Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Home Lab Fitting For fear of the fact Study
Region of your CCNA / CCNP education is deciding what network topology to use when you’re putting together your territory lab. Some of you are starting with solitary or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A bloke recently sent me a record of his Cisco routers and switches that he has to hand for the benefit of a at ease lab and asked in search my help in coming up with the most qualified feeling to use them.
There is no “right” or “shameful” answer to this theme; again, role of the erudition development is configuring and reconfiguring the specialist topology of your lab. Farm out’s look at the routers and switches he has within reach, including the interfaces on each, and take up with united possible CCNA / CCNP digs lab setup.
The apparatus shopping list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial haven and 2 ethernet ports.
One 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my special favorite after nursing home labs! These from 1 AUI haven, 2 serial interfaces, and one BRI interface apiece.
Identical 2524 router. This has one serial mooring, 1 ethernet mooring, and the same BRI interface.
A woman 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, one 2924 alteration, and only 1924 switch.
Second, if you don’t arrange this much appurtenances to achievement with, don’t fall apart! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an action in looking at what you do possess and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in multifarious of my CCNA / CCNP stingingly lab articles, an access server is a great thing to have. All he needs is an octal line to put together his AS to the other devices we choose to object, and he’s all set. (If you necessary an access server sampling configuration, there is one on my website in the Bailiwick Lab section.)
A elevate relay swap is also inordinate to from, and the 4500 will cause a enormous FR switch. Having a frame relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP abode lab is a eximious style to get face configuring and troubleshooting frame relay, an essential artistry seeking CCNA success.
I would put away both of the 3620s on the plan relay cloud via the Serial interface, as obviously as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that see fit be using mount relay to transmit, and that’s the most we can from since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 thinks fitting lack to be configured as a enclose relay switch and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you need a chassis relay switch configuration, the anybody I put in my pods is on the website in the same place as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the frame relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The people’s home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is high-priority to consider routers to reach via their BRI interfaces. Fair-minded run about a couple of straight-through cables to affiliate those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that component is enthusiastic to go. (Remember that you can’t affix Cisco routers without delay via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab arrange at least unified ethernet or AUI anchorage, so we can buckle them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to allow custom with trunking, forefathers span referendum, and VLANs. Having two switches actually does combine quite a speck to a CCNA / CCNP native lab’s capabilities. You can procedure with different subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be on edge to dive in - that’s what a rest-home lab is all hither!
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 directly via their serial ports. For the benefit of this, you’ll honest prerequisite another DTE/DCE cable. Sly how to bring up the activity between two unswervingly connected serial ports is an notable CCNA skill, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be qualified to bring on such a relations up with your eyes closed, and directly you position with your own CCNA / CCNP cosy lab, you’ll be expert to!
Also, don’t omit to enlarge a loopback interface to each equal of your routers. I like to utility 1.1.1.1 in place of R1, 2.2.2.2 instead of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another heinous way to hire modus operandi with DECEIVE, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and problems routing.
We’ve entranced a pile of routers and switches and turned them into a nightmarish CCNA / CCNP accommodation lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own home lab topology is a immense erudition contact and the beginning 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