Unfinished Lab....What do I need?

richandy

Hi I am building my CCNA/CCNP lab and so far I have the following:
3 2650XM
1 2950 SI
1 2950 EI
1 3550 EMI
I am at a lost as to what interface card to get? Should I get the WIC-1T, WIC 1DSU-T2 or WIC 2A/S. Which of the three is better or more convenient?
Should I get also the NM-4A/S. Is there another alternative to this?
Should I get any more equipment?

Thanks in advance

ZeroHunter

richandy wrote: »

Hi I am building my CCNA/CCNP lab and so far I have the following:
3 2650XM
1 2950 SI
1 2950 EI
1 3550 EMI
I am at a lost as to what interface card to get? Should I get the WIC-1T, WIC 1DSU-T2 or WIC 2A/S. Which of the three is better or more convenient?
Should I get also the NM-4A/S. Is there another alternative to this?
Should I get any more equipment?

Thanks in advance

First let me say welcome, I too am a bit of a NooBie, and have been putting together my lab also, I personally have a bunch of WIC-2A/S 's.

But that being said I would personally suggest a the WIC-2T, they use the cheaper cables, are faster, and realitively affordable(only slightly more then the WIC-2A/S).

It looks like you are off to a real nice start with the equipment you have, the newer style SMART-SERIAL cable are as little as 7.oo$ each from dantrraknet.com. Those cables work for the WIC-2T or the WIC-2A/S.

Zartanasaurus

I used WIC-2Ts on the DTEs and a NM-8A/S on the FR router. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have gone with the WIC-1DSU-T1 across the board.

ZeroHunter

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

I used WIC-2Ts on the DTEs and a NM-8A/S on the FR router. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have gone with the WIC-1DSU-T1 across the board.

Please explain HOW and WHY, as those cards are pretty cheap and the cables you can make yourself, I am very interested in this.

ajmatson

ZeroHunter wrote: »

Please explain HOW and WHY, as those cards are pretty cheap and the cables you can make yourself, I am very interested in this.

Cards are cheaper and you can make T1 cables very easy with the same jacks and cable as a standard network cable I use WIC-1DSU-T1 cards for my lab and they are perfect.

ZeroHunter

ajmatson wrote: »

Cards are cheaper and you can make T1 cables very easy with the same jacks and cable as a standard network cable I use WIC-1DSU-T1 cards for my lab and they are perfect.

Wow, Capt Obvious! that really was not much or an answer, as you pretty much just stated what I said.

I am asking EXACTLY you how are going about this. Settings, how many cards, wire configuration etc etc.

richandy

Is the WIC-1DSU-T1-V2 better than the WIC-2T? Cost wise, the WIC-1DSU-T1-V2 can be had cheaper than the WIC-2T. I can get 3 of the WIC-1DSU-T1-V2 for $99.99.

mikej412

richandy wrote: »

Should I get any more equipment?

A terminal server is very very very nice to have.

tiersten

ZeroHunter wrote: »

Wow, that really was not much or an answer, as you pretty much just stated what I said.

The reasons for using a T1 card are for those reasons. I'm not sure what exactly you're expecting as a response and your reply is pretty rude considering ajmatson did tell you the reasons. It is down to personal preference. Some people prefer the old serial WICs and others prefer the T1 WICs. You can't get a T1 NM is probably the main downside of T1 serial links.

ajmatson

tiersten wrote: »

The reasons for using a T1 card are for those reasons. I'm not sure what exactly you're expecting as a response and your reply is pretty rude considering ajmatson did tell you the reasons. It is down to personal preference. Some people prefer the old serial WICs and others prefer the T1 WICs. You can't get a T1 NM is probably the main downside of T1 serial links.

Thank you tiersten, As I said that is why, now if you want a step by step guide on making the cables and setting it up then I miss understood you. A little bit of searching will be your friend. That is how I learned and and learning is what we are all about here. Someone giving you (and I quote what you said above) "EXACTLY" how to do something is not going to be beneficial to you learning on how to do it. We are here to guide not perform the work

Good luck on your studies.

mikej412 wrote: »

A terminal server is very very very nice to have.

Agreed, this is a big plus to any lab. Just poke around ebay, I just picked up a 2509RJ this morning for $57.95 shipped.

ehnde

WIC-1DSU-T1's are usually around $5 on ebay.

tiersten

ehnde wrote: »

WIC-1DSU-T1's are usually around $5 on ebay.

Be aware that there are a lot of fake hardware out there. WIC-1T, WIC-1DSU-T1 and WIC-1ENET seem to be especially popular for the counterfeiters. Some of them look nearly identical to real hardware except for some very minor differences which you have to specifically look for. Read this guide to see some of the differences. I wouldn't 100% follow that guide as Cisco's and the counterfeiters manufacturing process may have changed since the guide was written.

For some basic tests which should be valid, look for the Cisco hologram but some older legitimate cards won't have it however. Does the serial number on the card match up with the EEPROM contents? Is the solder mask correctly lined up? Real Cisco hardware should have tinned traces and contacts on the PCB. Does it just look badly made?

As for whether a counterfeit card works or not is random. It may be DOA. It may work for a while and then stop. Or it may even damage your hardware. If you understand the risks and are willing to take those risks then you'll probably be okay in a lab situation. I wouldn't risk it at all in a production environment.

ehnde

I wouldn't risk it at all in a production environment.

Agreed, only for labs. I bought two of them not knowing if they'd be fakes. For $5 a piece I didn't care. They're both fakes and they both work.....