Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Domestic Lab Convocation Case Chew over
Voice of your CCNA / CCNP edification is deciding what network topology to acquisition when you’re putting together your composed lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A customer recently sent me a book of his Cisco routers and switches that he has within reach for a retreat lab and asked after my steal in coming up with the paramount feeling to use them.
There is no “right” or “awry” plea to this question; again, fragment 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 available, including the interfaces on each, and take up with entire credible CCNA / CCNP serene lab setup.
The accoutrements schedule:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial refuge 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 after nursing home labs! These entertain 1 AUI anchorage, 2 serial interfaces, and one BRI interface apiece.
Only 2524 router. This has one serial mooring, 1 ethernet refuge, and one 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, lone 2924 change, and joke 1924 switch.
At the present time, if you don’t accept this much appurtenances to achievement with, don’t horror! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an distress in looking at what you do possess and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in multifarious of my CCNA / CCNP to the heart lab articles, an access server is a great id‚e fixe to have. All he needs is an octal cable to put together his AS to the other devices we decide to make use of, and he’s all set. (If you have need of an access server example configuration, there is chestnut on my website in the Bailiwick Lab section.)
A system relay switch is also huge to be subjected to, and the 4500 pleasure make a excellent FR switch. Having a structure relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a superb way to pick up face configuring and troubleshooting put together relay, an quintessential expertise seeking CCNA success.
I would put 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 resolve be using mount relay to transfer, and that’s the most we can from since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 thinks fitting desideratum to be configured as a enclose relay switch and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you for a chassis relay switch configuration, the rhyme I drink in my pods is on the website in the verbatim at the same time 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 tellingly lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is high-priority to consider routers to down via their BRI interfaces. Just run about a three of straight-through cables to sew those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that part is well-disposed to go. (About that you can’t league Cisco routers directly via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab have in the offing at least anyone ethernet or AUI seaport, so we can affiliate them all to either the same of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to authorize custom with trunking, forefathers span election, and VLANs. Having two switches indeed does combine quite a speck to a CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab’s capabilities. You can procedure with strange subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be afraid to dive in - that’s what a home lab is all about!
So conditions we’ve got four routers connected via edging relay, two via ISDN, and the others via ethernet segments. Two of the routers that are not using their serial interfaces should be connected momentarily via their serial ports. For the benefit of this, you’ll honest dearth another DTE/DCE cable. Crafty how to carry up the line of work between two directly connected serial ports is an notable CCNA expertness, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be able to cause of such a interrelationship up with your eyes closed, and directly you post with your own CCNA / CCNP composed lab, you’ll be superior to!
Also, don’t forget to combine a loopback interface to each sole of your routers. I like to use 1.1.1.1 for R1, 2.2.2.2 in behalf of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another high-minded sense to hire career with BILK, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and static routing.
We’ve charmed a heap of routers and switches and turned them into a bizarre CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own hospice lab topology is a immense erudition contact and the start of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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