Do you turn off your home lab when not using it?

the_return_of_the_Ring · June 2006

just a mini survey.

mikej412 · June 2006

I'd leave it on for weeks on end.... and then turn it off.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to leave on (its always nice to have one router and switch up to check command syntax).... and what to put on which ports on an ethernet controlled power switch. Anyone reading this..... the next good one on eBay is mine! Back off!

I'm also buying replacement batteries for my UPSs.... for my Cisco Equipment Rack.

The good news is my electric bill dropped by almost $40 dollars <subtle hint about what what I'm running in my lab here> when I was studying the trivia for the CCIE Written Exams.... and tried to keep my lab powered off.

keenon · June 2006

i turn off mine when not in use.. i don't like wasting the energy for it to set there running and noone using it

thisisalex02 · June 2006

My lab is on 24/7 So i can study at work !

pizzafart · June 2006

2 3550's(one is doa right now)
3 2500 routers
2 2924 switches
2 3600 routers

**well, that WAS my lab until some goobers upstairs needed the 3600's for their "production network" like that's more important than my CCNP studies. (joking)

Dang it those 3600's were awesome.

Anyway, I have no idea how much power these eat up... lol, BUT, I thought now would be a good time to ask people what kind of labs they're running.

Anyone? Cmon I really wanna hear what Mike & the other super-cert fellow is running. Make me jealous!

mikej412 · June 2006

pizzafart wrote:

Cmon I really wanna hear what Mike & the other super-cert fellow is running. Make me jealous!

There is ALWAYS someone else out there with a BIGGER LAB.

The important thing isn't how BIG your LAB it is.... but what you do with it!

Okay -- I should see if my inventory is up to date anyways...

1 3745 - 2 FE, w/AIM-VPN
3 2651XM - 2 FE
1 2650XM - 1 FE
2 2650 - 1 FE, w/AIM-VPN
5 1760-V w/AIM-VPN
1 1760-V
8 3640
4 3620
1 2620 - 1 FE

1 2501 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial
10 2502 - 1 TR DB9, 2 Serial
1 2503 - 1 AUI, 1 BRI, 2 Serial
1 2504 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial
2 2507 - 16 E-hub, 1 Eth, 2 Serial
3 2509 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial, 8 Terminal Lines
2 2511 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial, 16 Terminal Lines
5 2513 - 1 TR, 1 AUI, 2 Serial
1 2514 - 2 AUI, 2 Serial
1 2515 - 2 TR, 2 Serial
8 2521 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial, 2 Serial (a/s)
1 2523 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial, 8 Serial (a/s)

3 NM-2FE2W
1 NM-1FE2W
6 NM-1FE-TX
2 NM-1FE-1CT1
2 NM-1FE-1CT1-CSU
6 NM-2E2W
4 NM-1E1R2W
6 NM-4A/S
1 NM-4T
1 NM-8A/S
2 NM-ATM-25
3 ATM-T1-4T1-IMA
3 NM-1A-OC3MM
1 NM-4BRI-U
1 WIC-BRI-U
24 WIC-1T
1 WIC-2T
8 WIC-1DSU-T1
2 WIC-1DSU-56K

2 3750-24
1 NME-16ES-1G-P
1 3550-24-PWR
2 3550-48
2 2950 24 Port
1 2950 12 Port
1 NM-16ESW
1 2924-XL-EN 24 Port
2 3508G-XL-EN
2 3500-XL-EN Inline Power 24 Port
1 3500-XL-EN 24 Port
1 3500-XL-EN 12 Port
1 2916M-XL, 16 FE, 2 100Base-FX
1 1924 - 24 Ethernet, 2 FE

1 IBM 8226 - 8 TR
3 3920 - 24 TR

2 7910 IP Phones
1 7912 IP Phone
5 7940 IP Phones
3 7960 IP Phones
2 7961 IP Phones
2 7914 IP Phone Expansion Module

