Using old routers and switches

I have several basic routers and switches from around 2006. They work, but I imagine their IOSs are seriously out-of-date. I was going to use them for CCNP labs unless anyone thinks they aren't up to it? I just don't have much expendable income, even for lab equipment.

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NetworkVeteran

Cat5 wrote: »

They work, but I imagine their IOSs are seriously out-of-date. I just don't have much expendable income, even for lab equipment.

GNS3 is free, gives you access to many routers, is the same IOS tested on in the exams, and allows faster topology creation. Lack of funding doesn't prevent oneself from being extremely well-prepared for the simulator ?s.

Somnipotent

Find yourself a copy of IOS 12.4T and GNS3 will serve you well. That's all I used for ROUTE and TSHOOT.

f0rgiv3n

I agree with everyone else... GNS3 is the way to go for the Route exam.

I used 1 3550 and 2 2950s for the Switch exam and was able to do most of the labs. The only things really you can't do with those are private vlans and GLBP.

theodoxa

The routers emulated by GNS3 (1700, 2600, 2600XM, 3600, and 7200) are rather old. Only one of them (7200) runs IOS 15. The rest run 12.4T at best. You could do ROUTE on GNS3. But, you could also do it on live equipment, including most of it on older routers [as long as you max out the IOS]. I prefer the latter since it doesn't have to deal with all the bugginess (Routers randomly dropping and refusing console connections) that GNS3 sometimes has when you have larger topologies like the one where I was trying to redistribute routes [from other protocols] into OSPF. I couldn't even get all the routes redistributed before routers would start randomly failing ("console connection refused").

networker050184

I think issues you are seeing with GNS3 are due to idle PC settings or just over taxing your CPU. I've run very large complex topologies and never had a single issue as long as everything is correctly set up.

Dieg0M

f0rgiv3n wrote: »

I used 1 3550 and 2 2950s for the Switch exam and was able to do most of the labs. The only things really you can't do with those are private vlans and GLBP.

You can practice GLBP on GNS3.

Cat5

Somnipotent wrote: »

Find yourself a copy of IOS 12.4T and GNS3 will serve you well. That's all I used for ROUTE and TSHOOT.

So noted.

Thanks.

DCD

Since nobody ask which routers and switches do you have?

Cat5

DCD wrote: »

Since nobody ask which routers and switches do you have?

Two 2600 routers and three 2950 switches - I think. They're boxed up right now. They may stay boxed up if I get GNS3 up and going.

networker050184

You are still going to want to get some switches for the SWITCH exam. Preferably some 3560s.

theodoxa

Cat5 wrote: »

Two 2600 routers and three 2950 switches - I think. They're boxed up right now. They may stay boxed up if I get GNS3 up and going.

Are they XM? If so, you should be able to run 12.4T. We were using the original 2600 Series [along with the older 2500 series] back in 2001 and the XMs came out not too long thereafter, so it would seem odd to have a Non-XM made in 2006. In fact, I just checked and the XM Series [along with the 2691] itself was EOLed in 2006.

[EDIT]

Year EOL Announced --

2600: 2002
2600XM: 2006
2800 Series: 2010

I wonder if Cisco will keep with this timeline and replace the 2900 Series in 2014? If so, we could see ISR and ISR G2 prices drop.