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ntba

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
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Hi guys I've been getting interested with getting some cheap cisco routers to play with, nothing fancy just for toying with I'm not thinking of going for CCIE or anything but I just wanted a general intro to what cisco routers are and what they do?

Would there possibly be any web links you guys could find since whenever I go looking for something I usualy find websites selling them as opposed to useful information. I'm looking to find out if the cheap routers on ebay (the 2500 series or 2600 series) routers are ACTULLY used in production environments or is it just routers used for people who need to use them for their certifications?

What I'm trying to get at is, would one or two of these routers be useful for a computer hobbyist at home to use as a primary router for a home network to play with more advanced networking technologies?
 
The 2500s are outdated. I believe the 2600s are still fairly relevant, although they too have reached their end of life status. 2800s are the newest (of that class of routers) I do believe.

The model numbers refer to different options - for instance a 2501 has the standard options - AUI port, 2 serial ports and the aux & console ports. A 2513 has those, plus a Token Ring interface. A 2520 has four serial interfaces, an ethernet & an AUI. This would be the one you'd go with if you wanted a 2500 for your home network, but they don't support fast ethernet (not that you'd probably need it).

I'd dig around the Cisco site, they have all the information you could ever want there - it's just a huge pain in the ass to find it.
 
I have 2 2513s sitting here. I used to use them for NAT and port forwarding, etc, plus and ACL to protect them. They worked very well for that never had any issues with heavy gaming/downloading, etc.

However I switched to Ipcop so that I could run Proxy.

If you're studying for a CCNA, the 25xx series should still be viable to aid you in that.
 
Some buy from here, others just get info.

http://www.ciscokits.com

There are cheaper places to get the equipment, but I've paid the extra here twice for the good service and info (outstanding warm fuzzy factor since I'm a complete noob).
 
Even though it costs a little more, the 2610XM is a nice choice since you can run SDM to help with learning new commands.
 
Hey thanks guys this is exactly the kinda stuff I wanted to know but I still have other questions. From what I've read these routers aren't like normal plug and play linksys/dlink routers, am I right to assume that each different model of, lets say, the 2500 series have different functions and not only NAT routing and such. I noticed there are fixed service routers and multiprotocol routers, what are the differences? Maybe most of these questions could be solved by a trip to the bookstore, any recommendations for an overal view of networking and cisco routing?
 
I just noticed the thread called "Questions regarding a CCNA home lab... " and I've been having the same questions such as, is it possible to connect a home DSL connection into the cisco routers and is it actully something you would want to do or are there better alternatives, since I've been thinking about going for a Linksys with DD-WRT or maybe even a full blown computer running routing duty (which I'm not too fond of).

I guess my only reason for getting a cisco router is to tinker with.
 
You will need a router with two Ethernet or Fast Ehternet ports to allow connection to your DSL. Not only is it possible to use in your home network, its actually a great way to learn Cisco NAT commands that are a MUST know for the CCNA
 
Would you happen to know any good models? 2513? 2610? I still don't know which are for what purpose.
 
trmentry said:
…If you're studying for a CCNA, the 25xx series should still be viable to aid you in that.
Click to expand...
I agree with this person.
Save your money and get some cheap 2500 series routers from EBay. Yeah they’re only 10megs and they’re slow, but they will be all you need for the CCNA this year and you will save lots of money.

However, if you plan to progress to the CCNP, you might as well buy a beefier machine (costs a lot more) like the 2610XM mentioned by cb9fl above.

The reason is because in order to pass the CCNP now-a-days, you have to learn SDM and other material from Cisco’s IOS 12.4 which is not available from the older 25xx series routers.

Also, check out this budget lab thread by cburwell on how you can build a Cisco lab and save money at the same time. :p
 
ntba said:
Would you happen to know any good models? 2513? 2610? I still don't know which are for what purpose.
Click to expand...
A 2501 is a basic model with one Ethernet port and two serial ports.. You would need to purchase a transceiver (around 10$) though, to use it with RJ45 Ethernet cable.

Look at this Cisco list for all your 25xx series options. The 26xx series are modular. This means you buy a base unit and must purchase (yes, more money!) WAN modules or Ethernet modules, etc. :cool:
 
Thanks for all the info, this is all good stuff but again I'm just trying to get one just to play with I'm not actually going for a certification of any kind :D Would you guys still recommend the 2500 series? That's what I was thinking about getting due to this not being anything serious and I want it to be as cheap as possible. Thanks
 
Well guys I think I got it, I found a nice 2514 for sale and I think I'll bite, thanks for the help and we'll see what happens;)
 
My CCNP lab consisted of 2 2514s, a 2621 and a 4000 modular router (old old). The only reason I had the 2621 is a guy off of here sold it to me for 100 bucks. The 2514s work great, just look for ones with upgraded ram and flash so that you can run at least 12.0 code minimum.
 
I've found one 2514 Router with 16MB Dram and 8Mb Flash? I heard that 16 megs of ram was the max, is that correct?
 
Well hello again guys I just have one final question which would be how I would go about connecting these cisco routers to my existing DSL connection or even to each other, these sure aren't D-link routers and this is the hardest thing that I don't understand with them. DCE? DTE? Serial connections? Back to Back Cables? what are all these for? I understand I have to use an AUI to RJ-45 Transceiver but that's as far as I'm getting.
 
warbird said:
I agree with this person.
Save your money and get some cheap 2500 series routers from EBay. Yeah they’re only 10megs and they’re slow, but they will be all you need for the CCNA this year and you will save lots of money.
Click to expand...

The old 4000/4500 series are good as well and have more flexibility than the 2500s, although the cards are getting hard to find these days.
 
ntba said:
I've found one 2514 Router with 16MB Dram and 8Mb Flash? I heard that 16 megs of ram was the max, is that correct?
Click to expand...

I believe so. Its been a while since I've upgaded mine. Matter of fact its been a while since I last used my lab. Maybe I'll break it out this weekend and prep for my BSCI again.
 
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