1 ATA 186
2 CallManager 4.x Publishers
2 CallManager 4.x Subscribers
2 Unified Communications Manager 6.0
1 Unified Communications Manager 7.0
1 Unity Server
1 AIM-CUE
1 VG200
5 MC3810
1 MC3810-V
2 MC3810-V3
7 MC2810-AVM
1 MC2810-DVM
9 MC3810-MFT-T1s
2 MC3810-MFT-E1s (one for PSTN Cloud & 1 for European Branch Office)
And a nice assortment of FXS/FXO/E&M interface to fully populate all the MC3810-AVMs
3 NM-2V with VIC-2FXS, VIC-2FXO
1 NM-HDV w/VWIC-1MFT-T1 & 5 PVDMs
1 NM-HDV w/VWIC-2MFT-T1 & 5 PVDMs
2 VWIC-1MFT-T1
2 VWIC-2MFT-T1
2 VWIC-2MFT-T1-DI
1 VIC-2DID
2 VIC-2E/M
2 VIC-2FXS (in addition to the ones in the NM-2V modules)
2 VIC-2FXO (in addition to the ones in the NM-2V modules)
1 VIC-2FXO-M1

1 Ascend Max 6000 (8 ISDN S/T, 8 FXS, 4 T1/PRI)
1 Pots Simulator (4 line)

1 ASA5505 10 user
1 IDS 4210
2 IDS 4235 + PIX-4FE-66
2 PIX 515 -- Unrestricted Active/Active Failover
2 PIX 520
1 VPN3002 Hardware Client - 1 FE, 8 FE
1 VPN3005 Concentrator
1 ACS Server

1 WLC526 Wireless Express Mobility Controller
1 AIR-LAP521G-A-K9

8 Juniper J2300 Routers (J2300-1T2FEL-S-AC-US)
1 Juniper SRX100 Services Gateway (SRX100B)
1 Juniper Secure Access 1000 (SA1000) SSL VPN Appliance
2 Juniper NetScreen Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (NS-IDP 1000)
1 Juniper SSG-5-SH-W-US Wireless VPN Router with Firewall
1 Juniper Netscreen-5GT (NS-5GT-ADSL-B) ADSL Security Firewall VPN
1 Juniper Netscreen 5GT (NS-5GT) Security Firewall VPN
2 Juniper WX-15 Application Acceleration Appliances

2 WS-C6509 - Dual Power supplies
2 WS-X6K-SUP2-2GE
2 WS-C6500-SFM2
2 WS-X6K-SUP1A-2GE
2 WS-C6500-SFM
1 WS-X6608-T1
2 WS-X6381-IDS
1 WS-X6380-NAM
1 WS-X6101-OC12-MMF
1 WS-X6348-RJ45
2 WS-X6348-RJ45V
3 WS-X6248-RJ45

1 LS1010 ATM Switch
2 Power Supplies WS-C5008B
1 ATM LAN Emulation Module Dual MMF
1 ATM Switch / Processor-B
3 WATM-CAM-2P Carrier Modules
2 155MM
3 T1 DSX1
1 CES-T1

3 CE507
1 CE560
1 CE590

12 Rack Mount Servers (VMWare/Olives)
1 core i3 17" Laptop, 64-bit Win 7, 4 gig mem (runs 8 Dynamips instances and still has room for more)
1 core i3 14" Laptop (Inspiron 14R), 64-bit Win 7, 4 gig mem
1 core 2 15.4" laptop, 2 gig mem (to run Dynamips when mobile)
1 core 2 17" laptop, 2 gig mem (to watch the barn kibble cam and catch raccoons eating the kitty kibble)
1 9" netbook (to watch the kibble cam when I want to use the 17" laptop for real work)
1 11.6" netbook (to use as a netbook since the 9" one is too annoying to for anything other than watching the kibble cam)
1 paint ball gun (to persuade the raccoons not to go into the barn and eat the barn/feral kitty kibble)
1 Rovio to chase the raccoons from the kitty kibble and the possum from the cat food when I don't feel like running out to the barn with the paint ball gun)
5 Quad Core PCs (3 running Dynamips)
4 PIX-4FE PCI network cards for Dynamips
Herd of Dual Core PCs

2 Ethernet Power Controllers (10 port -- 8 switched, ripple start)
9 Ethernet Power Controller (4 port)
5 new UPSs, batteries for some existing UPSs.

