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Help on Lab Computer

R

RemzRR

n00b
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Messages
14
Recently just purchased a bunch of parts in building my lab computer to help me learn
CCNP, NA Security and other certs as well MCSA etc This will be using a Linux Distro with real switches integrated into GNS3. I need help in finding the right linux distro as well as the right rack.

Build as Follows
Intel Core i5 4690
Samsung Pro 120GB SSD
Asus Z97-C (Bought because of the 3x PCI legacy Slots)
16GB (4x4GB)Corsair 1600Mhz C9 Ram 1.3V
Chenbro 4U 41300 Rack Mounted Chassis
Corsair H80i AIO Cooler
3x DLink 580TX Quad Nic Cards

Extra Stuff
Digi CM 32 Access Server
APC 9211 Power Management
Buying 3 3560/3750 Switches

I am looking for a rack with Caster wheels and can as least hold
4x Cisco Switches
1 Juniper Firewall
4U Rack mounted case
Digi CM Access Server
APC 9211 Power Management
and room for extra stuff
I would like it to have caster wheels and open design. Startech looks like a good brand but
too many models to choose from .

What Linux distro has the latest features and will give the least amount of problems in my setup. I am new to Linux and come from a Windows background but not afraid to jump in.
 
not sure sir but ubuntu is the most widely used free OS out there i use it for everyday stuff.
 
Ubuntu is definitely the "go to" Linux distribution for the "desktop experience" and ease of installation.

Startech, I've had good and bad experiences with them, but I'm not sure if they even really produce the products themselves or just rebadge equipment. They seem to sell everything from $.25 cent cables to expensive cases and rack equipment.

I would assume something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816129048 would fit your needs, but by my count you have somewhere in the realm of 11U of stuff and that's a 12U rack. Of course, some of it you can likely mount back-to-back, but that's a bunch of stuff regardless. Seems like a long way to go to set up test networks; don't they have sims for some of those switches?
 
They have Sims
GNS3/Packet Tracer
But the problem with those are there limited functionality
I passed the CCNP Switch recently and my real Cisco 3750 helped me out
Features like L3 Etherchannel, Private Vlans, 802.1x are not supported in the sims and other features I cant remember
I have no problem with money in building this hybrid network
The reason that there is limited functionality is because with switches packets are passed at wire speed because of ASICS and with routers it runs off IOS(software) which is easy to emulate but hard to emulate dedicated hardware (ASICS). Upcoming GNS3 1.0/ Alpha update may have more switch functionality but thats next year and nothing is as good as the real thing.For the CCNA cert, sims are great but I am passed that. CCNP can be passed on sims but really isnt recommended and I have my eyes set on CCIE level.
Here is a great video that explains the pros and cons in detail w/ sims etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVMc5AcLIVY
 
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Ill probably hit up Craiglist and with that rack I would need more units
It will house my ISP Modem and some extra things. Would be satisfied with a 19 unit rack
 
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All versions of Linux are free and come from the same source. Distributions are basically someone's customized apps and desktop prepackaged for you. Many derive from others in this sea of distros but there are common parents. It all depends on what your needs are. If you are going with server I'd suggest CentOS (free redhat). If you are unfamiliar with Linux and install the latest version of Ubuntu Server then it may be a bit off putting that you get a black screen and a blinking cursor versus CentOS's mouse and desktop. If you are using it for personal use Ubuntu is hard to beat but there are many splinters from them that can be more your style such as Mint. Remember that there is no wrong answer and that no distro is limited, you can install any Linux software on any Linux distro.
 
Thanks for the reply
Ended up going w/ Windows 7 Prox64 and Linux Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty) dual boot
Ordering Skeletek 24U Rack
Had some issues in the beginning w/ the partitioning of the drive but works fine now had to due w/ UEFI and legacy style. Ubuntu recognizes my Quad nics but cant switch from one port to the next within the OS and keep internet. While the computer is off I can switch freely bootup and it works. Still figuring this out. Eliminated any physical issues (Cabling, Switch etc). Quad Nics use IRQ Sharing so have to troubleshoot and get GNS3 setup
 
-----------------@GNS3Lab:~$ ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:45
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fee6:3e45/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:6 errors:944 dropped:28320 overruns:0 carrier:6
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:792 (792.0 B)

eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 40:16:7e:aa:be:de
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Interrupt:20 Memory:f7f00000-f7f20000

eth2 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:46
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fee6:3e46/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28357 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28357
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5226734 (5.2 MB)

eth3 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:47
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fee6:3e47/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28335 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28335
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5220840 (5.2 MB)

eth4 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:48
inet addr:192.168.0.17 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fee6:3e48/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:753335 errors:0 dropped:1481 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:576572 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:556047
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:780845585 (780.8 MB) TX bytes:65126292 (65.1 MB)

eth5 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d2
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fe64:add2/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28317 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28317
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5211920 (5.2 MB)

