Ccna lab

paq7512

What would you all recommended for a physical lab for the CCNA ~$400?

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Todd Burrell

I'm also looking for a setup for $300 or so and I am curious what everyone thinks of this setup on Ebay:

COMPLETE LABS CISCO CCENT CCNA LAB 2600 ROUTER BEST NA6 | eBay

From what I can tell this looks like a very good price for this lab...

Priston

2-3 routers
2-3 switchs

2600xm series routers

2950 or 3550 switches

MosGuy

Todd Burrell wrote: »

I'm also looking for a setup for $300 or so and I am curious what everyone thinks of this setup on Ebay:

COMPLETE LABS CISCO CCENT CCNA LAB 2600 ROUTER BEST NA6 | eBay

From what I can tell this looks like a very good price for this lab...

It's normally recommended to keep away from pre-built labs, as they are usually over-priced. You can typically piece them together much cheaper. Plus you learn a lot more by researching & figuring out which models, accessories, cabling etc suit your needs.

For the thread in general: I'd take a look through the FAQ and do a forum search. This question has been answered many times. There are many good replies/threads with a little digging.

alan2308

Todd Burrell wrote: »

I'm also looking for a setup for $300 or so and I am curious what everyone thinks of this setup on Ebay:

COMPLETE LABS CISCO CCENT CCNA LAB 2600 ROUTER BEST NA6 | eBay

From what I can tell this looks like a very good price for this lab...

DO NOT BUY THIS!!! They're asking $400 shipped for less than $200 worth of equipment.

For the OP, you want 2 or 3 routers, 2 or 3 switches, and a couple WIC's for the routers. Look at the 1760, 1721 or 2600XM routers and 2950 switches. And see this thread where I already went over WIC's.

And remember, not every device in your lab has to be top of the line. Two 1760's and a non-XM 2600 for routers and two 2950's and a 2900XL for switches will take you a long way.

onesaint

MosGuy wrote: »

It's normally recommended to keep away from pre-built labs, as they are usually over-priced. You can typically piece them together much cheaper. Plus you learn a lot more by researching & figuring out which models, accessories, cabling etc suit your needs.

Spec-ing a lab is a fantastic way to learn whats offered and about IOS versions, etc. After completing the Network Academy courses I was thinking of getting a home lab. To that point, I had only touched sims. So, searching the web to see if it was worth it, learning about the different offerings, cables, cards, etc. was a fantastic learning tool. Also, good for real world work.

Try Odom's blog for a good lab guide, plus like MosGuy said, theres lots of fantastic info here on TE.

Corndork2

NEVER....EVER.... buy prebuilt lab from Ebay. They are all over priced, and not spec'd correctly. Plus, building the lab is a great way to learn about Cisco hardware. You learn about WIC's NM's and different routers and switches. You also learn more of the capabilities of different model routers, and as such, you can begin to grasp what kind of routers would be used in real life situations.

Save yourself the money, and give yourself the opportunity for the experience.... build your own lab. Spec out your own routers, load your own modules... just like you would in the real world.

If you have any specific questions about command sets, feature sets, or Cisco hardware, we're always here to help.

paq7512

thanks for all the tips, so two 2600 routers and two 2950 switches would work fine?

alan2308

paq7512 wrote: »

thanks for all the tips, so two 2600 routers and two 2950 switches would work fine?

If you mean 2600XM's, then yes. There's a big difference between a 2600 and a 2600XM. But either way, you'll do much better with the 1760's or 1721's.

paq7512

the 1700 series why is that?

Chris_

I never get bored of saying this. Buy 2 good switches(3550 smi) DON'T buy EMI. Then anything left over make sure you've got a good Pc that can run GNS3 well, preferably with Linux on it. Trust me, or don't, that is pretty much all you will need to get you all the way up to CCNP.

If you get a bit more money in the future then buy a couple more 3550s and an even better Pc that can run a few VM images. I know people will disagree with me but I think everyone will agree that you should stay away from Pre-built eBay labs.

alan2308

paq7512 wrote: »

the 1700 series why is that?

Not just any 1700's, but the 1721 and the 1760 specifically. I recommend them over the 2600XM's now because they can be had for half the cost and run a higher IOS version. The only thing that the 2600 and 2600XM's have over them is that they have an NM slot. And you'll only need something that can be crammed into an NM slot in specific situations, such as if you're doing Frame Relay and actually have enough routers to justify 4 or 8 serial ports.

Buy the better router for half the price and the money you save can be used for a better switch (a 3550 rather than all 2950's) or additional WIC cards.

alan2308

Chris_ wrote: »

I never get bored of saying this. Buy 2 good switches(3550 smi) DON'T buy EMI. Then anything left over make sure you've got a good Pc that can run GNS3 well, preferably with Linux on it. Trust me, or don't, that is pretty much all you will need to get you all the way up to CCNP.

If you get a bit more money in the future then buy a couple more 3550s and an even better Pc that can run a few VM images. I know people will disagree with me but I think everyone will agree that you should stay away from Pre-built eBay labs.

To an extent I agree with you on GNS3, as I have a pretty sizable home lab but still use GNS3 quite a bit. But I think that there is still value in buying a couple real routers if you don't have any real hands on experience. There's things like tracking down a serial cable not plugged in all the way, upgrading the IOS image via tftp and xmodem, or replacing your home network's Linksys with a Cisco and seeing if you can REALLY get things working that you can't really experience with GNS3.

paq7512

Are these labs okay ?