<updating quantities/descriptions>
<more updates>
<even more updates.... and maybe time for another inventory>
<updated Security Lab>
<beefing up Voice Side of Home Lab>
<more beef for Voice>
<added BFS/BFR and a few more snacks>
<mo power, need mo power!!!>
<

update>
<hey -- I have 2 3524-XL-EN Inline Power switches >
<hey -- I have 8 mc3810s but only 5 listed... >
<maybe I have 5 1760s? Added the new remote power switches, and hinted I have have some stuff by "those tree guys">
<I think I counted 6 1760s? I might have a breeding pair?!?!?!>
<Updated the cats Juniper section to mention specific Juniper cat toys/hardware -- I might be using a 3rd NS-IDP 1000 with the 3.x software as a cutting board in the kitchen

>
<Blaming the Juniper hardware on the Cats -- which means it comes out of the Cat Toy Budget!!!>

Webmaster · June 2006

Wow man

that's a small enterprise you have there. You even have the hardware client with the 8 port switch...

Ok here's mine:

2x 2501 with 4/4MB

I hope to replace those with a PIX soon...

To answer the original question: I used to have those routers between my wireless access router and the telco's cable modem, so I had to leave them on. Before that, I used to have them in a closet, and mostly forgot to turn them off, but with those two it was hardly noticable on the bill anyway.

Trailerisf · June 2006

mikej412 wrote:

pizzafart wrote:

Cmon I really wanna hear what Mike & the other super-cert fellow is running. Make me jealous!

There is ALWAYS someone else out there with a BIGGER LAB.

The important thing isn't how BIG your LAB it is.... but what you do with it!

Okay -- I should see if my inventory is up to date anyways... but I don't count the the 3 new dual-core servers as part of the Cisco Lab, even though they are being used there....

1 2501 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial
10 2502 - 1 TR DB9, 2 Serial
1 2503 - 1 AUI, 1 BRI, 2 Serial
1 2504 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial
2 2507 - 16 E-hub, 1 Eth, 2 Serial
3 2509 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial, 8 Terminal Lines
1 2511 - 1 AUI, 2 Serial, 16 Terminal Lines
5 2513 - 1 TR, 1 AUI, 2 Serial
1 2514 - 2 AUI, 2 Serial
1 2515 - 2 TR, 2 Serial
8 2521 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial, 2 Serial (a/s)
1 2523 - 1 TR, 1 BRI, 2 Serial, 8 Serial (a/s)

1 2620 - 1 FE
2 3620
6 3640

2 NM-ATM-25
3 NM-1A-OC3MM
4 NM-1E1R2W
5 NM-1FE-TX
2 NM-1FE-1CT1
2 NM-1FE-1CT1-CSU
1 NM-2E2W,
1 NM-2V, VIC-2FXS,
1 NM-2V, VIC-2FXS, VIC-2FXO
1 NM-4BRI-U
6 NM-4A/S
1 NM-4T
1 NM-8A/S
1 WIC-BRI-U
2 WIC-1T
1 WIC-2T
2 WIC-T1DSU/CSU

1 1924 - 24 Ethernet, 2 FE
1 2916M-XL, 16 FE, 2 100Base-FX
1 2950-12
1 2950-24
1 3550-24-PWR
1 3550-48
1 IBM 8226 - 8 TR
1 3920 - 24 TR

1 LS1010

2 7910 IP Phones
1 7912 IP Phone
1 7940 IP Phone
1 7960 IP Phone
1 ATA 186
1 MCS-7835
1 VG200 - 1FE, NM-2V, VIC-2FXS, VIC-2FXO

1 IDS 4210
2 PIX 520
1 VPN3002 Hardware Client - 1 FE, 8 FE
1 VPN3005 Concentrator

1 Ascend Max 6000 (8 ISDN S/T, 8 FXS, 4 T1/PRI)
1 Pots Simulator (4 line)
2 Ethernet Power Controller (4 port)

<updating quantities/descriptions>

I'll give you $85 for it when you pass your CCIE... If you agree now it will be good karma and you will pass on your first attempt.