eth6 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d3
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fe64:add3/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:4 errors:944 dropped:28320 overruns:0 carrier:4
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:612 (612.0 B)

eth7 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d4
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fe64:add4/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28350 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28350
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5224649 (5.2 MB)

eth8 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d5
inet6 addr: fe80::205:5dff:fe64:add5/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28363 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:8504
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5228846 (5.2 MB)

eth9 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:28
inet6 addr: fe80::20d:88ff:fefc:c228/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28390 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28390
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5238521 (5.2 MB)

eth11 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2a
inet6 addr: fe80::20d:88ff:fefc:c22a/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28373 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28373
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5233972 (5.2 MB)

eth12 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2b
inet6 addr: fe80::20d:88ff:fefc:c22b/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:28433 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:28433
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:5250776 (5.2 MB)

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:65536 Metric:1
RX packets:88279 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:88279 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:8645179 (8.6 MB) TX bytes:8645179 (8.6 MB)
 
NIC's appear to be up and running fine. Need to configure IP address as static (ifconfig) or dhcp (iface), route add for your gateway if static, and add DNS server to resolv.conf. Also appears only one connected is eth4 based on RX TX numbers. Learning time!

linky

Oh yeah, and once you have net, sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -y. This will take a while but will update and upgrade all preinstalled software including the kernel.
 
Thanks for the sticky.
Will definitely take a look
Skipped on over to Network section and ran this command
Showing a broadcast address which is odd. I should be able to make my own mac address but dont know if this is tied to IRQ sharing. Any thoughts on this ??


------------------@GNS3Lab:~$ ifconfig -a | grep eth
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:45
eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 40:16:7e:aa:be:de
eth2 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:46
eth3 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:47
eth4 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:48
eth5 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d2
eth6 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d3
eth7 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d4
eth8 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d5
eth9 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:28
eth10 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff <--------------------------
eth11 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2a
eth12 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2b
 
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If you're a GNS3 backer you can run it in Windows or Linux and use their OVA Virtual Machine for IOU.

I just use Windows and I have a full CCIE lab for the INE books with a breakout switch and 4 other switches.

I've also had the exact same setup using Ubuntu. If you Google something like: CCIE INE Breakout Switch you will find tons of articles on how to setup GNS3 on Ubuntu or Windows for CCIE level training.
 
MysticRyuujin said:
If you're a GNS3 backer you can run it in Windows or Linux and use their OVA Virtual Machine for IOU.

I just use Windows and I have a full CCIE lab for the INE books with a breakout switch and 4 other switches.

I've also had the exact same setup using Ubuntu.
Click to expand...

The Dlink 580Tx Quad Nic Cards are not supported in Windows. There are no drivers for it and tried to find custom drivers but failed on this. Last Driver was Windows 2003 or sumthing. I chose these quad nics because of the reviews and comments stating its cheap and would work. Nowadays the cost of PCI-E have dropped but I am in too deep because my motherboard has 3PCI/2PCI-E Slots which is not enough to go with the newer Intel Quad Nic Cards. Long story short Linux is my only option.

Options
GNS3 Alpha 1 Beta Phase and official release to public slated for end of the year---Not interested in this option
Windows Enviroment---3x DLink 580TX Quad Nic Cards not supported
Breakout Switch along with 4 other switches. Depending on what models of the switch used can have issues w/ bidirectional cdp and not interested in buying 5 Switches
Hybrid GNS3 setup is the option I choose for now if I cant get it to work Ill maybe look into this further.
 
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You already said you're looking for a rack that can house 4 switches, you only need 1x breakout switch, a 3750 (that you said you already own) plus the 4 you're already planning on buying? Or did that change?
 
Sorry for the confusion I am looking to get 4 in total not 5 so 3 more from what I already have
 
This was my setup before putting it into a rack. One cable from computer to breakout switch.
bfp569.jpg

esri1t.jpg
 
Looks great but I am going w/ 3 more 3750's if I get4 in hand Ill consider the breakout switch method.
But for now I am trying to edit the network file
 
RemzRR said:
Thanks for the sticky.
Will definitely take a look
Skipped on over to Network section and ran this command
Showing a broadcast address which is odd. I should be able to make my own mac address but dont know if this is tied to IRQ sharing. Any thoughts on this ??


------------------@GNS3Lab:~$ ifconfig -a | grep eth
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:45
eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 40:16:7e:aa:be:de
eth2 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:46
eth3 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:47
eth4 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:e6:3e:48
eth5 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d2
eth6 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d3
eth7 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d4
eth8 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:05:5d:64:ad:d5
eth9 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:28
eth10 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff <--------------------------
eth11 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2a
eth12 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0d:88:fc:c2:2b
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's a little funky, could be due to the IRQ sharing but maybe just a hiccup in loading the kernel. Glad you're running regular expressions to filter already. Did you test ip configuration yet? May want to change that funky address and test on there as well to see if it has any other problems.
 
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