Chasing CCIE written

NOC-Ninja

reaper81 wrote: »

That isn't even an entire lab. No backbone routers and only 2x 3550. You need four of them. Don't buy kits, they are always overpriced. Buy stuff yourself or go for Dynamips + 4x 3550/3560.

Packetlife did a post on buying stuff on Ebay, you might want to read it.

can you please post the packetlife post?

I heard there were issues on dynamips which is the bug. Are you using dynamips ?

Turgon

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Forsaken. Do you have a linkedin? if so, can you PM me a link so I can add you.


Anyhow, so far i spent lots of hours reading the book. Im in page 163 and a lot of stuff is just a refresh since its not too long ago that I passed CCNP. However, Im not skipping anything when it comes to reading.

Also, my girl is getting mad at me now since I go home and just go straight to my computer and start reading. I dont know. I think she feels like I'm ignoring her but the truth is I want and need this. I already explained to her about this journey but I guess she didn't get it.

You will have to sort that out or she will walk, only a matter of time. The CCIE will kill your freetime together. Jeff Doyle wrote that you must be careful not to exceed the patience of those around you when studying the track as it will only hurt your studies. You have to get some buy in at home. Work out a one or two year study plan that you can both live with and make sure that on days when you are not studying you do spend quality time together.

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]=TOTAL - $2,771 + shipping. Let’s say shipping is another $300 (is that reasonable?)[/FONT]

I think its still cheaper than $5,149.99 at Cisco CCNA CCENT CCNP CCIE Home Lab Training Kit


Am I missing anything?

You can cut a huge amount of cost by buying a pair of 3550's instead of some 3560's. I faced the same choice, and I elected to get some 3550's instead. The only thing you can do on the 3560's that you can't on the 3550's is ipv6 routing and private vlans. For me, I decided it'd be more cost effective to rent rack time for those particular features and buy the cheaper switches.

I think you may also be being a little bit optimistic about picking up 1841's for a total cost of $300. You're forgetting the WIC-1T's you'll need to go along with them, and those add to the cost. Be very careful of any vendor advertising cheap WIC-1T's in bulk, they're almost always going to be counterfeit.

As an example of what I'm talking about -

Cisco3640 Router w/ Max Memory 128D & 32F 3640 | eBay - $85 for a 3640 fully loaded memory/flash wise, and shipping is free as well.

Cisco NM-2E2W w/ 1-Year Warranty! FULLY TESTED! | eBay - NM2E2W - $17, again, free shipping

Cisco NM-4A/S w/ 1-Year Warranty! Async/Sync Serial | eBay - $31, again, free shipping.

So add all that up - $133, including shipping. Now note, I did not just choose the cheapest things on the market. I took a little time to look at things like location (I never buy from international sellers, things have a tendency to get caught up in customs, and I *never* buy from China as a rule, I've seen far too much counterfeit gear originate from there) and seller feedback rating as well as cost. I also tend to look at seller's I've done business with before, and the transaction was satisfactory (the NM's I have priced above are from danieldwin, whom I've done business with before). I'm not just presenting a best case scenario, if I were in the market for a candidate router to perform the role of R4,5, or 6 in the INE topology, I would buy the components I've listed above. This router with this configuration running 12.4 Advanced IP services will do everything an 1841 will (including MPLS).

Now, on the other side of things - When configuring this router, I'd have to exercise some care, as all of the pre-configs from INE would need to be altered to account for the difference in interface names. Same thing goes while I'm configuring. I actually don't mind this, as it's just one more check on what I'm doing to make sure i'm paying attention (I also downloaded configs for all the rack numbers possible, and I alter which rack number I use each time I reload the devices, because it changes the IP scheme. This is again, another check on getting complacent and used to one topology). After all, the CCIE Lab won't have the same interfaces, numbering scheme, or router names as the INE topology, so you're going to have to learn a new one on the fly, might as well get used to having to look for that sort of thing.

Forsaken_GA

Now, if I wanted to gamble, I'd look at something like this - CISCO 3600 SERIES MODEL 3640 | eBay.

