Ccna lab

I would recommend going with GNS3 for your routers and save the money for buying switches.

Alot of people will tell you there's no replacement for the real thing, and while I do agree with this statement I feel that for Certification training GNS3 can and does replace real routers.

One of the only major differences you will find between real routers and GNS3 is that with real routers you actually cable up the interfaces, which Cisco does not test you for on any certification from CCNA to CCIE level. Not much can go wrong at layer one

Another difference is that you cannot "break" the boot sequence and go into rommon, or upgrade the IOS. That is ok because you can practice this on any $50 Cisco switch for the CCNA.

If you have a computer/laptop with atleast a dual core processor than you should be good to go to emulate about 4-5 routers once you set the IDLE PC value within GNS3.

I have never had any "bouncing/flapping" of connections with GNS3. It runs very stable and I have had my CCIE GNS3 lab up for months if not years. I think it all depends on your CPU utilization on the local computer.

If I were in your shoes I would buy atleast 2 2950's and one 3550. All these switches can be had for about $300 or less on ebay. Then I would setup GNS3 on my computer and start working on the CCNA labs.

The real beauty of GNS3 is that you can connect real switches in with the program. So at any time if you want to, for instance learn router on a stick you can use a "cloud" node in GNS3 to tie into your NIC on your pc and then connect your NIC on your pc to one of your switches. Its really that simple. I have a video tutorial on how to do this and it is located at the following link:

‪CONNECTING_REAL_SWITCHES_TO_GNS3 PART 1‬‏ - YouTube

If you need anything else please let me know.

Good luck with your studies!

SdotLow

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.

Chris: I'm pricing my lab currently (very excited!) and you're suggesting to not purchase EMI, and get SMI. I looked into it and EMI is supposedly the enterprise version and is more feature rich. Why "wouldn't" one want to pick up EMI on their switches? I plan on buying switches tomorrow and would like to make sure I make ideal purchases. I was shooting for 1-2x 2950 with Enhanced Image and 1x 3550. Is there a conflict with 3550 EMI and other equipment? I'm a bit confused

Also, would it be better to pick up 2x 3550 over 2x 2950 and 1x 3550? I think the price would be around the same from what I'm seeing on Ebay.

I'll also be grabbing up 2x 1760's because their cheap as hell and I can say I've had hands on experience with them. Possibly a 2610xm in the future.

Edit: I guess I should also state that I've read the links and numerous advice from these forums. I've read Odom's blog and his 2011 CCNA lab setup. There just seems to be a lot of conflicting advice and I don't really want to piss away money.

alan2308

SdotLow wrote: »

Chris: I'm pricing my lab currently (very excited!) and you're suggesting to not purchase EMI, and get SMI. I looked into it and EMI is supposedly the enterprise version and is more feature rich. Why "wouldn't" one want to pick up EMI on their switches? I plan on buying switches tomorrow and would like to make sure I make ideal purchases. I was shooting for 1-2x 2950 with Enhanced Image and 1x 3550. Is there a conflict with 3550 EMI and other equipment? I'm a bit confused

When you see EMI or SMI on a 3550 switch, that only indicates what was installed on it when it left the factory. You can take a SMI switch and install an EMI IOS on it, and you can take an EMI switch and install an SMI image on it. With the 2950's, you're stuck with a SI or EI Switch.

You can use any combinations of switches in your lab. Its usually when you get down to the real low end 2900XL's that they start limiting what you can do, and even then it's usually not that big of a deal. I've got 2900's, 2950's and a 3500 and they all coexist just fine.

SdotLow wrote: »

Also, would it be better to pick up 2x 3550 over 2x 2950 and 1x 3550? I think the price would be around the same from what I'm seeing on Ebay.

I'll also be grabbing up 2x 1760's because their cheap as hell and I can say I've had hands on experience with them. Possibly a 2610xm in the future.

A pair of 3550's would definitely be the best bet if you can afford it, especially if you plan to keep going past the CCNA. When people go with a single 3550 (or none), it's usually a financial decision, not a best lab solution.

SdotLow wrote: »

Edit: I guess I should also state that I've read the links and numerous advice from these forums. I've read Odom's blog and his 2011 CCNA lab setup. There just seems to be a lot of conflicting advice and I don't really want to piss away money.

The reason why people have different ideas on what is the best lab is because we all have different budgets, and we all have different goals on what we're going to study. Someone who is going to get the CCNA then the CCNP is going to have different needs than someone who is going to get the CCNA then the CCNA Voice then the CCNP Voice. Someone might want to spend a little more and get 2600XM's because they have an NM slot, but someone else might not care about having one because a pair of WIC-2T's is good enough for what they're doing. I'm sure a person or two has also went with the 1721's because they prefer the smaller form factor.

