well this is a little different.......

Hey there,

I am not actively pursuing any juniper certs right now as I am focusing on the cisco track at the moment but I did have a question for you juniper folks.

So, for even the entry level cisco certifications you need a fairly healthy amount of devices. I am talking 2 routers and a few switches, move into ccnp and you are looking at double that to play with certain topologies. Cisco labs are almost a cult icon and point of pride for people, showing off what devices they got and their rack setups, etc....

From what I have been reading on here (and remember, i know NOTHING about juniper so pardon me if I sound really dumb)..it sounds like even the second level of juniper certification stuff can be done with only have 1 or maybe 2 routers on hand? I see people mentioning the SRX platform in alot of threads. could you get to the second level of certifications with just 2 SRX devices? this just seems so.....different to me I feel like I must be missing something.

Also, if what I am thinking happens to be the case, are their any recommendations for equipment I should be on the lookout for on ebay? I contantly am picking stuff up on ebay for future learning, so even if I buy it now and dont play with it for a year, if I get a great deal I consider it worth it.

Thanks guys. Hope to hear from some of you soon!

~Jim

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NetworkVeteran

So, for even the entry level cisco certifications you need a fairly healthy amount of devices.

I have both Cisco and Juniper certifications. Getting certified by either vendor does not require owning equipment. The tests tend to focus on the operating system, configuration, and troubleshooting.

There is minimal focus on particular hardware models.

With either vendor, if you want to buy hardware, switches tend to be the best investment.

Aldur

It's kind of tough to say. When I went through all my certs, JNCIE's on all three tracks (SP, ENT, SEC). I went overboard and grabbed as much gear as quickly as possible. I think at one point I have around 15 or so Juniper devices. Massive overkill? Definitely, but it was more than worth the investment. I seriously went from working in my dad's cabinet shop (I was lucky to actually get paid) to making serious dough in less than 18 months (which is when I got my first JNCIE). The money I've spent on gear has easily paid for itself 100x over. And not to mention that I've resold most of my gear.

Other people I've know have gone all the way through a cert track with only 2 branch SRX devices, however, I don't think this is common. I would venture to say that with two Juniper boxes, probably SRXs, you could easily get enough hands on experience to go through the JNCIS of any track, possibly the JNCIP as well.

Another thought to keep in mind is that you can virtualize any Juniper box to increase the size of your topology. Granted, not all features that are available for the main routing instance are available for other routing instances.

Another option that a lot more people are using is Junosphere. Might want to check that out.

Anywho, HTH.

NetworkVeteran

Aldur wrote: »

Another option that a lot more people are using is Junosphere. Might want to check that out.

This is what I am using. Junosphere is to Juniper what GNS3 is to Cisco.

(The primary difference is you pay a low daily rate for Junosphere but it is a fully TAC-supported product.)

brunojuniper

Aldur wrote: »

It's kind of tough to say. When I went through all my certs, JNCIE's on all three tracks (SP, ENT, SEC). I went overboard and grabbed as much gear as quickly as possible. I think at one point I have around 15 or so Juniper devices. Massive overkill? Definitely, but it was more than worth the investment. I seriously went from working in my dad's cabinet shop (I was lucky to actually get paid) to making serious dough in less than 18 months (which is when I got my first JNCIE). The money I've spent on gear has easily paid for itself 100x over. And not to mention that I've resold most of my gear.

Other people I've know have gone all the way through a cert track with only 2 branch SRX devices, however, I don't think this is common. I would venture to say that with two Juniper boxes, probably SRXs, you could easily get enough hands on experience to go through the JNCIS of any track, possibly the JNCIP as well.

Another thought to keep in mind is that you can virtualize any Juniper box to increase the size of your topology. Granted, not all features that are available for the main routing instance are available for other routing instances.

Another option that a lot more people are using is Junosphere. Might want to check that out.

Anywho, HTH.

good advice!