The seller has incredibly good feedback, and assuming you picked it up for base bid, it's $50 bucks for full DRAM, and a 2FE2W NM Card. You'd need to spend a little more to pick up a proper serial interface and max the flash out, that's fairly cheap, though. The above auction is one that I would put a max bid of $50 in for a heart beat (so my max exposure would be $75 when shipping is included). Assuming I won, I'd open it up and look at the current flash inside - if it was one 16 meg stick, great, then I'd just need to order another one to max flash. If it was 2 8 meg sticks, I'd need to order a full 32 meg upgrade kit, so between $15 to $30 to max flash. Somewhere between $30 to $40 for the serial interfaces (maybe just 20ish if I was going to use it as R6 and only needed on serial interface), and again, I've got a cheap router that can do what needs to be done for lab study.

The point I'm trying to make is that you can save a good bit of cash just by spending some time doing some research into what you need to do the job, and then looking for good deals. The platforms aren't important to the INE topology, you just need the proper number and types of interfaces, with the proper feature support.

NOC-Ninja

Thanks Forsaken. Here's the new calculation. Do you think I'm missing anything?

So far this is the hardware:
3x1841's + 2x3560's + 2x3550's + 2x2610XM's + 2611XM

Routers:
1 x 2610XM 128D/32F; 1 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R1) - $90
1 x 2610XM 128D/32F; 1 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R2) - $90
1 x 2611XM 128D/32F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 4 Serial Ports (R3) - $120



1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R4) with MPLS support - $300
1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R5) with MPLS support - $300
1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 1 Serial Port (R6) with MPLS support - $300

• 1841 - replace with 3640
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85

3 x WIC-1T - $20 each = $60


Do I still need the WIC-1T even if I get the 3640?

1 x 2610 64D/16F; with 8 Serial Ports (NM-8A/S) IPv6 enabled (Frame Relay Switch/BB1) - $ 100
2 x 2500 16D/16F; used as BackBone IPv6-enabled Routers (BB2 & BB3) - $50

Old TOTAL - $1,350 / New TOTAL = $765
Switches:

2 x 3550 with 24 or 48 F/E Ports (depending on availability), 2 G/E Ports & EMI Image (Latest Layer 3 EMI IP Services IOS; No POE). – I have these

2 x 3560-TS (Non POE) with 24 F/E Ports, 2 G/E Ports & EMI Image (Latest Advanced IP Services IOS; No POE). - $1200

• 3560 - replace with 2 x 3550: I have 1 more extra at home. 1 x 3550 = $130

TOTAL - $ 1,200

NEW TOTAL = $895


Cables & Miscellaneous:

[FONT=&quot]11 x Serial Cables[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] (11 cables are needed now, because BB1 & F/R are the same device!) - $165
12 x CAT5 Straight Through Ethernet Cables – I have these
18 x CAT5 Crossover Ethernet Cables - $30
13 x Power Cables - $26[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]13 x Mounting Brackets Pairs – where do I get this?
1 x Console Cable – I have this[/FONT]

Buy the connectors here - ::: www.anthonypanda.com ::: or ebay

[FONT=&quot]TOTAL - $221[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]=TOTAL - $2,771 + shipping. Let’s say shipping is another $300 (is that reasonable?)[/FONT]
=New TOTAL - $ 1,116 (no shipping - only estimate)

Forsaken_GA

Well, yes, you still need serial interfaces. None of the routers come with any by default, save some models of 2500. That's why you've got to do some work ahead of time. Basically, for all of the routers except one, you need two serial interfaces per router at a minimum. Whether you accomplish this through WIC-1T's, or through NM-4A/S or NM-8A/S or any other combination is up to you (if it's cheaper to buy an NM-4A/S than two WIC-1T's, for example, you might as well buy the NM.... it's no big deal to have too many serial interfaces, but it's a very big deal to not have enough).

3640's have no interfaces by default. So you'll need to either buy one with all of the interfaces you need, or you'll need to buy the modules in addition to the router chassis.

So for each 3640, you'll need to make sure you have at least 2 ethernet interfaces (they don't have to be fast ethernet, and fast ethernet NM's tend to be more expensive than regular Ethernet NM's), and 2 serial interfaces, except for R6, which only needs 1 serial interface.

The 2600XM's all come with enough ethernet interfaces, so you need to get each of them 2 serial interfaces, whether that's with WIC-1T's, or with NM-4A/S. I did a mixture of both, some of my routers have WIC's, some have NM's, whatever was available at the time. The exceptions here are for whatever router is R3, which needs 4 serial interfaces, so you might as well just buy an NM-4A/S for that router regardless. And if you're going to use a 2600 for BB1/Frame Relay Switch, you'll need an NM-8A/S for that as well.

