Does Dynamips support Cisco Switches

mumrahal

Please can someone help me in guiding how to do Switching Labs of CCNP in Dynamips?
Is there any software like dynamips which can provide switching exercises?

It is urgent, if someone can help me.

dtlokee

The overall answer is "no" they don't suport the switch IOS, but some people simulate a switch using a router with the NM-16ESW installed. I haven't tried this but I don't think all the options are going to be the same as if you had real switch hardware.

mikej412

There is the "fake simulated switch," that lets you put your ethernet interfaces into vlans (and trunk for router on a stick) but you'd don't get any switch configuration practice.

Using the NM-16ESW -- since it's simulating hardware -- lets you practice the switching commands, but some of the output is bogus. When I first tried 3 "switches" looped together there were no blocked STP ports, but the network still worked fine (no emulated/simulated broadcast storm).

I'm not sure if the "switching/hardware simulation" has gotten any better in Dynamips -- but I'd say Boson is still probably better for learning "switching stuff" than Dynamips. After you learn switching for the CCNA/CCNP then you should know enough to "work around" or "ignore" the switching anomalies in Dynamips.

mgeorge

For a real simple answer...

No

If ya build a big lab, buy 2 3550's (if ya have the money) and build a nice computer with multiple NIC's then map the NICs to the routers then connect nics to switch Will work like a real lab