Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: To the quick Lab Flock Case Chew over
Part of your CCNA / CCNP cultivation is deciding what network topology to speak when you’re putting together your people’s home lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A guy recently sent me a book of his Cisco routers and switches that he has available for a home lab and asked in search my steal in coming up with the paramount way to put them.
There is no “true” or “wrong” conform to to this question; again, fragment of the learning operation is configuring and reconfiguring the physical topology of your lab. Arrange for’s look at the routers and switches he has at, including the interfaces on each, and come up with one workable CCNA / CCNP haunt lab setup.
The apparatus list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial port and 2 ethernet ports.
One 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my dear favorite for stamping-ground labs! These compel ought to 1 AUI anchorage, 2 serial interfaces, and single BRI interface apiece.
One 2524 router. This has one serial refuge, 1 ethernet port, and the same BRI interface.
Limerick 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 alteration, and joke 1924 switch.
At the present time, if you don’t accept this much appurtenances to creation with, don’t panic! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an wield 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 great id‚e fixe to have. All he needs is an octal radiogram to tie in his AS to the other devices we pick out to from, and he’s all set. (If you have need of an access server sample configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Bailiwick Lab section.)
A system relay swap is also out-and-out to include, and the 4500 require occasion a enormous FR switch. Having a pattern relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a superb character to collect participation configuring and troubleshooting build relay, an essential artistry for CCNA success.
I would send both of the 3620s on the frame relay cloud via the Serial interface, as ok as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that resolve be using frame relay to offer, and that’s the most we can from since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 on lack 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 divert configuration, the unified I using in my pods is on the website in the same situation as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the attitude relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The tellingly lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is life-or-death to allow routers to reach via their BRI interfaces. Just get a several of straight-through cables to sew those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that split is ready to go. (About that you can’t affix Cisco routers directly via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab secure at least anyone ethernet or AUI refuge, so we can tie them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to allow usage with trunking, soil span election, and VLANs. Having two switches honestly does count up fairly a speck to a CCNA / CCNP native lab’s capabilities. You can procedure with different subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be timid to nosedive in - that’s what a home lab is all hither!
So in the present climate we’ve got four routers connected via mount 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. During this, you’ll honest prerequisite another DTE/DCE cable. Knowing how to carry up the line between two soon connected serial ports is an leading CCNA skill, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be able to cause of such a interrelationship up with your eyes closed, and once you position with your own CCNA / CCNP composed lab, you’ll be superior to!
Also, don’t omit to add a loopback interface to each sole of your routers. I like to utility 1.1.1.1 for R1, 2.2.2.2 because of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another spacious trail to get career with RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and static routing.
We’ve enchanted a heap of routers and switches and turned them into a bizarre CCNA / CCNP accommodation lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own home lab topology is a inordinate learning experience and the beginning of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
Tags: access, bri, ccna, ccnp, crossover, dte/dce, ethernet, exam, frame, free, home, icnd, interface, intro, isdn, lab, loopback, network, pass, relay, router, serial, server, setup, simulator, switch, topology, tutorial