NOC-Ninja

Forsaken - I just changed the WIC-1T to NM-4A/S since the WIC-1T that I see in ebay right now is 1 serial port.

Here is the new calculation. Can you please let me know if I'm still missing anything? thank you

I'm sure I am missing some memory upgrades but I will deal with that after I get the list correctly. Btw, I really appreciate the help.

----


So far this is the hardware:
3x1841's + 2x3560's + 2x3550's + 2x2610XM's + 2611XM

Routers:
1 x 2610XM 128D/32F; 1 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R1) - $90
1 x 2610XM 128D/32F; 1 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R2) - $90
1 x 2611XM 128D/32F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 4 Serial Ports (R3) - $120

3 x WIC-1T - $20 each = $60 replace with:
3 x NM-4A/S - $40 each = $120 (for 2 x 2610xm and 2611xm)

1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R4) with MPLS support - $300
1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 2 Serial Ports (R5) with MPLS support - $300
1 x 1841 256D/64F; 2 Fast Ethernet & 1 Serial Port (R6) with MPLS support - $300

• 1841 - replace with 3640
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85
• 1 x 3640 Memory 128D & 32F - $85

3 x WIC-1T - $20 each = $60 replace with:
3 x NM-4A/S - $40 each = $120 (for 3 x 3640)


1 x 2610 64D/16F; with 8 Serial Ports (NM-8A/S) IPv6 enabled (Frame Relay Switch/BB1) - $ 100
2 x 2500 16D/16F; used as BackBone IPv6-enabled Routers (BB2 & BB3) - $50

3 x WIC-1T - $20 each = $60 replace with:
2x NM-4A/S - $40 each = $80 (for 2 x 2500)
1 x NM-8A/S - $30 each (for 1 x 2610)

Old TOTAL - $1,350 / New TOTAL = $1055
Switches:

2 x 3550 with 24 or 48 F/E Ports (depending on availability), 2 G/E Ports & EMI Image (Latest Layer 3 EMI IP Services IOS; No POE). – I have these

2 x 3560-TS (Non POE) with 24 F/E Ports, 2 G/E Ports & EMI Image (Latest Advanced IP Services IOS; No POE). - $1200

• 3560 - replace with 2 x 3550: I have 1 more extra at home. 1 x 3550 = $130

TOTAL - $ 1,200

NEW TOTAL = $1185


Cables & Miscellaneous:

[FONT=&quot]11 x Serial Cables[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] (11 cables are needed now, because BB1 & F/R are the same device!) - $165
12 x CAT5 Straight Through Ethernet Cables – I have these
18 x CAT5 Crossover Ethernet Cables - $30
13 x Power Cables - $26[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]13 x Mounting Brackets Pairs – where do I get this?
1 x Console Cable – I have this[/FONT]

Buy the connectors here - ::: www.anthonypanda.com ::: or ebay

[FONT=&quot]TOTAL - $221[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]= TOTAL - $2,771 + shipping. Let’s say shipping is another $300 (is that reasonable?)[/FONT]
= New TOTAL - $ 1,406 (no shipping - only estimate)

Forsaken_GA

You're still not account for ethernet interfaces on the 3640s, and you're probably going to want some form of access server - trust me, moving that console cable gets really annoying, really quick

NOC-Ninja

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

You're still not account for ethernet interfaces on the 3640s, and you're probably going to want some form of access server - trust me, moving that console cable gets really annoying, really quick

I listed that I was going to use:
3 x NM-4A/S - $40 each = $120 (for 3 x 3640)

Which Access Server would you recommend? I found some 2500 at ebay for $79
http://cgi.ebay.com/CISCO-2500-2509-ET-REMOTE-ACCESS-SERVER-CABLE-OCT-/250861557100?pt=COMP_EN_Routers&hash=item3a6883956c

What do you think about that?

Thanks

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

I listed that I was going to use:
3 x NM-4A/S - $40 each = $120 (for 3 x 3640)

Yes, those are serial interfaces, not ethernet interfaces.

R4, 5 and 6 all need 2 ethernet interfaces, in addition to 2 serial interfaces, at a minimum (except for R6, which just needs a minimum of 1 serial interface)

Which Access Server would you recommend? I found some 2500 at ebay for $79
CISCO 2500 2509-ET REMOTE ACCESS SERVER & CABLE-OCT | eBay

What do you think about that?

