CCNP 3560E or 3750E or 4948

Hi guys

I'm slowly building up a solid lab for the CCNP, I know I could virtualise to some extent and / or run GNS3 but I want real gear for the following additional reasons:

1. I have a VMware lab and would like something that doubles study and performance

2. I want gigabit can I use the 10GbE for my ISCSI / SAN direct connected to each VMware host or are they uplinks only?

3. Need to support IOS 15.x

4. Big port buffer if possible

So based on above what's your recommendation? I need two switches so could go for:

2 x 3560E
2 x 3750E
1 x 3560E & 1 x 4948 10G E
1 x 3560E & 1 X 3750E

What do you think? Looking for lab use and support all CCNP options.

Current network lab:

4 X 1841s with IOS 15.1
4 X 3750s (Fast Ethernet)
1 X 2950T
1 X 2821
1 X PE5524 (current lab 10GbE switch)
1252AG Aironet
887VA-K9

Also thought about getting an 819G 4G for LTE failover / fun.

Thanks all

3750 can do most of the stuff CCNP needs as far as a switch, but since you are gonna be messin with border gateway you might need a more advanced IOS license on em.

I also like the Cisco 1921 ISRs for all the things they can do and they are the most modern iteration of ISR routers as far as I am updated. But I am not a network engineer anymore as I am getting prepared for Medical School. Gonna be a Doc one of these days hopefully.

I labbed the CCNP Switch and passed (first attempt) recently with 2x 3750 and 2x 2960 with no issues on 12.x code. Whatever you choose will work, as long as it meets the requirements for your lab.

3705 imo will do the trick

Thanks guys

In the end I went a bit crazy as I'm building for future certs:

2 X Cisco 3750E
1 X Cisco 4948-10GE-S (upgrade from a Dell PC 5524 for ISCSI / VMware lab)
1 X Juniper EX3200

.....and currently trying to buy a 4948E

Noticed there are some OSPF command differences between 12.x and 15.

Just need more juniper gear now.

I used to have have physical switches and routers in my home lab however last year I switched to Cisco VIRL. It's an annual subscription of $200 or $80 if you qualify for the academic version. We use it quite a bit where I work. We can lab up a customer's environment and test out changes before implementing them. It is great for CCNA/CCNP/CCIE Routing and Switching study. Cisco added an IOS layer 2 node earlier this year so you can configure layer 2 features such as spanning-tree, 802.1q trunks, and port channels. The devices that it currently has available are IOSv, IOSvL2, IOS-XRv, CSR1000v, NX-OSv, and ASAv. Go to the website I linked and have a look at the Features page. It is an awesome product and I highly recommend giving it a look.

Interesting that you mention VIRL I've been keeping my eye on it for a while but it seemed to get mixed reviews.

The problem for me with real gear is IOS 15 and the "new" licensing model, it's near impossible now to run the latest / greatest at home without spending a small fortune.

I am really really tempted by it, what's your take on it do you recommend it highly for certs / labs? I've got a pretty beefy VMware environment so should be able to run it fine on ESXi (2 X Xeon quads / 290GB RAM etc in one of the hosts I have).

Il check out the link thanks.

Edit so can I dot1q trunk VLANs out of the VIRL environment into my physical switches / routers? Shame they haven't given the nexus os full support I.e. Fabric path etc.

So I went with your advice, did a bit of reading and for the level I am at (below Nexus etc atm) I think its a good purchase so I went ahead and bought it tonight (VIRL).

Just waiting for the download link now, will let you know what I think once I have it.

Thanks all

I got completely burned out on IT by the way. I have a massive lab I used for a long time, and for business. I don't care anymore about fixing network junk.

Goin' to med school. These 4948s are hella fast though. I got one on the rack but turned it off in lieu of my 8 port GIG EHWIC in my 1921.= quiet and cool.

Selling the 4948 if anyone wants it.

101001101 said:

Interesting that you mention VIRL I've been keeping my eye on it for a while but it seemed to get mixed reviews.

The problem for me with real gear is IOS 15 and the "new" licensing model, it's near impossible now to run the latest / greatest at home without spending a small fortune.

I am really really tempted by it, what's your take on it do you recommend it highly for certs / labs? I've got a pretty beefy VMware environment so should be able to run it fine on ESXi (2 X Xeon quads / 290GB RAM etc in one of the hosts I have).

Il check out the link thanks.

Edit so can I dot1q trunk VLANs out of the VIRL environment into my physical switches / routers? Shame they haven't given the nexus os full support I.e. Fabric path etc.

Click to expand...

101001101 said:

So I went with your advice, did a bit of reading and for the level I am at (below Nexus etc atm) I think its a good purchase so I went ahead and bought it tonight (VIRL).

Just waiting for the download link now, will let you know what I think once I have it.

Thanks all

Click to expand...

So sorry for the late reply. It is a great product for certification study at least for the Routing & Switching side of things especially since many IOS L2 features are now supported. Also remember that much of the L2 functionality in IOS carries over to NX-OS. The commands to implement those things might vary slightly but the features operate the same way for the most part. Same with L3 concepts. Routing configuration is slightly different on NX-OS however the routing protocols and how they operate haven't really changed. There is an NX-OS L3 node so you do have that. I am a datacenter engineer so I work almost exclusively with Nexus gear. I do wish it supported vPC, FabricPath, OTV, VDCs, etc... Hopefully those features will make it eventually. They were also good about pushing out updates. I think there were 4 updates this year and each update introduced a new feature along with updated versions of IOS, NX-OS, etc... This was a product that was long overdue in my opinion so hopefully it will catch on so they will continue to grow and invest in it.

Hey - thanks for your detailed reply.

I am way below the level of the Nexus line at the moment, I just passed my CCENT this week and currently studying now for the ICND2 then I am onwards to the CCNP R&S.

So far VIRL is pretty awesome, it can do everything and more that my "real gear" lab can do - I have it running with 6vCPU and 32GB RAM allocated so it has the recommended spec and runs great. I have ran various routing / spanning tree labs in it and it works great - thank you for the recommendation, in my opinion it is a bargain at the price.

I do have an additional question for you / all if you don't mind?

Once I attain the CCNP R&S I am a little unsure on what path to follow next, my "shopping list" was:

1. Security
2. Wireless
3. Voice (shudder)
4. Data Center / Service Provider

.....but I am not sure yet on priority, essentially I have 15+ years experience in I.T (not networking, everything but networking) - VMware / Linux / SANs / VoIP (SIP) networking was always a weak point for me so I decided to invest in it and bring it up to a solid level and so far its really enjoyable I wish I had looked at it sooner.

I think long term I will also aim for a SDN based cert - maybe NSX? would be really interested to hear thoughts on this based on niche / market direction / big salary etc

I would reevaluate your interests and priorities when you nail down your CCNP RS and go from there.

Does anyone know of good resources to learn the Nexus platform? I'm thinking VIRL and maybe the Data Center track (haven't looked at what is actually covered yet). We have a pair of 5K + FEX at work and I'd like to be the guru.