boson vs home lab?

mattman26mattman26 Registered Users Posts: 9 ■□□□□□□□□□
can some give me a little run down on the advantages/disadvantages of boson's net sim vs building a home lab?


Thanks,
mattman

Comments

  • SharkDiverSharkDiver Member Posts: 844
    MattMan,

    While you may be able to do more on Boson NetSim because they can easily simulate any feature, you lack the actual hands-on experience that you get with real equipment.

    With real equipment, you get to experience real problems like an Ethernet cable issue, or forgetting the password and having to do a password recovery. Hands-on is always nice. That being said, I would definitely suggest a little of both.
  • joshmadakorjoshmadakor Member Posts: 495 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Home lab is a lot of fun, but can get pricey of course. If it's within your means and you're serious about it, I would suggest at least some real hardware.
    WGU B.S. Information Technology (Completed January 2013)
  • xbuzzxbuzz Member Posts: 122
    Depends how far you want to go up the chain of certs too I guess. If you're just stopping at CCNA then it might not be worth getting a physical lab, but if you're intending on going CCNP in the near future then it might be a good investment.
  • RoguetadhgRoguetadhg Member Posts: 2,489 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Pros:
    Boson:
    Cheaper
    Easier to create environments
    Easier to manage

    Lab:
    Troubleshooting equipment hardware
    Troubleshooting Softoware
    When it comes to certifications and interviews - You either had hands on experience, or you didn't.
    It's a great conversational piece.
    Harder.
    Looks damn cool.

    Cons:
    Boson:
    It's a simulator. Not an emulator.
    You have three registrations before you need to get tech support to give you more registrations. (Ie: Formatting, New hardware, etc... You're out of luck)
    Access-List support seems problematic.
    At most, You need to use the internal telnet command line. No outside terminal emulator supported

    Lab:
    Expensive.
    Takes time to setup for labs.
    Power requirements.
    Space requirements.
    It will make a room hot.


    Just what I could get off the top of my head.
    In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.
    TE Threads: How to study for the CCENT/CCNA, Introduction to Cisco Exams

  • alxxalxx Member Posts: 755
    add packet tracer and gsn3 + a few switches + free online labs (packet life , freeccnaworkbook)

    CBT Nuggets

    I prefer to have my own lab that covers as much as possible but you need the space and budget.
    And not all equipment is quiet
    Goals CCNA by dec 2013, CCNP by end of 2014
  • Mrock4Mrock4 Banned Posts: 2,359 ■■■■■■■■□□
    home lab > GNS3/Dynamips > boson > nothing

    Home lab might be the most expensive, but in all reality it's an investment in yourself, and if you learn the gear well, it'll pay off. Something is better than nothing though.
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