Alternative to cisco access server?

Hi,

im building a lab at the min and its getting bigger as we speak (and thats just the hairs growing off it!) ive looked at a 2500 access server but they seem abit steep for what i want to pay because i would rather spend that cash elsewhere maybe.

Are there any alternatives to one of these fella's instead of plugging into the console each time?

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Comments

nice343

after all your routers and switches have established full connectivity you can telnet back and forth

just do this to prevent vty for asking for passwords

lin vty 0 4
no login

darkuser

you still need out of band console access .....
either get a console server or a 2511.

dtlokee

I've used Xyplex terminal servers also but you'll need to make all your own cables...

yukky

There's also the NM-16A and NM-32A
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/107/hw_async.shtml

blackninja

I use 3, 4 way DB 9 switch boxes linked tohether. (I have three switches and five routers)

Where only £10 each plus the cables.

They have a dial on front and just select which you want.

Cheap and they work

itdaddy

access servers rock man! if you look hard you can get one cheap...i paid for mine 150.000
1 year ago and that was expensive then...if you can find a2509 that would be good too since it has an octal cable of 8 devices. and using reverse telnet is great .once it it is setup runs
like awesome man!
look for a 2509 and pay the money for it should be under 100.00 you will not be sorry. futzing around back and forth to different routers and swictches....knowing what i know now.
i would pay the money!

just my 2cents

itdaddy

http://cgi.ebay.com/CISCO2509-2509-ROUTER-4D-4F-120-Day-Warranty-BL_W0QQitemZ230215891497QQihZ013QQcategoryZ67317QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

dude look at this there are plenty on the ebay that are only 100.00 best 100 dollars you will every spend man serious

if you need help setting up this router give me a haller! i can helpyou.
yeah it big price but well worth the 100.00 bucks. and the connection is relaible
you do not want to have issue going back and forth conifguring devices. trust me
it sucks! this work awesome!

nel

dude look at this there are plenty on the ebay that are only 100.00 best 100 dollars you will every spend man serious

im in the UK and that guy doesnt ship there

ive had a look on ebay UK and there all going for around £80-£100 ($160-$200!)

itdaddy

holy crap! ouch! so there is a ebay uk huh
why dont people ship to uk that sucks!
other ship here? i have bought tons from china and other places that work great>?
i will try to look for ya!

Darthn3ss

you guys just reminded me.. there was a auction for a 2502 and a 2509 that sold for.. $56! i would of loved to buy that and then sold the 2509 to someone for 3x the price

Depending on how things go, i may be able to cut you a deal on my 2509 after i get my 2511 set up , and then promise my self i won'ot add any more to my rack (yeah, right)

itdaddy

Darthn3ss

man you klll me you are just look at my blog and pics i and these are old pics hahaahha
i love my 2511 holy crap how i lived without it i reme,mber those days

i will look for you nel!

itdaddy dot blogs(no gap)pot dot com

just for information sake not for diverting techs to my site!

just trying to show
but i do know what you mean!

itdaddy

nel

my advice to you is watch daily for the 2509 ebay to me is like stock market
i have seen things go dirt cheap right after i paid top dollar and was mad!

so watching it daily and you will get the deal. they are pricey cause everybody once one
i went months before i got one but they are to me essential when you have many devices sucks
moving cable around everytime you want to do something

Robert

personally i would save up to get a 2511 you never know how big your lab will get!
i am going on to ccnp eventually and it will only gte bigger

nel

thanks for the advice fella's.

av had my eye on ebay and the latest has went for £87

i'll just have to wait and see i guess...

rebelrat

nel wrote:

thanks for the advice fella's.

av had my eye on ebay and the latest has went for £87

i'll just have to wait and see i guess...

Why spend so much money on a 2509 or 2511 just for the sake of the 10BaseT slow AUI interface. Shop for a 2510 (it has a Token Ring interface) which sells for $45.00 to $75.00.
Other than that they are identical to the 2509.

dynamik

rebelrat wrote:

Why spend so much money on a 2509 or 2511 just for the sake of the 10BaseT slow AUI interface. Shop for a 2510 (it has a Token Ring interface) which sells for $45.00 to $75.00.
Other than that they are identical to the 2509.

The 2509 and 2511 are access servers. The 2509 can connect to 8 other routers while the 2511 will connect to up to 16. It saves you the trouble of having to move the console cable around.

Netwurk

The access routers are great, but the console connection is usually only needed for the initial set-up.

When telnetting, use the "term mon" command and the console messages will display for you.

Also, learn the commands that let you jump from session to session. Make sure you know how "Ctrl-Shift-6, x" works

For my lab, I keep the routers/switches that I'm working the closest with connected via console to one of my PCs and then I remote into the PC when I need console access.

Having said all that, I agree that an access router is a great investment if you can fit it into your budget.

Komkommer

blackninja wrote:

I use 3, 4 way DB 9 switch boxes linked tohether. (I have three switches and five routers)

Where only £10 each plus the cables.

They have a dial on front and just select which you want.

Cheap and they work

I did the same thing except mine was an auto data switch but you use "service select" to switch between router or switches. However, the auto data switch was intended for sharing a modem or similar. I had to adjust DTE/DCE internally to make it work. (they don't teach you that in CCNA!) It works fine. It supports up to 8 DB-25 and 1 shared DB-25.

rebelrat

dynamik wrote:

rebelrat wrote:

Why spend so much money on a 2509 or 2511 just for the sake of the 10BaseT slow AUI interface. Shop for a 2510 (it has a Token Ring interface) which sells for $45.00 to $75.00.
Other than that they are identical to the 2509.

The 2509 and 2511 are access servers. The 2509 can connect to 8 other routers while the 2511 will connect to up to 16. It saves you the trouble of having to move the console cable around.

The 2510 model is an access server as well - it is identical to the 2509 except for the Ethernet AUI.

dynamik

rebelrat wrote:

The 2510 model is an access server as well - it is identical to the 2509 except for the Ethernet AUI.

That's the first I've heard of them. I always see people recommend the 2509 and the 2511.

Any idea why the 2510s aren't as popular? It seems like they're difficult to get a hold of.

mikej412

dynamik wrote:

Any idea why the 2510s aren't as popular?

Because they have the Token Ring interface, rather than Ethernet. And the 2512 is the 16 line version.

Back when the 2511s were going for $250, you could luck onto a 2512 for under $100.

Unless you have a Token Ring network in your lab, you lose the capability to telnet from your PC to the Access Server's IP and port number for the individual line to get separate telnet sessions to each routers console port from your PC.