CCNA Lab - Virtual or Not?

I completed my A+ certification and will take my Network+ is 2 weeks. However, I'm looking ahead to a CCNA Certification. I do not have any hands on experience with Cisco Products.

1. Should I purchase a virtual lab or a CCNA Lab Kit with the actual hardware?
2. What are perfect study aids and material for self-study?
3. Max $500 budget
4. Also, where's the best place to purchase? ebay?

Many Thanks,

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Comments

hhisgett

I would try to get at least two 2500 series routers and a 1900 series switch (or a 2900 series if you are lucky). I am pretty sure that you can get all this far less than $500 total off of Ebay. That is what I did and I am happy with what I got. Just pay attention to whether the router is Token Ring or Ethernet. Also look to see if the routers that you getting has a CSU/DSU card, or an ISDN card or a Frame Relay card. If not, you can probably get those fairly cheap seperately off of Ebay. In the meantime, you may consider Network Visualizer 4.0 from RouterSim.com. They are making their products better and better with the recent updates that have released.

As far as the study guide, I recommend the Sybex CCNA Study guide by Todd Lammle.

I am pretty sure others may suggest ideas that may be somewhat different, but this is a start.

forbesl

If you can afford the hardware, get the hardware. You'll get a much better training result from actual routers and switches. E-bay is probably your best bet for cheap routers/switches; however, you take your chances and Cisco will not provide you with any kind of support.