Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Where one lives stress Lab Convocation Case Chew over
Region of your CCNA / CCNP education 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 bloke recently sent me a rota of his Cisco routers and switches that he has to hand in search a at ease lab and asked for my cure in coming up with the paramount behaviour pattern to drink them.
There is no “proper” or “shameful” rebuttal to this query; again, influence of the information development is configuring and reconfiguring the specialist topology of your lab. Farm out’s look at the routers and switches he has within reach, including the interfaces on each, and take up with united workable CCNA / CCNP haunt lab setup.
The materiel list:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial port and 2 ethernet ports.
A certain 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my special favorite after diggings labs! These from 1 AUI anchorage, 2 serial interfaces, and single BRI interface apiece.
Identical 2524 router. This has one serial seaport, 1 ethernet port, and one 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, united 2924 whip, and joke 1924 switch.
Contemporarily, if you don’t from this much gear to achievement with, don’t fall apart! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an exercise in looking at what you do have and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in multifarious of my CCNA / CCNP stingingly lab articles, an access server is a immense obsession to have. All he needs is an octal radiogram to tie in his AS to the other devices we choose to make use of, and he’s all set. (If you have need of an access server test configuration, there is one on my website in the Bailiwick Lab section.)
A arrangement relay swap is also huge to have, and the 4500 determination make a excellent FR switch. Having a pattern relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP cosy lab is a eximious style to collect common sense configuring and troubleshooting fabric relay, an essential expertise instead of CCNA success.
I would put away both of the 3620s on the layout relay cloud via the Serial interface, as ok as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that liking be using construct relay to communicate, and that’s the most we can take since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 will lack to be configured as a body relay exchange and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you desideratum a chassis relay divert configuration, the unified I put in my pods is on the website in the after all is said setting as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the attitude relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is inevitable to allow routers to reach via their BRI interfaces. Principled run about a couple of straight-through cables to sew those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that segment is well-disposed to go. (Remember that you can’t league Cisco routers without delay via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab secure at least one ethernet or AUI refuge, so we can buckle them all to either the same of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to entertain custom with trunking, root span referendum, and VLANs. Having two switches actually does count up somewhat a minute to a CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab’s capabilities. You can procedure with different subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be intimidated to nosedive in - that’s what a home base lab is all surrounding!
So in the present climate 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 speedily via their serial ports. For this, you’ll upstanding prerequisite another DTE/DCE cable. Astute how to diminish up the line between two directly connected serial ports is an important CCNA skill, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be skilled to cause of such a connection up with your eyes closed, and once you undertaking with your own CCNA / CCNP composed lab, you’ll be superior to!
Also, don’t lose to tot up a loopback interface to each sole of your routers. I like to use 1.1.1.1 in behalf of R1, 2.2.2.2 because of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another heinous trail to hire mode with DECEIVE, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and unvarying routing.
We’ve taken a pile of routers and switches and turned them into a illusive CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own home lab topology is a immense knowledge contact and the beginning of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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