CCNAs and CCNA candidates hear it all the time: ???Get some hands-on experience???. From my personal experience climbing the Cisco certification ladder, I can tell you firsthand that there is no learning like hands-on learning. No simulator in the world is going to give you the experience you will get cabling and configuring your own routers.
Whenever I mention this to one of my students, they always say it costs too much. The truth is, it is cheaper now to build your own CCNA and CCNP lab than it has ever been. The secret? Used routers.
The word ???used??? turns off a lot of people; not many of us buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, though, are robust; I personally own a Cisco 4000 router that I use as a Frame Relay switch in my lab that I???ve had for about four years, and I???ve never had a problem with it.
The good news for current CCNA and CCNP candidates interested in building their own labs is that used Cisco equipment has never been more plentiful or cheaper. eBay is a good way to get an idea of what???s out there and what the prices are, but you don???t have to assemble your lab one piece at a time. Many eBay vendors who sell used Cisco equipment sell ready-made CCNA and CCNP labs for one price, including cables.
I asked one major vendor of CCNA and CCNP labs, www.ciscokits.com, what the most common questions are regarding building your own home lab. Here???s what they had to say:
Why do I need real routers instead of a simulator?
You need a physical router as the simulators just don???t have the ability to give you the ???hands on??? you need to see what happens when you disconnect a cable or put a cable in the wrong location. You will come to find quite quickly that mistakes you make on Router 1 are affecting Router 5 all because you did not screw in a cable properly. No simulator can simulate that.
How many routers do I need?
Two routers really are required to see if anything works. If you have a very limited budget, you can receive value from only purchasing a single router over working with a simulator. However, you will not be able to see the main thing we are trying to accomplish. The propagation of route tables! The only way you can see if your configurations work, 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 can spend days trying to find all the little extra pieces you need to get your lab up and running.
Do I need a switch?
Well, it is nice to have. However, with only about 2 questions on the test dedicated to ???hands on??? switch knowledge, if you have to skimp on something, skimp on the switch.
What routers and switches should I buy?
Choices, choices, choices! Which 2500/2600 router do I pick? I will list some pros and cons of each router below, along with current prices (note that prices are generally lower if you buy a dual router kit instead of a single router):
1) Cisco 2501 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $94.99. The cheapest introduction router, and it can support a vast majority of the commands that you will need to learn for your CCNA test. All 2500 routers that we will discuss come with a minimum of two serial ports and an Ethernet port. You will need to add a transceiver to this unit to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.
2) Cisco 2503 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same as a Cisco 2501, except it adds an ISDN port so you can complete all your ISDN commands for the CCNA test. You will need to add a transceiver to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.
3) Cisco 2505/2507 with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $109.99. The same as a Cisco 2501 except it has a built-in 8 or 16 port hub so you do not have to purchase a transceiver.
4) Cisco 2514 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $149.99. This router is the same as a Cisco 2501 except instead of one Ethernet port you have two. You may ask, what is the big deal? Well, you can use this as your Cable Modem/DSL Modem router. Now you can test your ability to setup a firewall and router in a live environment on the Internet. Lots of fun! You will need to add two transceivers to convert the Ethernet AUI ports to an RJ-45 style Ethernet ports.
5) Cisco 2520 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same as a 2503 but it also adds two more serial ports so you can use this as a frame relay switch later in your CCNA studies. It costs the same as a 2503, so this is a great money saving tip.
6) Cisco 2612 Router with 32 DRAM and 8 MB Flash $199.99. This is a modular router unlike any of the 2500 series routers. So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, ISDN ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your ISDN router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline you want to learn.
7) Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software $109.99. This is a good low cost switch.. The only draw back is it is a 10 MB switch except for the two 100 MB uplink ports. Not a big deal since you have 10 MB routers.
8) Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software $249.99. This switch will run all the current commands needed for the test and is a full 100 MB switch.
And should you desire to sell your lab after you complete your certification, you can either negotiate a price with the vendor who sold it to you, or you can sell it yourself on ebay. It???s my experience that 95% of candidates who earn their CCNA go on to pursue their CCNP within one year, though, so don???t sell it too quickly.
In the end, you spend only a few hundred dollars, and you gain invaluable experience and knowledge that will help you both in your certification quest and your job performance. Having been there, I can tell you that you will learn much more from actually configuring and cabling your own equipment than you ever will from any simulation of the real thing.
To your success,
Chris Bryant, CCIE (TM) #12933, has been active in the Cisco certification community for years. He has written several books that have helped CCNA candidates around the world achieve the coveted CCNA certification, including several concentrating on binary math conversions and subnetting questions that the average CCNA candidate will need to answer on their CCNA exams.
He is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (http://www.thebryantadvantage.com) where he teaches affordable world-class CCNA courses via the Internet, and sells his popular Cisco certification books. He???s proud to have helped CCNA candidates around the world achieve their career goals. Mr. Bryant???s books and courses are sold on his site, on eBay, and on several other major Cisco certification sites.
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carAre you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More
When you turn on your computer, does it act like... Read More
Have you ever thought about building your own computer system?... Read More
1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More
PDA Medical BenefitsIf you are concerned about your medical history,... Read More
While most small businesses really do need to find a... Read More
Many computer users are worried about their computer's performance. After... Read More
Are you stymied by the vast offerings in cheap mp3... Read More
MP3 players are Hot! Playing music has come a long... Read More
If you're a computer expert, you'll probably already know about... Read More
1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any... Read More
Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures... Read More
So you've got some spyware, ad-ware, or viruses on your... Read More
For those seeking to buy their first flat panel TV... Read More
"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More
JPEG, GIFF/JIFF, BMP, and TIFF are the most commonly used... Read More
Tip #1. Do a Google search. Don't be to general... Read More
Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to... Read More
Upgrading your processor will always speed up your computer, but... Read More
iPod users start to get the picture and it's turning... Read More
Cookies, not the kind that Mom makes, but the computer... Read More
If you're like me, you occasionally find the ubiquitous mouse... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
It seems like fast never quite rates fast enough.No matter... Read More
It's free, it comes with Windows and it's used by... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..MP3 players are Hot! Playing music has come a long... Read More
A computer needs a certain amount of information to operate;... Read More
Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More
Addressing a D2X Digital SLRCoolpix 8800 search, this article provides... Read More
BIOS - Basic Input Output SystemThe central processing unit of... Read More
IF WE say that it was mainly because of the... Read More
The DNS (Domain Name System) servers are what your computer... Read More
All of us are familiar with the pyramids of Egypt.... Read More
"Aaaaaahhhhhh! I've been invaded by a virus!" Getting a virus... Read More
Most people download and save so much information on their... Read More
Ad Blocking is getting to be a common sport on... Read More
I recently took a good look at what was keeping... Read More
With a little tweaking and with proper tools, you can... Read More
Are you thinking of buying an Apple iPod? Or have... Read More
Tip #1. Do a Google search. Don't be to general... Read More
When browsing the internet you are likely to come across... Read More
Millions have enjoyed recorded music since 1877 when Thomas Edison... Read More
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is part... Read More
You don't have to fork out $250 for a super-diggy-whizbang... Read More
Webmasters usually sit at their computers much longer in a... Read More
Upgrading your processor will always speed up your computer, but... Read More
Getting a new computer should be an exciting and gratifying... Read More
Microsoft Business Solutions is on the way to popularize it's... Read More
World War II - Germany decided to attack Poland. Poland... Read More
I recently got an e-mail asking about virtual memory. The... Read More
Personal Technology |