Home lab for CCNP and CCSP 1

[Microbyte]

Can anyone give me an advice or two about which routers, switches and other network devices are helpful for CCNP and CCSP studies?
i am thinking of buying them, most like from ebay.
my spending limit is around $1500, although i can stretch it more if it required.
thanks in advance!

 

[Jsteve]

$1500 could get you some good Items

6 2500s full blown 16/16 about $100 a piece
2 1900 for $160
PIX 501 for $500
Cisco Cat5000 switch $350
Cables $100

IMO

 

[wybnormal]

You had better revamp the lab list. The 5K with the correct Ethernet blade will run more then 350. You need at the least a SUPII, better is the SUPIII with the flash card slot to practice loading, unloading code from bootflash and flash cards. Correct configuration also means the 10/100 Ethernet blade will trunk with 802.1q and provide etherchannel.. many of the Cats do not have this blade. They have the cheeseball 10Mbps blades. Samething for the 2500s.. no 802.1q or SSH on a 2500. You need the 2600 which is NOT 100 bucks a pop, more like 1200 bucks a pop. The 1900s have no place for a CCNP study lab, the test is based on 2900 series which is an IOS based switch and you HAVE to know the interface. CCNP also spends ALOT of time with ISDN and remote dialup due to the failover and backup link studies. So if you are serious, you are looking at a ISDN simulator at 699 new, possibly used off Ebay.

MikeS


Find me at

http://www.packetattack.com

"Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots."
Sun Tzu

 

[Syty]

I agree with most of what I've seen. I personally run my 2511 to a 2507 wtih ethernet capability. Keeps me in a production environement

Then I have
1 x 2511 = 130
1 x 2522 = 300
2 x 2503 = 100 a piece
3 x 2507 = 80 - 100 a piece
2 x 2501 = 100 a piece
2 x 2912 switches = 100-150 a piece

All of my routers are 16/16 and Enterprise IOS.

The 2610 is a good replacement for the 2522. It's modular, but no need. the only other thing that a 2610 provides is a dual LAN (2 Ethernet port) capability. Again, 2514 will do the same thing. And the modular 2500s are 2524 and 2525. Another thought is a 7000 chassis for 100 bucks (shipping just sucks, but hey, one time deal), the blades you can purchase to what your next leg is in CCNP, etc.... 7000 and an ISDN Sim will leave you everything you need, except ATM.

I currently carry MCP, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA, and CCDA. Microsoft I've been doing for years and years, but my lab certainly supports CCNP studies and a hybrid production network. I'll tell you that Cisco wants you to know the IOS based swithces, but the 2900's if purchased with the right images will do everything you need, I'm running NAT, PAT, CBAC, Frame Relay, OSPF in Broadcast, NBMA, OSPF in multiple areas, Route Redistribution with RIPv1, My 2507 is a DHCP server for two remote subnets with IP Helper address assigned at gateways, I redirect and server web pages over my interfaces and overload the ISP Cable connection. and 802.1q on my switches for Trunking. you'll need tunneling later....

All of this I bought for less than 1500 bucks. 2600s are Great, the perfect switch 3550s are 3 grand, but a 2900 maxed out can do most of what you need to do.

don't get confused by DOT1q on 2500s, your switches run it and VTP, pruning, etc.....

The most important things to have are the IOS versions at 12 or greater (your tested on it). that's the reason for 16/16 MB requirements, and the interfaces that you haev available to you.


Patience is key to the buy this at $1500. the prices have stayed up a little bit since the holiday and tax time won't help much either. Good Luck ......

 

[Syty]

Hey MikeS,

Like the website.

good look at your lab. That will cost you a little more than $1500 Microbyte

Regards All,

 

[Microbyte]

according to wybnormal, i guess i need to flip more burgers!
Cisco 2600s costing a grand each is way too over my budget.

