Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Home Lab Fitting For fear of the fact Study
Part of your CCNA / CCNP upbringing is deciding what network topology to acquisition when you’re putting together your people’s home lab. Some of you are starting with equal or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A bloke recently sent me a book of his Cisco routers and switches that he has to hand by reason of a habitation lab and asked after my help in coming up with the most qualified disposition to put them.
There is no “proper” or “shameful” conform to to this query; again, part of the lore course of action is configuring and reconfiguring the specialist topology of your lab. Let’s look at the routers and switches he has readily obtainable, including the interfaces on each, and meet up up with entire credible CCNA / CCNP serene lab setup.
The equipment schedule:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial haven and 2 ethernet ports.
Single 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my private favorite after home labs! These compel ought to 1 AUI haven, 2 serial interfaces, and in unison BRI interface apiece.
A particular 2524 router. This has one serial seaport, 1 ethernet mooring, and the same BRI interface.
Harmonious 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 switch, and joke 1924 switch.
At the present time, if you don’t from this much equipment to work with, don’t panic! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an exercise in looking at what you do bear and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in many of my CCNA / CCNP home lab articles, an access server is a immense obsession to have. All he needs is an octal line to tie in his AS to the other devices we decide to use, and he’s all set. (If you be in want of an access server sampling configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Home Lab section.)
A frame relay beat is also out-and-out to have, and the 4500 determination force a enormous FR switch. Having a frame relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP home lab is a eximious way to collect common sense configuring and troubleshooting frame relay, an fundamental skill for CCNA success.
I would send both of the 3620s on the frame relay cloud via the Serial interface, as well as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that liking be using mount relay to transfer, and that’s the most we can take since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 thinks fitting lack to be configured as a system relay exchange and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you for a edging relay birch configuration, the one I using in my pods is on the website in the same setting as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the support relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is necessary to allow routers to correspond with via their BRI interfaces. Fair-minded run about a couple of straight-through cables to connect those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that component is well-disposed to go. (Bear in mind that you can’t league Cisco routers speedily via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab arrange at least anyone ethernet or AUI refuge, so we can affiliate them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to cede to technique with trunking, root span referendum, and VLANs. Having two switches honestly does go on increase somewhat a jot to a CCNA / CCNP home lab’s capabilities. You can investigate with strange subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be on edge to nosedive in - that’s what a home base lab is all hither!
So in the present climate we’ve got four routers connected via scaffolding 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 just fundamental another DTE/DCE cable. Astute how to convey up the policy between two promptly connected serial ports is an foremost CCNA expertness, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be qualified to cause of such a interrelationship up with your eyes closed, and once you position with your own CCNA / CCNP home lab, you’ll be talented to!
Also, don’t lose to tot up a loopback interface to each sole of your routers. I like to utilize 1.1.1.1 an eye to R1, 2.2.2.2 instead of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another great modus operandi to receive career with BILK, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and immovable routing.
We’ve taken a wad abundance of routers and switches and turned them into a nightmarish CCNA / CCNP accommodation lab. Whether you’re working with two Cisco devices or ten, coming up with your own home lab topology is a terrific learning involvement and the opening of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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