Besides that, prices and availability of equipment is always changing. Right now the 1700's are the sweet spot in the cost to features ratio, but thats only because the prices have dropped considerably the last few months. Not too long ago, the 2600XM's were the sweet spot. But the 2600XM's are still a great router, they just cost more now.

SdotLow

Alan: Thanks so much for replying, you helped me decide on what specific models I'm going to shoot for. I was hoping you could clarify something for me, if you wouldn't mind...

When you see EMI or SMI on a 3550 switch, that only indicates what was installed on it when it left the factory. You can take a SMI switch and install an EMI IOS on it, and you can take an EMI switch and install an SMI image on it. With the 2950's, you're stuck with a SI or EI Switch

I was wondering why Chris had directly said to not purchase EMI, and to go for SMI. Was this due to cost as well?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply, the help is greatly appreciated!

alan2308

SdotLow wrote: »

I was wondering why Chris had directly said to not purchase EMI, and to go for SMI. Was this due to cost as well?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply, the help is greatly appreciated!

I would assume that is what he meant. The only difference between the two is the model written on it.

SdotLow

So I just placed my orders, and equipment is on its way for arrival next week...

2x - 1760 64D/32F 12.4ios

2x - WS-C3550-48-SMI

With the above being considered, is there even a point to picking up a third router? I was debating grabbing up a 2610xm. I'm doing my CCENT atm, and will be going for CCNA and who knows what beyond that.

Another question is about the actual rack. I was looking over the racks on Ebay and found 12u and 14u. I tried to google the differences but came up empty. Nothing detailed on the listings as far as why there is a difference, I just noticed a price difference. Any suggestions for buying a rack?

Netwurk

Skeletek racks by Dantrak are great for home labs. They are not a good idea for a work environment as an intern leaning on them would tip them over.

In other words, they are quite sturdy enough that they won't fall over on their own. Just keep kids and noobs away.

Dantrak Net *- New and Used Networking Equipment and Peripherals. Skeletek Racks and Accessories.

And of course my 11 year old walked past my rack right after I wrote this. The rack purposely leans just a little towards the wall so I'm probably safe.

descender421

I'm scouting Ebay currently for some 1760's but I'm confused on what the best route is. I don't see any that have the WIC-1T cards; seems the majority of them if they include a card are the WIC-1DSU-T1 cards.

Is it better to buy the cards separately? If so, do these seem pretty legit about having access to an updated iOS? Or is that even legal? Not quite sure how that would work. Cisco 1760 Router 32 MB FLASH 64MB DRAM CCNA CCIE VOICE | eBay

Chris_

@SdotLow
Hi, I was just saying to avoid buying EMI for home use, people will try to charge more for them. SMI can usually be bought cheaper and then you can upgrade it to an EMI image yourself. Sorry I wasn't clearer on this.

alan2308

descender421 wrote: »

I'm scouting Ebay currently for some 1760's but I'm confused on what the best route is. I don't see any that have the WIC-1T cards; seems the majority of them if they include a card are the WIC-1DSU-T1 cards.

Is it better to buy the cards separately? If so, do these seem pretty legit about having access to an updated iOS? Or is that even legal? Not quite sure how that would work. Cisco 1760 Router 32 MB FLASH 64MB DRAM CCNA CCIE VOICE | eBay

You don't often find useful WICs in a router you get off ebay, so it's likely you'll have to buy your own. If you do get some WIC-1DSU-T1 you can connect those with a T1 crossover cable. You can buy those (though I never see the great deals other people claim to find) or make them yourself (which is the real cheap way to go).

And no, it's not legal to get an IOS image from anywhere except from Cisco.

descender421

alan2308 wrote: »

You don't often find useful WICs in a router you get off ebay, so it's likely you'll have to buy your own. If you do get some WIC-1DSU-T1 you can connect those with a T1 crossover cable. You can buy those (though I never see the great deals other people claim to find) or make them yourself (which is the real cheap way to go).

And no, it's not legal to get an IOS image from anywhere except from Cisco.

Thank you for the info! I will probably just either go for the ones with WIC-1DSU-T1 cards and get some T1 crossover cables for now then. I just need to find the routers with IOS 12.4 loaded on them as I was under the impression that's what is best to get for these particular routers. If I get the ones with 12.2 loaded, it's basically not possible to upgrade the IOS unless I had an account with Cisco, correct?

Chris_

Of course it's possible to upgrade the IOS without a cisco account, it's just not strictly speaking legal. There are many places to find IOS, but it's up to you to choose that path and to find them yourself. To be honest, where do you think all the self study students running eBay kit and GNS3 get there IOS from.

descender421

Chris_ wrote: »

Of course it's possible to upgrade the IOS without a cisco account, it's just not strictly speaking legal. There are many places to find IOS, but it's up to you to choose that path and to find them yourself. To be honest, where do you think all the self study students running eBay kit and GNS3 get there IOS from.

