minimum ios for routers on ccna

tiersten

A 2950 switch would work well. Don't bother with the 2900XL or 1900 series switches however.

rotinhell2568

i already have a 2950 12 port switch. Should i get another one?

rotinhell2568

what do you guys think about the cisco 2520 router. Could i use that with my two cisco 2501s to make a frame relay?

dynamik

Yes; that'll work.

Slowhand

dynamik wrote: »

Yes; that'll work.

Geesh, dynamik. It's just a simple question, will you stop yakkin' and get to the point?

rotinhell2568

will i need to get anything else?

dynamik

Cables.

mikej412

console cable

dynamik wrote: »

Cables.

Or did you already include the console cable in with the back-to-back serial cables?

You can also take a look at TechExams.Net CCNA LAB: The Hardware

TechExams.Net - CCNA Exam TechNotes: Basic Router Management will get you started working with your routers.

And when you're ready to setup Frame Relay -- TechExams.Net CCNA TechLab: Configuring Frame Relay

rotinhell2568

i just ordered two cables for 15 bucks. I guess once everything arrives i will be all set and ready to go. is sixty bucks which includes shipping good for a 2520?

rotinhell2568

these are the right cables right?
Cisco Crossover Serial Cable 3 ft DB60 DTE/DCE M/M 2pk - eBay (item 260341018431 end time Feb-01-09 09:19:23 PST)

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

these are the right cables right?

Yes.

There are also shorter 1 foot cables available (which are cheaper). And longer ones too.

With creative stacking 'n racking you might be able to get away with using the 1 foot cables. But at some point you might want the convenience of just using a longer cable. It's faster and easier to swap cables than swapping around hardware and interfaces to configure a new lab topology.

rotinhell2568

mike how much would you pay for a cisco 2520 router

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

mike how much would you pay for a cisco 2520 router

Back in the "old days" (like 2+ years ago) it might have been worth $80+ (not including the shipping).

But since the NM-4A/S have been available for around $25 and the prices of the 2600 series routers dropped -- a 4 port frame-relay switch is probably worth around 50-60 now. The 2522 may still be worth around $80-100 (since the cheapest NM-8A/S I've seen lately has been around $85).

If you're spending more than $60 on a 2520, you may as well start look for a better deal with newer routers. The 2610 will let you do router on a stick (even with the 10Mb Ethernet and a supported IOS) -- so if you add an NM-4A/S you get a frame relay switch and something that does Router-on-a-Stick.

It doesn't look like there are any good 2520s on eBay right now (except for maybe the Buy It Now/Make an Offer one -- which you might want to make an offer on). There is that one 2522 starting at $49 ($15 shipping) that no one has bid on (yet, 1 day left).

rotinhell2568

would u recommend that i get the NM-4A/S or the NM-8A/S. Also is 60 bucks including shipping good for a 2610 64/16 router with no modules.

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

would u recommend that i get the NM-4A/S or the NM-8A/S.

If you're already thinking ahead to the CCIE and are willing to spend some extra money now to save money later -- then the NM-8A/S.

But if you're just shopping for a CCNA lab now (and want to keep it cheap) go for the (usually) cheaper NM-4A/S.

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

Also is 60 bucks including shipping good for a 2610 64/16 router with no modules.

I guess it depends on where you're located. For me (in the US outside of Chicago), I'd try to keep it under $50.01 (with shipping) -- but I'm sure people who bid patiently have gotten 'em cheaper.

Don't forget that you will also need a router that lets you do SDM.

rotinhell2568

can the 2610 do sdm? if not which routers can?

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

can the 2610 do sdm? if not which routers can?

No.

There is a link is in the CCNA FAQ to the supported routers -- it's Table 1 in this Doc: Downloading and Installing Cisco Router and Security Device Manager [Cisco Router and Security Device Manager] - Cisco Systems

The 1721 is probably the cheapest/best router for SDM for the CCNA. People thinking of the CCNP (and future CCNP Lab) may want to spend the money now and look at the 2600XM series routers.

rotinhell2568

i was looking at the 2600xm series. Is a hundred bucks including shipping for a 2610xm 128/32 good deal?

dynamik

I think you need to spend some time doing some research on your own. Check out what they go for retail, check out what refurbs are going for, check out various auctions on ebay. If there's a difference in memory and price, look at what the memory costs separately, etc. I'm not trying to discourage you from asking questions; it's just all something we've had to go through. You're not going to get a feel for this stuff unless you spend some time researching it yourself.

mamono

dynamik wrote: »

I'm not trying to discourage you from asking questions; it's just all something we've had to go through. You're not going to get a feel for this stuff unless you spend some time researching it yourself.

