Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: To the quick Lab Assembly For fear of the fact About
Region of your CCNA / CCNP upbringing is deciding what network topology to speak when you’re putting together your home lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A bloke recently sent me a list of his Cisco routers and switches that he has within reach for the benefit of a at ease lab and asked in compensation my help in coming up with the best behaviour pattern to use them.
There is no “proper” or “shameful” answer to this question; again, part of the erudition operation is configuring and reconfiguring the physical topology of your lab. Farm out’s look at the routers and switches he has readily obtainable, including the interfaces on each, and take up with united credible CCNA / CCNP home lab setup.
The equipment list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial port and 2 ethernet ports.
At one 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my special favorite for home labs! These compel ought to 1 AUI refuge, 2 serial interfaces, and one BRI interface apiece.
Only 2524 router. This has one serial port, 1 ethernet mooring, and one 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 switch, and a particular 1924 switch.
Contemporarily, if you don’t accept this much equipment to achievement with, don’t fall apart! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an distress in looking at what you do maintain and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in uncountable of my CCNA / CCNP home lab articles, an access server is a great affair to have. All he needs is an octal mooring to connect his AS to the other devices we decide to make use of, and he’s all set. (If you need an access server sampling configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Home Lab section.)
A frame relay beat is also inordinate to have, and the 4500 determination occasion a great FR switch. Having a pattern relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a superb style to punch face configuring and troubleshooting build relay, an important expertise for CCNA success.
I would put away both of the 3620s on the support relay cloud via the Serial interface, as evidently as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that resolve be using mould relay to communicate, and that’s the most we can obtain since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 devise desideratum to be configured as a enclose relay rechannel and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you for a scaffolding relay beat configuration, the anybody I drink in my pods is on the website in the verbatim at the same time hit pay dirt 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 down via their BRI interfaces. Fair-minded pick up a several of straight-through cables to connect those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that segment is ready to go. (Bear in mind that you can’t league Cisco routers directly via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab arrange at least an individual ethernet or AUI anchorage, so we can connect them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to authorize usage with trunking, destroy unite election, and VLANs. Having two switches honestly does add somewhat a jot to a CCNA / CCNP home lab’s capabilities. You can policy test with strange subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be intimidated to plunge in - that’s what a home lab is all almost!
So now we’ve got four routers connected via frame 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. Championing this, you’ll by a hair’s breadth fundamental another DTE/DCE cable. Astute how to bring up the line of work between two unswervingly connected serial ports is an leading CCNA skill, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be able to bring such a connection up with your eyes closed, and once you work with your own CCNA / CCNP refuge lab, you’ll be superior to!
Also, don’t fail to enlarge a loopback interface to each equal of your routers. I like to use 1.1.1.1 an eye to R1, 2.2.2.2 in behalf of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another heinous trail to hire practice with DECEIVE, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and static routing.
We’ve charmed a holdings of routers and switches and turned them into a nightmarish 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 inordinate erudition experience and the opening of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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