True, I didn't think about it that way. I guess I just didn't understand the importance of ensuring the seller show you the output of what IOS version the router currently has if you could upgrade it yourself.

Chris_

Probably just to boost their chances of a sale or maybe justify a higher price, who knows. Everything they're offering on FTP could be found on google in 5 minutes anyway!
Although, I'm not great at the exchange rate, that doesn't seem a bad price

descender421

Chris_ wrote: »

Probably just to boost their chances of a sale or maybe justify a higher price, who knows. Everything they're offering on FTP could be found on google in 5 minutes anyway!
Although, I'm not great at the exchange rate, that doesn't seem a bad price

Lol thanks Chris. One last question, I'm looking at the following: Cisco 1760 Router 128D/32F w/ WIC-1DSU-T1 | eBay

Although it doesn't actually list the current IOS, that doesn't necessarily matter, correct? As long as it has high enough flash memory available to support the appropriate IOS I try to put on there? Or would that not be a good buy? Thanks in advance.

alan2308

Chris_ wrote: »

Of course it's possible to upgrade the IOS without a cisco account, it's just not strictly speaking legal. There are many places to find IOS, but it's up to you to choose that path and to find them yourself. To be honest, where do you think all the self study students running eBay kit and GNS3 get there IOS from.

As we say around here, what happens in the lab stays in the lab.

SdotLow

Another couple questions...

Do I really need to get a rack? Is there an immediate need? Or can I just stack my gear for a month or two, on a table for example, until I have a spare $200 to throw at a rack? I could get one, but I'd rather wait if possible.

Also, in regards to the 3550 switches and converting SMI to EMI. Is this like upgrading from ios versions, where I need to have the rights from cisco? Or is it a freeware type deal and readily downloadable without having to torrent it or whatnot?

Thanks again for all of your help. It's so nice having experienced people around to pick their brains. Much appreciated!

Chris_

You don't really need a rack, it's just nice to have - keeps everything tidy. My lab is just tucked neatly in to a cheap tv cabinet - all DVD and cable boxes tend to be 19inch aswell , so my switches fit perfectly.
Regarding the SMI to EMI question, it is just an IOS change. The 3550 EMI image is downloadable from cisco without a support contract - you do need a standard CCO login though.

alxx

could alwys get a lack rack

IKEA Hackers: The Lack rack hack
LackRack - Eth0Wiki

Chris_

alxx wrote: »

could alwys get a lack rack

IKEA Hackers: The Lack rack hack
LackRack - Eth0Wiki

LOL - loving the LACKRACK

Chris_

descender421 wrote: »

Lol thanks Chris. One last question, I'm looking at the following: Cisco 1760 Router 128D/32F w/ WIC-1DSU-T1 | eBay

Although it doesn't actually list the current IOS, that doesn't necessarily matter, correct? As long as it has high enough flash memory available to support the appropriate IOS I try to put on there? Or would that not be a good buy? Thanks in advance.

As long as you have a) enough flash to store the image b) enough memory to comfortably run the image - you should be okay.

you can check the resource requirements of the individual IOS images here

Cisco Feature Navigator - Cisco Systems

descender421

Chris_ wrote: »

As long as you have a) enough flash to store the image b) enough memory to comfortably run the image - you should be okay.

you can check the resource requirements of the individual IOS images here

Cisco Feature Navigator - Cisco Systems

Sounds good. Thanks again!

descender421

So I ended up ordering two 3550 SMI switches, two 1760 routers, and one 1721 router. All three of the routers have 1DSU-T1 WICs on them so I'm not sure if that will be much different than the other WICs as long as I have the appropriate T1 Crossover cables? Besides those crossover cables, I should only need regular straight through cables and console cables, correct? Or am I way off here? Thanks for all the info guys, you are great!

alan2308

descender421 wrote: »

So I ended up ordering two 3550 SMI switches, two 1760 routers, and one 1721 router. All three of the routers have 1DSU-T1 WICs on them so I'm not sure if that will be much different than the other WICs as long as I have the appropriate T1 Crossover cables? Besides those crossover cables, I should only need regular straight through cables and console cables, correct? Or am I way off here? Thanks for all the info guys, you are great!

I believe there's a couple T1 specific things you'll have to keep in mind when configuring those interfaces, but other than that it's just another serial interface.

You'll also need crossover ethernet cables. The 3550's aren't auto-MDIX.

descender421

alan2308 wrote: »

I believe there's a couple T1 specific things you'll have to keep in mind when configuring those interfaces, but other than that it's just another serial interface.

You'll also need crossover ethernet cables. The 3550's aren't auto-MDIX.

Got it. Thanks again.

One more quick, but probably dumb question. Do people normally set up their lab separately from their ISP connection or do they integrate that with the lab setup? Reason I'm asking is otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd have to get another WIC for DSL to get that to work; unless I'm thinking completely wrong given my current setup.