CCNA, slightly beyond, hardware choice.

JCGee

Hello,
I looked through the 'read first' thread, but most of the hardware selection threads seemed a bit older, so hopefully I can get some current advise on router hardware. Company recently had a migration and noticed a bunch of 'stuff' just laying around, after talking to our CCIE, he said 'take a look and let me know what you want to tinker with.' So I dug through the hardware and came up with a list of routers and been trying to put them against current equipment lists for suggested CCNA labs, but some items are a bit on the older side...so..a bit unsure of what route to take [no pun intended].
Goal is for current CCNA and then CCNA + Sec.
Available Routers...2610xm, 2514, 2501, 2503, 2621, 2620, 3640, 1751, 2821 and a Pix 515E.
Odom's blog from '09, suggested 2610xm, 2501, 2620 and 3640, but unsure if the test has changed since making those choices obsolete since I see most CCNA racks suggestions having the 2611xm and other, later versions of hardware.
Also, is it worth laying out the extra money for an ASA later on for the sec [I know I am looking too far ahead], or will playing with the Pix suffice?
Apologies for the newbie [for lack of better word] question, just been trying to sort all this out and figured I would default to people that might know much better than I.
Thanks, JCGee.

ChooseLife

JCGee wrote: »

Hello,
I looked through the 'read first' thread, but most of the hardware selection threads seemed a bit older, so hopefully I can get some current advise on router hardware. Company recently had a migration and noticed a bunch of 'stuff' just laying around, after talking to our CCIE, he said 'take a look and let me know what you want to tinker with.' So I dug through the hardware and came up with a list of routers and been trying to put them against current equipment lists for suggested CCNA labs, but some items are a bit on the older side...so..a bit unsure of what route to take [no pun intended].
Goal is for current CCNA and then CCNA + Sec.
Available Routers...2610xm, 2514, 2501, 2503, 2621, 2620, 3640, 1751, 2821 and a Pix 515E.
Odom's blog from '09, suggested 2610xm, 2501, 2620 and 3640, but unsure if the test has changed since making those choices obsolete since I see most CCNA racks suggestions having the 2611xm and other, later versions of hardware.
Also, is it worth laying out the extra money for an ASA later on for the sec [I know I am looking too far ahead], or will playing with the Pix suffice?
Apologies for the newbie [for lack of better word] question, just been trying to sort all this out and figured I would default to people that might know much better than I.
Thanks, JCGee.

That's really nice that you can get the equipment from your employer.
The list looks very solid for a CCNA lab. If you can take all of them, then do so... and run!
If not, this is the order I'd be picking them in until I was told to stop:

2821 (definitely take that one, it's a generation newer than the rest of stuff, and costs ~10 times more)
2610xm
1751
3640, 2621, 2620
2514
2503
2501

CCNA Security has very basic lab requirements, 2610xm + 1751 would suffice.
Whether you need PIX and ASA depends on your plans - CCNA Security does not cover them, but CCNP Security does (ASA only, PIX was removed from the exam awhile ago).