Thanks

Well, the problem with a 2509 is that it only has 8 lines, and you need 13 (well, you only really need 10, you don't really need to modify the BB routers once they're setup), but you still need more lines than the 2509 gives, which means there might still be some degree of console cable swapping if you go that route. I personally bought a 2511-RJ, got it for about $100. The access server routers are overpriced because the grey market knows they're valued for Cisco lab study, but if you keep an eye out, you can usually find a good deal.

Bl8ckr0uter

What I have never understood is what is the purpose of those boxes in a home environment? I mean wouldn't it just be easier to remote into a machine and SSH into all of your different boxes. 79 bucks is a killer deal though, two of those and you would be all set.

Forsaken_GA

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

What I have never understood is what is the purpose of those boxes in a home environment? I mean wouldn't it just be easier to remote into a machine and SSH into all of your different boxes. 79 bucks is a killer deal though, two of those and you would be all set.

You're assuming SSH is configured on the boxes, and that they have IP connectivity to the rest of your network.

The INE lab scenarios require you to load configurations onto the topology so you can practice the technologies. In most cases, this is just to take some of the boredom out of crap like configuring ip's on all the different interfaces, but in some cases, they're creating a specific scenario so you can see the technology in action. In other cases, the configurations are purposely wrong and you have to go hunt down the problem and fix it.

The only way to insure you're able to do that is to decouple the lab rack from your normal network, and configure the devices directly, and that means through the console port, and that means an access server if you don't want to swap cables (or if you want to work remotely at all, for that matter)

So you SSH or telnet into your access server, and that's the only box you need to make sure has connectivity with the rest of your IP network.

NOC-Ninja

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Yes, those are serial interfaces, not ethernet interfaces.

R4, 5 and 6 all need 2 ethernet interfaces, in addition to 2 serial interfaces, at a minimum (except for R6, which just needs a minimum of 1 serial interface)



Well, the problem with a 2509 is that it only has 8 lines, and you need 13 (well, you only really need 10, you don't really need to modify the BB routers once they're setup), but you still need more lines than the 2509 gives, which means there might still be some degree of console cable swapping if you go that route. I personally bought a 2511-RJ, got it for about $100. The access server routers are overpriced because the grey market knows they're valued for Cisco lab study, but if you keep an eye out, you can usually find a good deal.

Thanks Forsaken.

I found it. Am i still missing anything?

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=CISCO+NM-2E2W+2+ETHERNET+PORTS+W%2F2+SERIAL+WIC+1T+MODULE+&_sacat=0&_odkw=Cisco+2500+AS2511-RJ+ASYNC+16-Port&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

3 x CISCO NM-2E2W 2 ETHERNET PORTS W/2 SERIAL WIC 1T MODULE
= $130 each = $390

----
This is expensive compare to what you found. Where did you find your Access server?

Access Server - Cisco 2500 AS2511-RJ ASYNC 16-Port Access Server Router - $209

CISCO NM-2E2W 2 ETHERNET PORTS W/2 SERIAL WIC 1T MODULE on eBay!

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

This is expensive compare to what you found. Where did you find your Access server?

I found it on ebay, I just waited until I found a good deal. It took about a week for something to pop up that I was willing to pay for. Then the one I would eventually buy popped up, seller had it for $40 bid, $100 buy it now, with free shipping. Didn't even hesitate on the buy it now.

NOC-Ninja

Thanks.

I guess I need these?
APC Power Outlet Surge Protector
Lot 10 Computer Surge Protector Power Strips | eBay

Do you think I need an APC?
What are you using in your set up? How do you turn off your switches, routers, access server?

Thanks

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Thanks.

I guess I need these?
APC Power Outlet Surge Protector
Lot 10 Computer Surge Protector Power Strips | eBay

Do you think I need an APC?
What are you using in your set up? How do you turn off your switches, routers, access server?

Thanks

I have a full 48U rack with Leviton PDU's that I, uhm, liberated from a previous employer during a data center move (they bought all new racks and PDU's, so it was going to a bulk reseller otherwise). I just flip the on/off switch on the Levitons to power up/down the rack.

I am toying with the idea of IP enabled power strips instead. I don't like the fact that I have to power the rack up at home before I leave for work if I want to work remotely, and if work is busy, I won't get a chance to use it, wasting the power to keep it booted.

