Models to look out for Lab Equipment?

What are the best models of switches and routers to look out for a CCNA lab with room to grow for possible CCNP study? What is a reasonable amount to spend on buying the equipment? Is it best to go for better equipment or just get a couple 2500 or 2600 series routers rather than getting a 3640 router. What kind of switches are best to get and how many?

From looking around, it seems like $300 would be good amount to spend on a lab with room to grow for CCNP but I'm still a bit in the dark about what models to keep an eye out for. I asked a CCNA coworker at my work and he didn't help much. Reading the forums gives some insight but it's still hard to tell the pros and cons of every router and switch model, is there a guide someone wrote up that would help?

I have a new job at a NOC (network operations center) and we do get some hands on with the servers, cabling, etc. so I wouldn't say I have no exposure to networking stuff but I would still need to learn to configure the routers and such since we are only allowed to look over the configurations at work.

Also, I think the readme for CCNA for lab equipment seems like it's getting a bit long in the tooth.

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Comments

darkerosxx

This doc should help:

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/servlet/JiveServlet/download/2076-3-1230/BCMSN_642-_12_Suggested_Lab_v1.0.pdf

Talic

darkerosxx wrote:

This doc should help:

https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/servlet/JiveServlet/download/2076-3-1230/BCMSN_642-_12_Suggested_Lab_v1.0.pdf

Okay, that helped with the switch question, I should look for two Catalyst 2950s but what about the routers?

darkerosxx

That guide lists the Cisco SOHO 91 router:

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_fromZR46?_nkw=CISCO+SOHO+91&_sacat=0&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270.l1313&_odkw=CISCO+SOHO&_osacat=0

kryolla

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24916

Talic

darkerosxx wrote:

That guide lists the Cisco SOHO 91 router:

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_fromZR46?_nkw=CISCO+SOHO+91&_sacat=0&_fromfsb=&_trksid=m270.l1313&_odkw=CISCO+SOHO&_osacat=0

That's a really good idea and good price, it seems like you can do the whole CCNA with just that SOHO router. How is the IOS for it? It doesn't list what version it is.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/24916

Thanks, I'll read it.

dynamik

Was anyone else expecting this:

when they read the title?

This photoshop was brought to you by tequilla.

I think my wife would have been less disappointed in me if I had been working on Sarah Palin fakes...

JohnDouglas

reminds me of work once when the boss of a team said "we need some interesting pictures of routers on our intranet site". suddenly there were loads of routers on beaches with naked women etc etc. made us laugh.