How Cisco Certification Putting Together Your Own Home Practice Lab

CCNA and CCNP candidates do not always hear: "Get some information". From my experience of climbing the Cisco certificate ladder, I can tell you for yourself that there is no such thing as a hands-on learning. There is no template in the world that will give you information that you will find in the cable and set your own routes. Every time I talked about this to one of my students, they always said it was too expensive. The fact is, it is cheaper now to build your own CCNA and CCNP lab than ever before. The secret? Logs used. The term "used" closes most people, and not many of us who buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, however, are robust. I personally carry a Cisco 4000 router that I use as a Frame Relay switch in my lab, which I have had for about four years, and I have never had a problem with. The good news is that the current CCNA and CCNP elections are interested in building their own laboratories using less expensive or less expensive Cisco equipment. Rebuy is a great way to get an idea of ​​what’s available and what the prices are, but you don’t have to cover your lab one piece at a time. Many eBay retailers that sell Cisco hardware sell CCNA labs and custom CCNP labs for the same price, including cables. I asked one major CCNA vendor and CCNP lab, what the most common questions were about building your home lab. Here is what they said: Why do I need real ornaments instead of pictures? You need a real route, as the templates do not have the ability to give you the "hands" you need to see what happens when you cut the cable or place the cable in the wrong place. You will soon find that the mistakes you make in Router 1 affect Router 5 because you do not wrap the cable properly. No analogy can mimic that. How many mice do I need? Two routers are really needed to see if something is working. If you have a limited budget, you can get value by buying one route using a template. However, you will not be able to see the key that we are trying to reach. Distribute a route table! The only way you can see if your configuration is working is to have at least two routers. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you purchase a dual router kit that comes with all the accessories you need. Otherwise, you could spend days trying to find all the extra pieces you need for your lab to work. Do I need a switch? Well, it's nice to have it. However, with only 2 questions in the given test "open hand" change the information, if you have to skip something, skip to the version. What carts and switches should I buy? Choices, choices, choices! What is my favorite 2500/2600 rut? I will list the pros and cons of each route below, as well as current prices (note that prices are usually lower when you buy a double router kit instead of a single router). Please note that prices are estimates. 1) Cisco 2501 Router with 16 MB Flash / DRAM, The cheapest introduction router, and can support many of the instructions you will need to read in your CCNA exam. All the 2500 routers we are talking about come with a minimum of two serial spaces and an Ethernet port. You will need to add a transceiver to this unit to convert the Ethernet AUI port into an ENT type Ethernet port. 2) Cisco 2503 Router with 16 MB Flash / DRAM,This is similar to the Cisco 2501, except that you can add an ISDN port so that you can complete all your ISDN CCNA exams. You will need to add a transceiver to convert the Ethernet AUI port into an RJ-45 style Ethernet port. 3) Cisco 2505/2507 with 16 MB Flash / DRAM,Same with the Cisco 2501 except it has an 8 or 16 built-in port hub so you don't have to buy a transceiver. 4) Cisco 2514 Router with 16 MB Flash /DRAM,This router is similar to the Cisco 2501 except that instead of one Ethernet port, you have two. You may ask, what’s the big deal? However, you can use this as a cable / DSL module. You can now test your ability to set firewall and router live online. Very sweet! You will need to add two transceivers to convert Ethernet AUI ports into RJ-45 style Ethernet ports. 5) Cisco 2520 Router with 16 MB Flash / DRAM, This is similar to 2503 but also add two more serial holes, so you can use them as a frame transfer switch later in your CCNA lessons. It costs about, 2503, so this is a great tip to save money. 6) Cisco 2612 Router with 32 DRAM and 8 MB Flash, $199 This is a modular router unlike any other 2500 series routers. So the main advantage of this is that you can purchase additional modules to add functionality such as multiple serial ports, ISDN ports, Ethernet ports, WIC ports and more. However, due to flexibility, you will pay less. One day, a private transfer switch, which follows your ISDN route. In time, it will be cheaper than buying a bunch of dedicated routers, discipline you want to read. 7) Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software, $109 This is a good replacement for low cost. The only drawback is the 10 MB switch without the two 100 MB connecting ports. Not a big deal as you have 10 MB of drive. 8) Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software, This switch will use all current commands required for testing and is a full 100 MB switch.