Turgon

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I have a full 48U rack with Leviton PDU's that I, uhm, liberated from a previous employer during a data center move (they bought all new racks and PDU's, so it was going to a bulk reseller otherwise). I just flip the on/off switch on the Levitons to power up/down the rack.

I am toying with the idea of IP enabled power strips instead. I don't like the fact that I have to power the rack up at home before I leave for work if I want to work remotely, and if work is busy, I won't get a chance to use it, wasting the power to keep it booted.

Ip enabled power up/down is cool.

QHalo

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

can you please post the packetlife post?

I heard there were issues on dynamips which is the bug. Are you using dynamips ?

Tips for Buying Lab Gear on eBay - Packet Life

NOC-Ninja

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

I have a full 48U rack with Leviton PDU's that I, uhm, liberated from a previous employer during a data center move (they bought all new racks and PDU's, so it was going to a bulk reseller otherwise). I just flip the on/off switch on the Levitons to power up/down the rack.

I am toying with the idea of IP enabled power strips instead. I don't like the fact that I have to power the rack up at home before I leave for work if I want to work remotely, and if work is busy, I won't get a chance to use it, wasting the power to keep it booted.

Is it this one?

4-Port Remote Power Switch with Timer~ Web Control



According to
IP enabled power strip (powerbar) - DVD Talk Forum
[FONT=Verdana, Arial]Pro:
- it does what it promises to do (remotely turn off and restore power to computers)
- cheap

Con:
- confusing manual (I couldn't find the default password for the device - I had to look it up on the internet...)
- not very fast browsing to the device (but that is not a real issue - just nitpicking)
[/FONT]

Forsaken_GA

More like these -

APC AP9211 MasterSwitch PDU with AP9606 Web/SNMP Card | eBay

That one you linked is nice, but 4 ports for 119, yeah, I'd need 4 of those. That's spendy.

NOC-Ninja

Yah its expensive but it might come in handy if I want to remote to it. lol
Thanks for the info on the interfaces. Now i just need to find a rack that will be good for the house. lol

I think one of the issue is the noise. I can just imagine the fan!

zerglings

Try this one.

NOC-Ninja

I uploaded some files that shows the difference from INE and IPexpert.
I think the only good thing right now in INE is the community support.
Any comments?

NOC-Ninja

zerglings wrote: »

Try this one.

Thanks. I will check it out.

zerglings

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Thanks. I will check it out.

If you do end up getting one, let me know how good it is.

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

I uploaded some files that shows the difference from INE and IPexpert.
I think the only good thing right now in INE is the community support.
Any comments?

Well, all I'll say is this - the report you're quoting was commissioned by IPExpert, and it only measures the differences between the companies based on information published on their websites, not the actual products, and it predates INE's introduction of the All Access Pass.

Both companies have samples of their products available, I'd recommend checking them both out and going with the vendor you're more comfortable with.

NOC-Ninja

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Well, all I'll say is this - the report you're quoting was commissioned by IPExpert, and it only measures the differences between the companies based on information published on their websites, not the actual products, and it predates INE's introduction of the All Access Pass.

Both companies have samples of their products available, I'd recommend checking them both out and going with the vendor you're more comfortable with.

What do you feel about this? Whats your opinion? That's the whole reason why I posted it so I can have a feel about it. I'm aware that IPexpert paid them to compare them to INE.

NOC-Ninja

zerglings wrote: »

If you do end up getting one, let me know how good it is.

yeah, I might need it with less outlet. I'm leaning on the GNS3 + switches since its cost effective compare to the complete lab. It will also save me electricity. lol

Forsaken_GA

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

What do you feel about this? Whats your opinion? That's the whole reason why I posted it so I can have a feel about it. I'm aware that IPexpert paid them to compare them to INE.

I went with INE. I think the quality of both products is comparable, and that you can't really go wrong with either one. I prefer the Brian's as instructors, but that's a personal preference.

The clincher, however, was the All Access Pass with the discounted workbooks. The deal was just too good to pass up.

Mrock4

I second Forsaken's words. I went with INE as well, based on their instructors style (which I like, and am used to), as well as the all access pass, which is perfect for me. I'm a harsh critic (especially when we're talking about really expensive PDF's)..but the INE material is totally worth every dime.

When it comes to the lab though, why not use both? I plan on using a majority of INE's materials, but probably will end up going through some IPX labs just to be safe.

Oh, and best of luck to you.