-1T's or WIC-1-T1's for serial interfaces, and that you buy the required DTE/DCE cables if you are using standard serial interfaces. You can make your own RJ-48 crossovers for the T-1 interfaces.

dynamik

phreak wrote:

I also am looking at getting an older 2520 ( i think that was the model??) to set up as an access server so I do not have to move console cables around, and I can access the rack anywhere, and any time from any network.

2509 or 2511. They'll connect to 8 and 16 devices, respectively.

All this talk today made my itchy to play with my gear. I popped my SIIG serial card in my new machine, and of course, no Vista drivers. I'm ecstatic. I'm downloading the new version of Ubuntu (which will hopefully have the drivers I need) now. I'll dual boot tomorrow

phreak

Haha....

Sucks... Yeah I am on a trip right now because I got a rack at home now and I loaded what gear I have into it.

Now to get some $ for the rest of the stuff I need.... :-\

Thats why I work 6 days a week....heh

networker050184

If you plan on going forward with your Cisco certifications I would suggest you get 2600xm or 2800 routers that can support the newest IOS and other features you may need like SDM. I'd say grab a couple 2950 and a L3 switch or two as well. A lab can be very expensive, but its better to have what you need then trying to make due with sub par equipment.

mobri09

I would def recommend 3 2950 switches because STP is one of the most hit topics on the exam.

bighornsheep

arcanium wrote:

2621xm with WIC-1T (SDM, SSH, Router On A Stick, and frame relay hub for hub and spoke config)
2521 (Frame Relay Switch)
2501 (frame relay spoke multipoint Serial0 and ecapsulation PPP on Serial1)
2513 (frame relay spoke point-to-point Serial0 and ecapsulation PPP on Serial1)
2950C-24 for vtp and stp
2950C-24 for vtp and stp
2924-XL-EN for vtp and stp
1900C-EN (old, bought before i realized)
1900C-EN (same as above)

Solid, solid lab you got there! All in total you paid $900? All routers are max memory? Very nice setup! You might want to pick up one or two more routers for those multi-area OSPF configuration and DR/BDR election, you might consider specifically the 2612, the TR port I found to be pretty handy to connect the 2521 with ethernet network.

phreak wrote:

I am in the same boat. I am looking at getting 3 2611's each with 64DRAM and 16F, a WS-C2924M-XL-EN, and a WS-C2916M-XL.
2620XM (has two WIC-1-T1 cards, no 'normal' serial interfaces)
2502 (POS model, do not buy these because they only have a token lan interface)
2900XL-12 switch
2950-24 switch (i have to fix this one, someone "broked teh flashz!!11!")
Aironet AIR-BR1310-A-K9 (to practice any wireless activities)
4-foot self-support rack
Windows 2000 server (AMD1100)

DO NOT get the 2916, it's not much more than a 1900 in the sense that it's not a billion years outdated, it is only a million years outdated. Check this and the link posted there for very good reasons as to why.