Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: To the quick Lab Flock Case Con
Region of your CCNA / CCNP cultivation is deciding what network topology to speak when you’re putting together your home 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 book of his Cisco routers and switches that he has within reach by reason of a home lab and asked in compensation my help in coming up with the paramount disposition to use them.
There is no “true” or “awry” plea to this theme; again, fragment of the learning 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 come up up with entire credible CCNA / CCNP digs lab setup.
The materiel list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial haven and 2 ethernet ports.
At one 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my personal favorite since home labs! These from 1 AUI refuge, 2 serial interfaces, and in unison BRI interface apiece.
Identical 2524 router. This has limerick serial mooring, 1 ethernet refuge, and unified 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, united 2924 change, and only 1924 switch.
Second, if you don’t arrange this much outfit to creation 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 sundry of my CCNA / CCNP home lab articles, an access server is a monstrous obsession to have. All he needs is an octal line to tie in his AS to the other devices we pick out to make use of, and he’s all set. (If you necessary an access server sampling configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Bailiwick Lab section.)
A frame relay lash is also huge to from, and the 4500 pleasure occasion a excellent FR switch. Having a construct relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a eximious way to collect face configuring and troubleshooting frame relay, an important knack seeking CCNA success.
I would set forth both of the 3620s on the support relay cloud via the Serial interface, as obviously as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that will be using frame relay to transmit, and that’s the most we can take since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 on need to be configured as a enclose relay switch and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you desideratum a scaffolding relay divert configuration, the unified I drink in my pods is on the website in the after all is said situation as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the schema relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The tellingly lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is life-or-death to cede to routers to reach via their BRI interfaces. Impartial pick up a couple of straight-through cables to connect those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that part is well-disposed to go. (Remember that you can’t fasten Cisco routers directly via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab have in the offing at least unified ethernet or AUI anchorage, so we can buckle them all to either the same of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to entertain practice with trunking, root unite election, and VLANs. Having two switches actually does count up fairly a minute to a CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab’s capabilities. You can investigate with diverse subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be on edge to nosedive in - that’s what a home base lab is all almost!
So now 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 straight away via their serial ports. For the benefit of this, you’ll by a hair’s breadth dearth another DTE/DCE cable. Sly how to convey up the activity between two directly connected serial ports is an important CCNA finesse, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be qualified to fetch such a relations up with your eyes closed, and once you work with your own CCNA / CCNP home lab, you’ll be able to!
Also, don’t lose to combine a loopback interface to each equal of your routers. I like to utility 1.1.1.1 in behalf of R1, 2.2.2.2 instead of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another great way to accumulate practice with SHOPLIFT, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and static routing.
We’ve enchanted a pile of routers and switches and turned them into a illusive CCNA / CCNP accommodation lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own impress upon lab topology is a immense erudition contact and the origin of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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