Building Cisco Home Lab for CCNA

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BlackBox

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Aug 8, 2004
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I'm starting my studies for the CCNA. Now after reading a few articles on 'how to prepare' and other equivalent topics, I've decided to start building a Cisco Home Lab. This lab will later be expanded with gear for hands-on experience for CCNP and eventually the CCIE.

As I was reading up on wich products to start with I came to this contradiction. Well... actually, something I think is a contradiction, and something I hope you will explain to me.

I came across this article: http://certcities.com/editorial/features/story.asp?EditorialsID=81
Nice article, and it says in the 'Routers' section that the best choice is a 26xx router.

Later on when I read this article:
http://www.thebryantadvantage.com/HOME LAB Suggested Topologies.htm
I began to look at specifications for my cisco products and turns out that the better choice is de 2500 series...

Anyway, I wrote down a list of things I'm going to buy: (first things first)
  • 2 2503 Cisco routers (2 serial ports, 1eth port, ISDN port)
  • DTE/DCE cable (for inter router connection)
  • 2950 Cisco switch (via eth port connecting with the 2 2503 routers)
  • 2520 Cisco router (4 serial ports -> frame relay switch)
  • 2 DTE/DCE cables for connecting all routers to relay switch)

Those ISDN ports come in handy when inserting a ISDN simulator, which I might add later.

Anyway, is it better to switch to newer 2600 series routers or not (and in both cases, why?)
Any changes that would make the lab more complete foor CCNA with later expantion for CCNP and CCIE?

Thanks, Black Box
 
i would go 2600's. especially if you are continuing onto ccnp.
they are faster, and if i remember right, the 2500's wont do trunking
 
You will need the 2600s (fast ethernet) for inter vlan routing. You will want to look into a layer 3 switch eventually for the ccnp stuff also. (3550 with emi image)
 
I would also love to know just a flat out shopping list on what would be the best to buy that will take you all the way through your CCNP and CCIE
 
so i'm studying for the CCNA too and i guess my question is how much does all the equiptment cost?
 
I finished my last CCNP test about 2 weeks ago. Passed all of them first try. My lab consisted of 2 2924s, a cat5000 (mistake, do not get one), 2 2514s, a 4000m, and a 2621 (which I got lucky and got dirt cheap). It may not make life as easy to have the cheaper gear, but you don't need to drop a couple grand on a lab to study. Then again, I work on an enterprise network on a daily basis.
 
I don't work on that stuff, in fact, I'm as good as new to Cisco. Hence the need for hands-on experience.

Now, the 2600s are faster and support the inter VLAN routing. But do they don't have Serial ports or ISDN... So, that still leaves me at the following:
  • 2 2503 to eventually connect to the ISDN simulator
  • 2520 for frame relay
  • 29xx switch (because atm the 3550 switch is too much to pay for)
  • cables
  • 2 26xx for trunking, VLAN and some faster connection (is speed is not something I mind... or should I?)

RiDDLeRThC said:
I would also love to know just a flat out shopping list on what would be the best to buy that will take you all the way through your CCNP and CCIE
Click to expand...
Well, stay tuned :p
killa62 said:
how much does all the equiptment cost?
Click to expand...
I suggest taking a look on ebay... I can give a few price ranges, but after all, if you're lucky you can find a non-tech guy trying to sell some products from his bankrupt company to earn a little money for paying his depts. He doesn't know what it's real price is, and he is desperate most of the time... Anyway, look around ;)
 
usualpulp said:
i would go 2600's. especially if you are continuing onto ccnp.
they are faster, and if i remember right, the 2500's wont do trunking
Click to expand...

True, they are "faster", but they are definately needed later on for the 802.1q trunking (which Ethernet cannot do, only faste). The part that is not so fun is that while a 2600 is "faster", they take much much longer to reload, so in a lab, this is not so fun. :(

Good Luck!
 
Screw buying all that gear... one of my Cisco classes demonstrated some really slick software simulations of Cisco gear, complete with fully working IOS access on the routers and switches.
 
When I said I'd want to build my own lab for the hands-on experience, that only justified the cost I was making to get that sweeeet hardware within my home. So, I know there are sims (even though hands-on experience cannot be compared to sim-experience) an I know there are classes. This lab will enable me to study with the lab when I want, how I want and for as long as I want... Needless to say I love having these products, so I'm willing to pay...(a reasonable amount).
 
when you say inter vlan routing, that means allowing two different network segments on a layer 2 managed switch to talk to each other? I thought the 2500 could do this?
 
Joony said:
when you say inter vlan routing, that means allowing two different network segments on a layer 2 managed switch to talk to each other? I thought the 2500 could do this?
Click to expand...

The problem is that in order for the switch to setup a trunk port to your router, your router has to support either 802.1q or ISL. These trunking protocols are not supported on Ethernet (10bT) interfaces on 99% of Cisco routers, only on FastEth (100bT) interfaces. So, technically, the 2500 can do the neccessary routing, but it can't do the trunking to the switch (if you didn't use trunks, but had a seperate uplinks from switch to the router for each VLAN, it would work). Some IOS trains support trunking on a Ethernet interface on a 2600.
 
Fint said:
The problem is that in order for the switch to setup a trunk port to your router, your router has to support either 802.1x or ISL. .
Click to expand...

Its actually 802.1q, but everything else is right on. However, I did not find this to be a major obstacle to passing the CCNP tests. I mostly practiced trunking between my switches. It would be better however, if you can afford it, to get a router than can perform trunking. In my case I had already spent alot of money, and I made do with what I had.
 
Trunking isn't a large component of the test (CCNA/BSCI), find a way to do it as cheaply as possible.
 
I had a fair amount of trunking on BSCI, but it isn't anything you couldn't prepare for using 2 switches.
 
Ok, maybe in the end I'll add 2 2620 routers to it for their 100MB Ethernet connection.

So final products:
  • 2 2503 to eventually connect to the ISDN simulator
  • 2520 for frame relay
  • 29xx switch (because atm the 3550 switch is too much to pay for)
  • cables
  • ISDN Simulator

    Later on:
  • 2 26xx for trunking, VLAN and some faster connection (is speed is not something I mind... or should I?)

Any needed changes or other suggestions?

Also, thanks for the replies, gave me extra insight into the cisco world :D
 
Darkstar850 said:
Its actually 802.1q, but everything else is right on.
Click to expand...

oops, I've had wired 802.1x security on the brain for too long... yes, I ment 802.1q
 
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