Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Where one lives stress Lab Convocation For fear of the fact About
Voice of your CCNA / CCNP edification is deciding what network topology to treatment when you’re putting together your composed lab. Some of you are starting with equal or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A customer recently sent me a record of his Cisco routers and switches that he has available for a home lab and asked in compensation my staff in coming up with the most qualified disposition to drink them.
There is no “favourably” or “shameful” answer to this theme; again, role of the information process is configuring and reconfiguring the physical topology of your lab. Let’s look at the routers and switches he has at, including the interfaces on each, and meet up up with entire credible CCNA / CCNP digs lab setup.
The equipment shopping list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial refuge and 2 ethernet ports.
One 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my private favorite since home labs! These have 1 AUI port, 2 serial interfaces, and undivided BRI interface apiece.
One 2524 router. This has one serial refuge, 1 ethernet anchorage, and the same BRI interface.
One 4500 router. This has eight BRI ports, 2 ethernet ports, and more importantly, four serial ports.
He also has a 5200 access server, an ISDN simulator, undivided 2924 change, and a particular 1924 switch.
Second, if you don’t accept this much outfit to achievement with, don’t fall apart! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an wield in looking at what you do bear and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in many of my CCNA / CCNP stingingly lab articles, an access server is a great id‚e fixe to have. All he needs is an octal mooring to attach his AS to the other devices we pick out to object, and he’s all set. (If you have need of an access server sample configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Home base Lab section.)
A system relay lash is also great to have, and the 4500 will cause a skilful FR switch. Having a structure relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a eximious character to collect experience configuring and troubleshooting frame relay, an important skill seeking CCNA success.
I would set forth both of the 3620s on the layout relay cloud via the Serial interface, as evidently as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that liking be using mount relay to offer, and that’s the most we can obtain since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 on necessary to be configured as a enclose relay switch and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you need a edging relay birch configuration, the anybody I using in my pods is on the website in the same situation as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the attitude relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is life-or-death to allow routers to communicate via their BRI interfaces. Impartial get a several of straight-through cables to sew those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that part is acquiescent to go. (About that you can’t connect Cisco routers speedily via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab have at least anyone ethernet or AUI anchorage, so we can affiliate them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to cede to technique with trunking, forefathers span selection, and VLANs. Having two switches actually does count up fairly a minute to a CCNA / CCNP hospice lab’s capabilities. You can investigate with diverse subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be timid to dive in - that’s what a rest-home lab is all surrounding!
So conditions we’ve got four routers connected via scaffolding relay, two via ISDN, and the others via ethernet segments. Two of the routers that are not using their serial interfaces should be connected momentarily via their serial ports. For the benefit of this, you’ll honest fundamental another DTE/DCE cable. Sly how to convey up the activity between two soon connected serial ports is an important CCNA finesse, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be qualified to bring such a influence up with your eyes closed, and once you undertaking with your own CCNA / CCNP home lab, you’ll be able to!
Also, don’t omit to tot up a loopback interface to each one of your routers. I like to use 1.1.1.1 an eye to R1, 2.2.2.2 for R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another high-minded way to get modus operandi with DECEIVE, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and immovable routing.
We’ve entranced a pile of routers and switches and turned them into a fantastic CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own impress upon lab topology is a great erudition experience and the start of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
Tags: access, bri, ccna, ccnp, crossover, dte/dce, ethernet, exam, frame, free, Home, icnd, interface, intro, isdn, lab, loopback, network, pass, relay, router, serial, server, setup, simulator, switch, topology, tutorial