:P

EdTheLad · June 2006

Now i wanna know why you bought all those routers?? 44 routers and 2 layer 3 switches? i think half the amount is more than enough for any testplant?Probably you just aquired them over time and half the 2500's are sitting gathering dust,am i right?

mikej412 · June 2006

ed_the_lad wrote:

Now i wanna know why you bought all those routers?? 44 routers and 2 layer 3 switches? i think half the amount is more than enough for any testplant?Probably you just aquired them over time and half the 2500's are sitting gathering dust,am i right?

Good point -- worth mentioning -- 4 routers (one acting as a frame switch) will get you through the CCNA.... 5 will get you through the CCNP (the frame switch can be a regular router for those BGP senarios). And make it 9 (adding the frame switch) routers for the CCIE. As for the 2 3550s -- yeah, 1 would be nice for the CCNP/CCIE -- but they are expensive compared to the tasks required.

2 routers lets you start out trying stuff (and the point-to-point connections). 3 routers lets you try frame-relay and do some more routing stuff. 4 routers lets you do the point-to-multipoint frame-relay and see it work.

I was planning to "try cheap" for the CCIE and rent rack time for the things the 2500s and 2620 couldn't do (and maybe buy another 26xx).... but when I decided to take the MPLS exam and get the CCIP -- it was just to interesting to rely on that hacked MPLS 2500 IOS.... and I had the money. Plus with the voice stuff, I didn't want to interfere with what I really was studying for.... so that explains the 3600s.

Since the CCIE went to the 1 day format and no longer tests cabling and basic configuration, I try to use my study time effectively and minimize the time wasted re-cabling.

Time vs Money -- I have lots of money, but not lots of time. But I also don't value the 2500 as high as some people do.... $25 for a 2501 (which is why I only have 1). $35 for the 252xs $50 for that 2523. $80 for the 2509s.

And then there were the "deals" -- 4 2521 for $100, 5 2502s for 80$, 4 2513 for $60 (all max memory!).

So yeah -- I didn't wake up one morning and decide that I needed 30 25xx routers -- they did "just happen."

Hum -- 2500s -- where are they and what are they doing (besides collecting dust)

18 of the 2500s are setup in a BGP senario that kennon had posted in the CCIP forum -- very useful studying for the BGP exam. And I'm keeping it intact for my run at the CCIE Lab.

For the CCNA I started out with 5 routers, and went up to 9. Since I was already looking toward the CCIE, I was setup with a frame-relay core running OSPF, and multiple areas... doing redistribution. Since I did go Token-Ring and Ethernet, I added a 2514 to link the lab to the home network, and a 2513 for ease and speed of upgrades and backups (originally was using an old laptop with ethernet and token ring pcmcia card as the tftp server).

So I finished the CCNA with 11 routers. Since I was already running through the CCIE Practical Studies books before I started the CCNP (um, and before I finished the Cisco Network Academy Classes and took the CCNA exam) -- that's when it was "easier" to grab more routers.

I kept my core intact and added on routers for the CCNP -- finished with over 20 2500s (and that lonely 2620). Had the multi-area OSPF with frame-relay core, redistribution from/to EIGRP, RIP, IS-IS, and BGP running on top (and QoS, Multicast, HSRP, etc).

And that brings us back to those 18 routers in that BGP configuration with my CCIE study core still intact... so that's 29 2500s in useful configurations.

I guess I used the IS-IS leftovers for the CCSP.... and have swapped some of the 2521s out of the other configurations. Back to the time vs money issue -- to minimize re-cabling I'm going to tunnel most of the 2521 routers together. The 2523 will be with the official CCIE Lab (3600s) frame-relay switch, but will still have a config where it is part of the frame cloud with the other routers.

As I go back over all the fundamentals -- before I even consider getting a CCIE Lab Workbook and doing labs -- I'm going to bring everything to one spot (the 18 BGP routers are still upstairs) and reconfigure everything to include the "security stuff" and setup for remote access and remote power control.