I concur, you will need to know your way around all the different types of hardware anyways. Best way to do that is to shop around on your own and do the research. It takes time to soak all these details in and that either comes from experience or delving into it on your own. Best of luck!

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

Is a hundred bucks including shipping for a 2610xm 128/32 good deal?

It's probably a fair market rate right now -- but I'm sure someone here has shopped around (and patiently bid for a while) and done better.

There was the recent thread http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/38964-opinion-2650-vs-2620xm.html where I think I finally ranked my preference of routers in the 2600/2600XM series. I stuck with the single LAN interface models since they are cheaper, but my preference would stay the same with the dual LAN interface versions. But I'm more interested in "bang for the buck" rather than straight price -- so I'd spend a little bit more to get a "better router" if it was available.

Follow Matt's link in http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/35158-router-models-information.html for a quick summary of both old and new routers.

Netwurk

mikej412 wrote: »

It's probably a fair market rate right now -- but I'm sure someone here has shopped around (and patiently bid for a while) and done better.

Patient bidding is definitely the way to go. And if you go the ebay route, make sure the seller has a high rating as a seller. I got burnt (temporarily) by a guy whose 100% rating was all as a buyer.

And another guy had an MC3810 loaded for a low buy it now. Then when I bought it, it was suddenly "out of stock". Hmmmmm....

I've seen good deals on craigslist (local pickup only) for some of the monster switch chassis rigs. Just don't overpay for an old 5000 or an understocked 4000/6000.

rotinhell2568

what's special about the 2505s. What can i do with the extra ethernet ports?

tiersten

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

what's special about the 2505s. What can i do with the extra ethernet ports?

It is a regular hub. You don't need an AUI transceiver is the other advantage.

mikej412

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

what's special about the 2505s. What can i do with the extra ethernet ports?

You can save a few bucks on a transceiver.

Otherwise it's just a 2501 with a built-in hub -- there is only the one internal Ethernet Interface that connects to the hub.

With 2 other routers you can can do OSPF DR/BDR elections without having to configure a switch.

You can plug a PC into one of the hub ports, load wireshark, and see the network traffic without having to setup SPAN like you would on a switch. That makes it quick and easy to see how ARP works on a local network when one device wants to find another (Layer 3 to Layer 2 address mapping). Then you can watch the TCP 3 Way Handshake happen when 2 devices on a network want to talk (using TCP). You can ping and watch the ICMP traffic. If you have a couple other routers setup and routing enabled, you can try a traceroute and actually see what happens. If you have a Linux PC, you can plug that into the 2505's hub and see the difference in traceroute between between Linux (and UNIX) and Windows.

I guess you could also use it to practice setting up a router as a DHCP Server and Trivial File Transfer Protocol Server -- without having to worry about setting up a switch.

rotinhell2568

I had recently bought a cisco 2950 12 port switch. When it arrived i realized it said the ios version was 12.1(19) and all the other switches online had 12.1(22) will this make a big difference and if so can i upgrade it to (22)

tiersten

rotinhell2568 wrote: »

I had recently bought a cisco 2950 12 port switch. When it arrived i realized it said the ios version was 12.1(19) and all the other switches online had 12.1(22) will this make a big difference and if so can i upgrade it to (22)

No and yes respectively.

petedude

mgeorge wrote: »

12.3(26) is the LAST image released for the 2500.

both of those images are ip plus. the 12.2(15)T17 IP Plus contains IPv6, OSPFv3 and RIPng.

So, the IOS for one 2500 will run on all others of that series, correct?

tech-airman

rotinhell2568,

Do you currently have any study materials?

tiersten

petedude wrote: »

So, the IOS for one 2500 will run on all others of that series, correct?

For the 2500 series of routers, yes.