Post Your Lab (PICS)

I'm trying to buy the switches first, as I practically told myself I wouldn't progress until I bought switches. I have 2 more to go, then I'll feel "okay" to continue beyond CCNA:R+S

Until then, I'm building myself a small 3-computer case. I spent a couple hours wandering walmart and LOWES to find something capable, yet small and light.

I just cut out the backports using the trusty dremel + diamond wheel. Liquid plastic is a bit hot. I also drilled the LED holes. I'll need to buy Caulk as mine turned solid $:\$ . Note it's not all professional-looking because I didn't take the time / never did this before / working in my office.

Im thinking of not cutting slots for the PCI riser cards. I don't plan on doing anything that it would need the riser. I might just to make sure I have a backup if a NIC dies.

I'll need to wire a ATX splitter. I plan on having the Powersupply External. To save weight. Just air cooled. These aren't being Overclocked, or anything like that. It's just to generate cheap network traffic without taxing my limping working computer

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staticz

Gathered all the lab supplies today. 3 2950g 48 port switches, 1 3750G 24 port, and a HP DV7800 with 8GB of RAM. The PC is running GNS3 on Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit and has 4 NICs. Pretty fun way to spend a Friday at work!

And in case you are wondering what wouldn't have been as fun of a Friday...here is my office -

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Roguetadhg wrote: »

Until then, I'm building myself a small 3-computer case. I spent a couple hours wandering walmart and LOWES to find something capable, yet small and light.

Wouldn't filling a decent pc full of intel ethernet cards and running ESXi on it not be a better option? That way you could generate alot more computers worth of traffic.

Yes, doing that would be a better option. But I was looking for a cheap solution. 3 PCs is more than enough to do some low-key stuff. I had the computers, just need to do a few things to make it work!

krjay

staticz wrote: »

Gathered all the lab supplies today. 3 2950g 48 port switches, 1 3750G 24 port, and a HP DV7800 with 8GB of RAM. The PC is running GNS3 on Ubuntu 12.04 64-bit and has 4 NICs. Pretty fun way to spend a Friday at work!

Nice setup, minus the diablo 3 box.. That game was a waste of $60

Sad and true.

I was just speaking with a steam buddy. He just got Borderlands 2. He said its a lot better, a lot smoother. Torchlight is supposed to be the Diablo 3 we wanted :P

I enjoyed Borderlands 1, but I still have that need for a top-down RPG. I have to apologize to my soul for buying the Collector's Edition of D3

I'll probably revisit D3 in a year. I stopped playing after I realized that I was farming for gold for the Auction house - not for the loot.

I totally regret buying my lab now

Especially as I just spent loads on my console server.
There's dozens of 3550s/3750s at work and plenty of routers I can just use to build a lab there and connect them to a console server...

jdballinger

That console server shouldn't have run you more than $60 or $70 on eBay. You didn't buy it brand new, did you?

It was $60, but I had to pay $60 for shipping (to the UK) and then another uhmm $35 for import tax. Regret it now. Oh well!

jdballinger

That sucks having to pay that much for shipping and import, but it still beats the $1200 or so it costs new! Plus you can always sell it on eBay and recoup at least SOME of the money.

At least this way you always know that you have unfettered access to a solid Cisco lab that you can use for your studies. I would never want to rely on work or someone else for that sort of thing. Chin up!

saspro

oli356 wrote: »

It was $60, but I had to pay $60 for shipping (to the UK) and then another uhmm $35 for import tax. Regret it now. Oh well!

If you're selling it I could be interested

If it works, toss up some pictures, and tell people it's for sale. Or what's for sale. You may want to keep things, sell as a whole bundle, etc...

Going to speak to one of the guys and see if I get the lab into the network so I can access it from home. If I can, I will probably sell mine

This is as good a place as any to ask. I have a 3 x 2600 router setup. I've only got 2 x Wic-1s though so i can only have a single serial connection. Is it possible to do frame relay over ethernet instead?

Legacy User

Get a 2520 to act as your frame relay switch you can find them for $50 on ebay. No my friend frame relay is done over some sort of serial connection.

There are none on ebay uk for less than £30 (that's what a 2621XM would go for), I don't have a pile of cash to throw at it at the minute.

Legacy User

You can get frame relay setup on packet tracer or gns3 depending on what you have available.

Thanks. That's the best option I have. I can use GNS3.

jdballinger

Thought I'd throw my rack up here, since it's the one that got me through CCNA (and will get me through CCNP in the future hopefully!)
Top to bottom:
-Tripp-Lite 12 outlet PDU
- Catalyst 2950T x2 (I love this switch)
- Catalyst WS-C3550-24PWR-SMI running EMI image
- Catalyst WS-C3550-48
- Cisco 2620 w/WIC-2T
- Cisco 2621 w/NM-8A/S, for Frame-Relay
- Cisco 2620xm x3 w/WIC-2T cards

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JustFred

Nice

mapletune

hopefully, ill be getting a 3550 and a 3750 soon =p
pics when they arrive.

Blowindoe

Awesome labs everyone! I will be posting mine later on in the day

vanquish23

Roguetadhg wrote: »

I'm trying to buy the switches first, as I practically told myself I wouldn't progress until I bought switches. I have 2 more to go, then I'll feel "okay" to continue beyond CCNA:R+S

Until then, I'm building myself a small 3-computer case. I spent a couple hours wandering walmart and LOWES to find something capable, yet small and light.

I just cut out the backports using the trusty dremel + diamond wheel. Liquid plastic is a bit hot. I also drilled the LED holes. I'll need to buy Caulk as mine turned solid $:\$ . Note it's not all professional-looking because I didn't take the time / never did this before / working in my office.

Im thinking of not cutting slots for the PCI riser cards. I don't plan on doing anything that it would need the riser. I might just to make sure I have a backup if a NIC dies.

I'll need to wire a ATX splitter. I plan on having the Powersupply External. To save weight. Just air cooled. These aren't being Overclocked, or anything like that. It's just to generate cheap network traffic without taxing my limping working computer

Very interresting setup there with the plastic drawer. I remember doing computer mods back in the early 2000's. Let me know how this turns out. Did you mount and raise the motherboards?

mapletune

So this arrived today...

=( and it wouldn't boot... like... not even a sign of power flowing through =(

i was really really disappointed.

Oh well, the seller said I could drop it off and test 1 more 3750 they have for sale, and if not, they'll refund me.

But yea, still very disappointed that this doesn't work. I was looking forwards for a gigabit switch, soo excited...

----

On that note, I finally understand why 3560 switches are more expensive than 3750 and 3750G. It's because the collective IT community has had a really bad experience with these 3750's and failures and RMA's etc. The 3560's, which are basically the same switch but don't have stackwise, have had a much more reliable history.

just FYI for people considering 3550, 3560, 3750's

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jdballinger wrote: »

That sucks having to pay that much for shipping and import, but it still beats the $1200 or so it costs new! Plus you can always sell it on eBay and recoup at least SOME of the money.

At least this way you always know that you have unfettered access to a solid Cisco lab that you can use for your studies. I would never want to rely on work or someone else for that sort of thing. Chin up!

Well I saw one of my colleagues lab earlier for his CCIE, he has about 30-45 routers and 20 switches or so, I couldn't be bothered to count. It fills up two 42U racks

Using works equipment makes sense

Got the all clear to go ahead with it so I will be moving mine on.#

Maple, any reason you wanted a gigabit switch? If your just using it for studying why does it matter. Shame that it doesn't work though. Interesting to know that it's cheaper though. I was stood in front of a 42U rack full of them earlier