So -- back on topic -- in addition to the electric bill, the more important problems for me are HEAT and NOISE.

Trailerisf wrote:

I'll give you $85 for it when you pass your CCIE... If you agree now it will be good karma and you will pass on your first attempt.

For $85 I can sell you a nice 2513 (at a nice markup

) -- max memory -- just like a 2501, but with a token ring port you can ignore!

I've already thought about what to do with the lab equipment "when I'm done"..... the obvious is sell it on eBay before the 2500s become boat anchors.

But the other option is move them to the basement of the barn and use them to keep the barn cats warmer in winter (and open the barn doors during the summer to ventilate the heat).... and if wildfire is still running cisco-engineer.com, split my equipment into pods and see if he'd want to schedule it out through his system.... but that would be down the road sometime -- hopefully after a couple of CCIEs (or a few or several, including the one(s) wildfire is doing -- studying for the written now, if I remember correctly).

Humper · June 2006

The more routers the better

not only that!!!!! The more you can get for free the better. So far out of the 10 routers that I have I haven't had to pay for one! Work is doing a massive switch from AT&T with 1700's to Cisco 1811's with Cable or DSL..So they have probably about 5-6 routers I can go and pick up on monday!!

My list at this time is:

1 Cisco 805 - 1 AUI 1 Serial
5 Cisco 1700's (mix of CSU/DSU & Serial Modules)
2 Cisco 2912's
2 Cisco 4000's

Adding:
Cisco 4500-M with 12 serial interfaces from Darby (hopefully soon)
5 or 6 more Cisco 1700's with serial modules.

Oh and for Mike

Can we see the home made racks you made? I am thinking of making my own out of 2x2's and nails

lol

mikej412 · June 2006

ModemHumper wrote:

Can we see the home made racks you made? I am thinking of making my own out of 2x2's and nails lol

2x2's was my plan D!

Plan C was the shelves from Sam's Club. They had the Gorilla Shelving and some other super solid shelving options.... But I went with "wire shelving" for $80. 6 shelves 6 foot high, 48 inches wide (or 2 router stacks wide with room for power strips in between) and 18 inches deep. Each shelf holds 600 pounds. But with the wheels on -- the wheels only support 500 pounds, so I'm going to assume that's 500 pounds total. I was considering rolling the racks out into the carport for the summer

Arturasj · June 2006

Hi everyone

I’ve just started my CCNP studies I only have 10 2500’s and one 3640 with 8 serial ports and one Ethernet. I’ve built the lab as in cisco press BSCI book with two pods of 4 2500’s, 2 for the core and 3640 as frame relay switch. Now I ran into the same problem – the noise. I unplugged all fans from 2500s and both front fans inside 3640, on that one I still have noisy power supply. My lab is running 2-4 hours a day, I wonder can this cause any problems, I mean the disconnection of fans? Another thing, everything is stacked up on the top of 3640.

Humper · June 2006

Arturasj wrote:

Hi everyone

I’ve just started my CCNP studies I only have 10 2500’s and one 3640 with 8 serial ports and one Ethernet. I’ve built the lab as in cisco press BSCI book with two pods of 4 2500’s, 2 for the core and 3640 as frame relay switch. Now I ran into the same problem – the noise. I unplugged all fans from 2500s and both front fans inside 3640, on that one I still have noisy power supply. My lab is running 2-4 hours a day, I wonder can this cause any problems, I mean the disconnection of fans? Another thing, everything is stacked up on the top of 3640.

Is this a joke? why do you think fans are put inside the devices in the first place.

EdTheLad · June 2006

I suppose it all depends on the enviromental conditions where you equipment is located.If you have them in Siberia i dont think unplugging the fans will cause a problem.Since you only run them for 2-4 hrs maybe there isnt a problem, how hot are they when you touch? Anyway the noise
is the biggest problem i face.When i was searching for an apartment my
main objective was to find one with a couple of rooms, i would look for
a good place to place my lab away from my study area as i cant study listening to those buzzing fans.I've noticed the 2600's are twice as loud as the 2500,also my 2950 makes twice that of a 2600,anyone else experience the same?

