CCNA Lab questions

200mg

I have been trying to read up on the best bang for the buck lab you can get to help you with the ccna. I see alot of kits on ebay that have 3 routers and 3 switches.

1. Is that much equip. necessary or can i get away with less equip? If so what's good to start with, I have read that one 2500 series router and 2 switches with ios is a good start. which routers should I look for that are cheap and have ios?

Many of the switches i see in these "kits" have the catalyst os, I am under the understanding that I only want switches that have ios correct?

Essendon

You can get by with a switch and a router for the CCNA prep. But if you wanted to see Spanning Tree right in front of you, 2 switches and 2 routers are great. the 2 pairs are also good if you want to practice the routing protocols. Overall, you may get by with a router and a switch but for a real good understanding, a bit more investment should see through the first time on the exam.

Edit: Know your subnetting!!

200mg

thanks.

hodgey87

for my studies i have 3 2501 routers and 2 2950 switches which i find is sufficient for everything on the ccna exam. You probably will be able to get a cheap router or switch from ebay.

You probably could use less equipment as mentioned above but you may not be able to practice everything for the exam. IOS you would need ideally would be 12.4 as this supports everything for ccna.

Cheers