1 Catalyst 5000 with Supervisor II or III
1 or 2 Catalyst 2900s
1 Pix 501
1 ISDN simulator
6 Cisco full blown 2500s routers

I'll see what I can do with this list.
thanks guys, i guess i need to jot these list carefully.
Please keep me posted if I need something else.

Microbyte

 

[Syty]

Heads up, a PIX 501e, will run $850 bucks, but it's the size of an external modem and it rules........

There are other 501 models, some are pretty big.
Get a picture....

hah..

 

[wybnormal]

Just for the record, I used the cat5K for my CCNP with a Sup2 and the 10/100 12 port blade. I hung a 2620 off it as a one legged poor man's RSM to provide routing between VLANs using 802.1Q and ISL (which is still on the CCNP test if I recall correctly). You have to know your SET commands for the CCNP and the 2900 wont do it. The 3550s are sweet but pricy right now. The 5K is a beast but "cheap".

My record here at Tek-tips says it all about using SIMs instead of real equipment. Get the equipment. Most of the SIMs are junk. Some of the newest CCNA router sims are not bad but the switch sims are pretty lame. I have not seen a decent ISDN sim aside from hooking to AUX ports back to back and faking it. But even that is limited.

A PIX501 can be had for about 370 new in the box with careful shopping. A few months ago the upgrade to 3DES was a freebie from Cisco. I built a frankenPIX for about 650 which gives me inside, outside and 2 DMZ ports. Again, there is not any sub for experience when dealing with the PIX. The sims do not sim fatfingering the config and you spending too many hours trying to figure out why it doesnt work ASk me how I know that one ..

Along the line of routers.. something to consider is the 1602 which has a 56K switched WAN port. You can hook these back to back and sim a WAN link with CSU/DSUs since it's all built in. Very handy to know in the real world. Also, the 1605 is dual eithernet and while it's a bit more then the 2514, it's very quit since there is not a fan and much smaller in size for the space challenged lab.

MikeS


Find me at

http://www.packetattack.com

"Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots."
Sun Tzu

 

[eurobadger]

Hi

I did the CCNP recertification exam last week.

The CCNP has moved away from 5000. The set commands are no more, and the questions all relate to IOS-based switches.

The current devices in the Cisco Press books are 3550 & 6500 switches and 2600 routers, and all the simluation questions in these books refer only to 3550 and 2600, running 12.2 or later software.

EB

 

[wybnormal]

Interesting but I still see this:

From the Cert contents on Cisco's site:
"Convert CatOS to native IOS on Catalyst switches and manage native IOS images according to best practices"

Also, in the newest "CCNP Cisco Networking Academy Program: Multilayer Switching Companion Guide" they still talk about the CAT5K. All of my instructors have said over and over, if the info is in the book, you can be tested on it.

Pages 324-328 with samples to work on. 334 -360again for MLS

The Cat5K is out of the CCIE testing but it appears it's still a part of the CCNP although a minor part.

This tells me you had still had better know SET commands to come up with the same equivilent on an IOS based switch. I guess you could get a 6500 CAT but the 5K is still cheaper.

MikeS


Find me at

http://www.packetattack.com

"Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots."
Sun Tzu

 

[Jsteve]

Cat 5K is the way to go. although the blades may cost you. I paid $1000 for my RSM. My SupII wnet bad and I brought a SupIII w/ NFFC for about $400.

 

[Jsteve]

Also i got a 2600 w/ 4 serial port blade, 1 Eth port and 1Bri port for $600.

 

[wybnormal]

I will add that 1500 can buy ALOT of online lab time plus labs to work through. When I first set up my own lab, there were not many labs to choose from. In the last year or two, things have changed alot. virtually anyone with extra equipment has hung out the sign, "lab for rent" so you might want to rethink the building of a lab. Or scale it down to 3 or 4 cheap routers and the rent lab time for the big cats, 3550s and ISDN.

MikeS


Find me at

http://www.packetattack.com

"Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots."
Sun Tzu

 

[Microbyte]

boy...i do have a lot on my mind now~



Microbyte