network equipment question

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moose517

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Feb 28, 2009
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Hi guys, i'm back again. I have a few questions that i have searched the internet for and can't seem to find a definite answer.

1) I have been looking at the cisco 851w or 857w DSL routers. Would these work for verizon DSL service. This would take place of the westell that verizon provided right?

2) I have found a really good deal on a cisco catalyst 1900 switch, does this switch need configured or can i just plug in and connect my computers and be set? Reason i ask is i don't know how to configure any cisco hardware but i want to learn, i see this mentioned oftentimes, or would the 2924xl be a better choice, i have found a good deal on one of those as well.

3) Eventually i want to study and take the CCNA cert exam, what would many of you suggest for the hardware for this?

4) I would like to find a rack for the switch and stuff, anyone know of a decently priced like 15u or so rack?

5) I know many of you use patch panels to connect your equipment to the rest of the household network, since i'm running cables from other computers directly to my current switch would i need to bother with a patch panel or can i just plug directly to cisco equipment?

I think thats it for now, appreciate your time, this site is awesome, i find myself sitting here for hours looking over your equpment setups and it makes me really envious
 
2. 2924xl would be a better choice, as it is a 10/100 switch whereas the 1900 series is 10Mb with 2 10/100 ports. Usually.

3. If you want hardware to play with, you can get by with 2500 series routers, but if you plan on going higher than the CCNA to the CCNP or beyond, then look into the 2600XM and 3600 series (3640 or better). And try and get a 2950 or better switch.

4. Skeletek is a great, low cost solution for racks.

5. I wouldn't worry about a patch panel in that situation. I don't, as I'm continuously moving cables around...
 
thanks for that info Ur_Mom, i went ahead and got the 2 1900's anyways, can't beat 14 bucks for 2 of them, something to play around with LOL. I am still going to look into a 2924xl because i know it will do the 10/100. Since it was a little more even on ebay i decided to wait till i know i can actually configure the 1900 and be fine.
 
The majority of the 1900's are a menu based IOS, nothing like the standard IOS of the 2900 and above series. The 2924 has a lot of limitations, but you should be able to work through them for the CCNA.

Great deal on the 1900's. I sold 3 2500 routers and 2 1900's for $60 on Craigslist so I could upgrade to some better stuff. :D
 
alrighty, anybody know about question 1? still need to know if its possible to use this with verizon DSL. I will look into the 2500 series routers, they seem to be going pretty darn cheap, if i decide to go for the CCNP afterwards i will sell what i have for better equipment :D:D. I would rather spend as little as possible to start to make sure i can actually do this(I'm pretty sure i can, i do some pretty complex computer programming stuff).
 
I'm back with a couple more questions. I'm hopefully going to be doing some network upgrades here in the next week but have a few questions first

1) My home server has a 1 port intel NIC, would adding another one be about the same as just buying and replacing with a dual port one? As in would 2 of the 1 port NIC's give me about the same performance as just 1 dual port nic?

2) Does the DGS-2205/2208 support Spanning tree protocol? I really need to know cause i plan on putting 1 2208 and 2 2205's in a ring to help with bandwidth throughout the house.

3) I am planning on making my own network cables from now on, i wanna get a 1000ft roll of it, which would be better for making patch cables, solid or stranded? I assume stranded but not sure.

I Thinks thats it for now, thanks for your time
 
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moose517 said:
3) I am planning on making my own network cables from now on, i wanna get a 1000ft roll of it, which would be better for making patch cables, solid or stranded? I assume stranded but not sure.
Click to expand...

My preference is stranded for patch cables.
 
OmegaAvenger hit the nail on the head right there.
I prefer stranded because of it's increased flexibility for going from jack to computer but from jack to closet I used solid.
 
Also if you need alot of short cables and you dont need them immediately, its better to buy them online (or locally if they are cheap locally) in bulk and save some $$$.

deepsurplus.com and monoprice.com are good that.
 
Well see i had thought about just getting a bunch of different lengths of cable but after thinking about it, with wanting to study for the CCNA with my home lab I'm assembling i figured i should just learn to make my own, cause i'm not sure how many crossover cables and what not i will need, and if i just get a huge roll of cable then at least i know i won't have to wait on someone to ship me a couple because i forgot one. Thanks for the help though, like i said i was pretty sure i would want stranded but i figured i would ask you experts first.
 
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