Humper · June 2006

I agree, my 2912 is way louder then any of my routers....I think the loudest router I have though is a 4000, that is a beast!!!

darkuser · June 2006

mikej412 wrote:

I'd leave it on for weeks on end.... and then turn it off.

ha hahaha
thats what i just did .... had it on all spring ... then the warm weather hit
now it's off
except for a couple of things ...

Now I'm trying to figure out what to leave on (its always nice to have one router and switch up to check command syntax).... and what to put on which ports on an ethernet controlled power switch. Anyone reading this..... the next good one on eBay is mine! Back off!

I'm also buying replacement batteries for my UPSs.... for my Cisco Equipment Rack.

The good news is my electric bill dropped by almost $40 dollars <subtle hint about what what I'm running in my lab here> when I was studying the trivia for the CCIE Written Exams.... and tried to keep my lab powered off.

JohnDouglas · December 2007

have to say i'm suprise people leave their labs running when they're not with them. go to any telco's comms room and there's state of the art fire supressing stuff like that stuff that sucks all the oxygen out of the room or floods the room with a few tonnes of water in a matter of seconds. all the kit will have isolators so that it can be shut down if there's a fire etc. a significant part of the cost of setting up a comms room is probably taking care of fire stuff. plus all this kit is just in POP sites in the middle of no where on some business estate that nobody cares about.

if i had some old kit off ebay with unknown provenance i really wouldn't want to leave it running with family etc in my nice expensive home. i guess a garage or something like that isn't so bad.

maybe i'm just jealous of the labs

JohnDouglas · December 2007

Oh, and noise, yeah i was suprised. I've spent alot of time in transport rooms and not thought much about the sound. But trying to console into a couple of 2500s at home last night it was awful listening to the noise. Was researching sound proof cabinets but they were way too expensive. So, it'll have to be setup in another room.

empc4000xl · December 2007

JohnDouglas wrote:

have to say i'm suprise people leave their labs running when they're not with them. go to any telco's comms room and there's state of the art fire supressing stuff like that stuff that sucks all the oxygen out of the room or floods the room with a few tonnes of water in a matter of seconds. all the kit will have isolators so that it can be shut down if there's a fire etc. a significant part of the cost of setting up a comms room is probably taking care of fire stuff. plus all this kit is just in POP sites in the middle of no where on some business estate that nobody cares about.

if i had some old kit off ebay with unknown provenance i really wouldn't want to leave it running with family etc in my nice expensive home. i guess a garage or something like that isn't so bad.

maybe i'm just jealous of the labs

I thought they would use a CO2 system. Most electronic gear can be saved with CO2. Also since most gear is in racks the water would have trouble breaking that barrier. This is just a thought. Every room can be different.

dynamik · December 2007

Mike's inventory made me think of this: http://smorris.uber-geek.net/lab.htm

You have any pics of your gear Mike?

mikej412 · December 2007

I guess I should say that I don't leave my lab running all the time anymore -- unless my furnace goes out and I need the heat - like last winter

Now only the PCs running Dynamips are on all the time, and I use the remote power switches to fire up what I need. Plus I kicked the original 9 routers and 2 switches out of my upstairs office a long time ago. Everything is collected together in my living room study area.

dynamik wrote:

You have any pics of your gear Mike?

No -- all my compact flash cards are filled with Cat pictures that I need to download. And if I'm downloading and looking at cute Cat pictures, I'm not studying. Maybe after a couple of CCIEs, when I have more time....

