CCNA lab - again!

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

You'll need minimum 3 x 2610, although 2611's would better, anything with a pair of ethernet port and 2 x cat 2950 switches

The routers will need serial interfaces, 4 x WIC-1T's

2 x DTC/DCE back to back cables

and the usual straight and cross over ethernet cabs

 

Could I pick your brains as well, Mr Lab Rat, and ask what you think is minimum for the CCENT.
I'm not planning on doing the full CCNA yet so would be looking for kit which is reasonably future proof and scalable to CCNA specs.
From what I've seen of the CCENT (i.e.passed the online CCENT my work provides) it doesn't seem as if I need to do much more than get some hands-on with the IOS, in which case a router could be sufficient (at least, my wallet hopes it is)

 

Or what about this Dynamips I keep seeing being mentioned places??

 

We don't speak of that here

Good Luck Sparky!

 

I shall go and castigate myself for mentioning bad things!

 

Yep it's a pity though! Cisco's own forums don't even mind

 

I have a CCNA kit of years of old. It's made up of two 2500s and a 2600, coupled with two 2900XL switches. They're running 12.1 and the kit came with the Cisco Press books for the CCNA and everything else that is needed. Obviously I am using aged pieces of kit, but you get the idea of what is needed.

 

Packet tracer is enough to pass the CCNA. AS far as I recall it has all the functionality to do all the labs required.

 

Packet tracer will get you through the exam but it doesnt support some of the commands for example punning.

 

The IOS supports joke telling now too ? What'll they think of next.

 

Hi,

I would get 3 x 2611XM routers with 128MB Dram and 32MB or 48MB Flash. That way you will have two fast ethernet interfaces to play with and these routers (with correct IOS image) can do everything in CCNP too. You will need some WIC-2T cards or WIC-1T (2 per router) for serial connectivity. The 2621XM is just as good if you see one cheaper. Important bit is the XM! They also run SDM etc

For Switches, the 2950-12 is hard to beat.

Hope that helps

 

For entry level certs like CCENT and CCNA, a software based network simulator is recommended. They come with scores of labs preloaded. You can also check out h??p://routersimulator.certexams.com/network-simulator-designer.html
See several labs here h??p://routersimulator.certexams.com/router-labs/index.html
As you can see in the web page, 100+ labs are available. Further, the software allows you to design your own labs.

Note: just replace h??p with http

 

packet tracer is a network simulator.....I'd also say the recommended path would be to use real equipment, and then network simulator software in the event you can't afford/get access to real kit.