3810 Router and CCVP Lab

Obscurae

Hello all,

this is my first post on this forum, gotta tell great!, that I've found doing a google search for an answer to the question I'm about to post. I've spent lot of time lurking on the forum and checking all the useful guides/links/how to I've found around but still I did not find an answer that fully cleared my doubts so here I am

I'm working on my CCNP certification while keeping an eye on my next goal that'll be CCVP, yes here's another lab question, my lab is actually so composed :

- 2611XM and 2621XM dual FE routers with max flash
- 2811 router
- 3640 for FR and terminal server
- 3550 and 2950 switches
- NM-2V cards for the 26xx routers
- FXS and FXO cards
- VWIC-1MFT-E1 cards
- Phones
- VmWare for CCM

I've got a while back a 3810 for free from a friend, and this is why I'm posting this, which is just the empty chassis. Reading the forum I've read this is a great piece of hw to have in the CCVP lab and I would like to use it but the problem is what I should buy for it apart a memory upgrade? I know this has been asked before but as I said I could not find a definitive answer to the question as I know that sudying for CCVP I'll learn which cards I'll need in my lab but try to understand I'm trying to buy everything prior the study session to save time.

Ok I've already bored you Below the show ver of the router in question :

3810#sh version
Cisco Internetwork Operating System Software
IOS (tm) MC3810 Software (MC3810-A2BINR3V2-M), Version 12.0(27), RELEASE SOFTWA)
Copyright (c) 1986-2003 by cisco Systems, Inc.
Compiled Mon 09-Jun-03 21:29 by srani
Image text-base: 0x00023000, data-base: 0x0078F6D0

ROM: System Bootstrap, Version 11.3(1)MA1, MAINTENANCE INTERIM SOFTWARE
ROM: MC3810 Software (MC3810-WBOOT-M), Version 11.3(1)MA1, MAINTENANCE INTERIM

3810 uptime is 17 minutes
System restarted by power-on
System image file is "flash:mc3810-a2binr3v2-mz.120-27.bin"

Cisco MC3810 (MPC860) processor (revision 06.07) with 27648K/5120K bytes of mem.
Processor board ID 13002745
PPC860 PowerQUICC, partnum 0x0000, version A03(0x0013)
Channelized E1, Version 1.0.
Bridging software.
MC3810 SCB board (v05.A0)
1 Multiflex E1(slot 3) RJ45 interface(v05.A0)
1 Multiflex E1(slot 4) RJ45 interface(v05.A0)
1 6-DSP(slot2) Voice Compression Module(v01.K0)
1 Ethernet/IEEE 802.3 interface(s)
3 Serial network interface(s)
1 ATM network interface(s)
2 Channelized E1/PRI port(s)
256K bytes of non-volatile configuration memory.
8192K bytes of processor board System flash (AMD29F016)

Configuration register is 0x2102

I hope someone will be able to help me ouit, thanks in advance Obs.

mikej412

It looks like your MC3810 may already be full.

You can either use an AVM6 to host the analog APM cards or install a DVM to support a Multiflex T1/E1. Since you're showing 2 E1 interfaces, I'd guess one is installed in a DVM.

I'd have to dig through the docs or open up my MC3810 with the DVM to see if there is a spot on the DVM for another Voice Compression Module.

I use my MC3810 with the DVM and 2 MFT-T1s in my Lab PSTN cloud. I have another MC3810 in my PSTN cloud with an MFT-E1 to connect to my Lab "European Branch Office" which has another MC3810 and MFT-E1.

Since you have two MFT E1 interfaces already, I'd guess you "hit the jackpot" or are in Europe. My 2 MFT-E1 cards were my 2 most expensive MC3810 purchases at $50 US each -- which was still cheaper than the one auction for a single VWIC-1MFT-E1 I saw on eBay.

I've gotten some good cheap MC3810s loaded with interfaces and I've seen some gutted shells for outrageous prices. Most of the time the AVM6 carriers I've seen were selling for more than I paid for an MC3810 with an AVM6 and APM cards.

I've noticed some sellers on eBay (in the US at least) selling lots of overpriced MC3810 pieces -- and I've seen one buying complete cheap MC3810s and listing "new pieces" and empty chassis the next week. I've also noticed one buyer bidding on lots of the MC3810s, so I suspect that's the "buying ID" of one of the other sellers. MC3810s are still great voice lab routers -- but only when they're CHEAP. When I do follow some MC3810 auctions I do still see people getting some good values.

The last MC3810 12.3 IOS images needed 64Meg DRAM to load and run, but they fit in 16Meg Flash. An MC3810-V3 with 64/32 only really gives you the ablity to have two different IOS images loaded in flash that you can switch between.

I think one of the links in the CCVP FAQ for the MC3810 hardware lists the BIOS requirements for getting 64Meg of DRAM. I did the BIO upgrade on a couple of plain MC3810s that didn't already have it to support 64Meg DRAM.