JohnDouglas · December 2007

empc4000xl wrote:

JohnDouglas wrote:

have to say i'm suprise people leave their labs running when they're not with them. go to any telco's comms room and there's state of the art fire supressing stuff like that stuff that sucks all the oxygen out of the room or floods the room with a few tonnes of water in a matter of seconds. all the kit will have isolators so that it can be shut down if there's a fire etc. a significant part of the cost of setting up a comms room is probably taking care of fire stuff. plus all this kit is just in POP sites in the middle of no where on some business estate that nobody cares about.

if i had some old kit off ebay with unknown provenance i really wouldn't want to leave it running with family etc in my nice expensive home. i guess a garage or something like that isn't so bad.

maybe i'm just jealous of the labs

I thought they would use a CO2 system. Most electronic gear can be saved with CO2. Also since most gear is in racks the water would have trouble breaking that barrier. This is just a thought. Every room can be different.

ohh, could be CO2 actually. i'll ask the facilities guys tomorrow. There's definitely water too though - might not be so effective i guess but cheaper to implement perhaps. i remember being told in some of the rooms if there's a fire a bell goes and you get 45 seconds to get out or something. then all this powder is dropped. if you're still in the room at that point you should just take a deep breath and standstill. if you move your ear drums will burst.

maybe i was being wound up though! although it was a girl who told me. the explanation wasn't followed by me being sent to stores to ask for a long "weight" or a bag of sparks for the welder.

damsel_in_tha_net · December 2007

Mike:

Will you marry me?

jasonboche · December 2007

I'm working my way up to Scott Morris status. Here's my basement rack:

From the top down:
DLT 35/70
DLT 35/70
HP DL380G2 - File/SQL Server, 2xP3, 2GB RAM
HP DL380G3 - 600GB ISCSI NAS, 2xP4, 1.5GB RAM
HP DL580G2 - VMware ESX Server, 4xP4 2.5GHz, 12GB RAM
HP DL580G2 - VMware ESX Server, 4xP4 2.5GHz, 12GB RAM
HP ML570G2 - 1.5TB ISCSI NAS, 4xP4 2.8GHz, 9GB RAM
APC SMART UPS 2200
APC SMART UPS 2200

dynamik · December 2007

Is that what's providing your heat for the winter?

I had to google Scott Morris. Interesting stuff: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/ccie/case_studies/index.html

Check out this guy though:

cisco.com wrote:

Roman Rodichev moved to United States from Russia in 1996 at the age of 16. Until then, he had never used the Internet or even heard of Cisco Systems. He had one simple goal at that time - to find the ideal career niche that would keep him happy and financially secure. Little did he know he’d fulfill this goal by acquiring five CCIEs by the age of 26.

That's insane

Paul Boz · December 2007

I use my 1700 series for my cable modem router and a 2950 switch so I never have those off. I usually leave off the 2621 router, both 7206vxr routers, the Catalyst 4500, and my various servers. there's no point in running my full rack of gear if I'm not using it. The power consumption and heat surely aren't worth it, that's for sure.

I can telnet into my internet router whenever I want to to brush up on syntax or lab things on the fly so I'm not that worried about it. I also have dynamips installed on my laptop so if I'm REALLY in a crunch I'm covered.

Nice lab Mike, truly an admirable setup.

jasonboche · December 2007

dynamik wrote:

Is that what's providing your heat for the winter?

Oh, it doesn't discriminate - it provides heat during all seasons of the year.

sprkymrk · December 2007

@Jason

You better plug that sump pump into one of those APC's or all your equipment could go under water next rainy season if the power goes out.

You could also redirect your duct work from the furnace to the back of the rack. Kill 2 birds with one stone as they say - heat your home and save power by leaving the furnace off.

dtlokee · December 2007

sprkymrk wrote:

@Jason

You better plug that sump pump into one of those APC's or all your equipment could go under water next rainy season if the power goes out.

You could also redirect your duct work from the furnace to the back of the rack. Kill 2 birds with one stone as they say - heat your home and save power by leaving the furnace off.

I was curious of the decision to locate the rack below the air-to-air heat exchanger, hope that drain doesn't clog

jasonboche · December 2007

There are no issues running the rack under the air exchanger. The heat blows out the back of the rack, not the top. The HVAC room is a convenient location for the rack - keep all the noisy heat generating things confined to one room. I don't want the rack out in other areas of the basement where we do other things although it would make a good conversation starter over the holidays when we have people over. The basement won't flood - the yard is landscaped to drain water away from the house.

Do you turn off your home lab when not using it?

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