Cisco 3660 3662 1760 2950T Advanced IP VPN Security Lab | eBay

CISCO 3640 2621 2950 CCENT CCNA Maxed Out Lab | eBay

Chris_

alan2308 wrote: »

To an extent I agree with you on GNS3, as I have a pretty sizable home lab but still use GNS3 quite a bit. But I think that there is still value in buying a couple real routers if you don't have any real hands on experience. There's things like tracking down a serial cable not plugged in all the way, upgrading the IOS image via tftp and xmodem, or replacing your home network's Linksys with a Cisco and seeing if you can REALLY get things working that you can't really experience with GNS3.

Yeah, I agree - if you've got zero experience and no exposure to cisco at work then getting your own kit is probably a good idea. but I think the limit is the switches I already mentioned and maybe a couple 1760 routers (more useful than the 1720 should you move on to VoIP) - this should be more than enough to teach you the basics. But to get anything more than this is probably a waste of money that could be spent on a decent infrastructure for VMs and GNS3.

Chris_

paq7512 wrote: »

Are these labs okay ?

Cisco 3660 3662 1760 2950T Advanced IP VPN Security Lab | eBay

CISCO 3640 2621 2950 CCENT CCNA Maxed Out Lab | eBay

LEAVE THE PRE-BUILT LABS ALONE!!!!!!!

look at the labs you've posted then break it down to the components and search them on ebay - you'll be amazed how cheap you can get them.

below is a quick search of the items I reccomended - so you get 2 Layer 3 switches and 2 1760 routers for well under $400 and still have spare cash for WICs and cables - the labs you mention will not get you beyond the ccna really.

cisco 3550 | eBay - plenty of reasonably priced 3550 switches

cisco 1760 | eBay loads of cheap 1760 routers

paq7512

I just bought (3) 1760s, can I get (1) 3550 and (1) 2950 or not a good idea?

paq7512

Disregard I bought two 3550's.

alan2308

paq7512 wrote: »

Disregard I bought two 3550's.

An excellent choice for those who can afford it. Now had you bought one of those prebuilt kits, you would probably have a pair of 2900XL's and no budget left for a good switch.

You'll find the 3550's still very useful when you move on to bigger and better things after the CCNA.

Todd Burrell

Would a setup with 2 2600XM series routers and 2 3550 switches suffice for both the CCNA and CCNP exams as a good test lab? I know it would probably be good for CCNA, but I'm trying to plan ahead if I also go for my CCNP. I want to be able to use my CCNA lab for CCNP - with maybe another device or two if needed.

paq7512

Read this article - Cisco Cert Zone: CCNP Lab Series ? Master Links

supposedly the 1760s ($60 each)that I bought which are cheaper then the 2600xms would work for ccnp, just have to get layer 3 switches 3550 or greater for the ccnp. Thanks to this forum and others I think I got the right lab.

Chris_

Good choice, now make sure you get an emi image put on those 3550s and you're good to go for CCNA and CCNP (with a bit of GNS3 for the bigger labs.)

Netwurk

Some good advice here

Real equipment is the way to go, especially if you can't access any at work or school.

GNS3 is cool, but it doesn't always act like real equipment. I recently labbed up OSPF virtual links and on GNS3 the interfaces kept flapping (going up and down). On real equipment the same config worked flawlessly.

Mixing the two (GNS3 + real hardware) works best IMO

auos

Check Cisco Certification: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, used Cisco router, Cisco switch, Cisco routers.
have good price.

alan2308

auos wrote: »

Check Cisco Certification: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, used Cisco router, Cisco switch, Cisco routers.
have good price.

So you've ignored the entire thread where we have repeatedly said to stay away from the prebuilt kits?

Todd Burrell

I'm actually very glad that I asked on this forum before I ordered any equipment. I was able to get 2 2620XM routers and 2 2950 24 port switches for MUCH less than one of the overpriced kits on either Ebay or the other sites. I think I would have paid about $50 more for a pre-built kit with 2 2500 series routers and 2 2924 switches.

I'm looking forward to getting the equipment in and playing some (I know I'm being a kid but what the hell?)...

Thanks to this forum for all the advice. I'm sure I'll be back with some questions soon.

Netwurk

alan2308 wrote: »

So you've ignored the entire thread where we have repeatedly said to stay away from the prebuilt kits?

Well the link is to a sponsor of this site, so we'll let this one go

Netwurk

Todd Burrell wrote: »

I'm looking forward to getting the equipment in and playing some (I know I'm being a kid but what the hell?)...

You almost have to enjoy labbing to learn this stuff so it's good if you're having fun with it

paq7512

okay great, when my lab comes in what should I focus on? Is there a lab book that I can practice with, with step by step? What would you all recommend?

kevin31

Here is a useful site CCNA Home Lab | Building Your Cisco CCNA Home Lab

Kev

Netwurk

paq7512 wrote: »

okay great, when my lab comes in what should I focus on? Is there a lab book that I can practice with, with step by step? What would you all recommend?

Cisco has several lab books. And most of the study guides (whether by Cisco or other publishers) have several configuration examples.

Here's the Cisco lab guide link

Lab Companion Series