Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Home Lab Convocation For fear of the fact Con
Voice of your CCNA / CCNP edification 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 character recently sent me a record of his Cisco routers and switches that he has available in search a retreat lab and asked in search my help in coming up with the paramount disposition to turn to account them.
There is no “proper” or “wrong” plea to this question; again, part of the erudition operation is configuring and reconfiguring the physical topology of your lab. Farm out’s look at the routers and switches he has at, including the interfaces on each, and come up with ditty achievable CCNA / CCNP digs lab setup.
The accoutrements schedule:
Two 3620 routers. Each has 1 serial port and 2 ethernet ports.
At one 3640 router. This has two ethernet cards, each with two ports, and two AUI ports.
Three 2503s, my special favorite after stamping-ground labs! These compel ought to 1 AUI refuge, 2 serial interfaces, and one BRI interface apiece.
One 2524 router. This has one serial seaport, 1 ethernet anchorage, 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, lone 2924 alteration, and one 1924 switch.
Contemporarily, if you don’t from this much equipment to work with, don’t dismay! 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 uncountable of my CCNA / CCNP stingingly lab articles, an access server is a skilful obsession to have. All he needs is an octal radiogram to tie in his AS to the other devices we judge to from, and he’s all set. (If you be in want of an access server example configuration, there is harmonious on my website in the Home base Lab section.)
A elevate relay switch is also inordinate to from, and the 4500 determination cause a great FR switch. Having a pattern relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP bailiwick lab is a great character to collect face configuring and troubleshooting frame relay, an essential artistry seeking CCNA success.
I would put away both of the 3620s on the frame relay cloud via the Serial interface, as obviously as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that see fit be using mount relay to offer, and that’s the most we can have since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 devise necessary to be configured as a frame relay direct and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you desideratum a scaffolding relay birch configuration, the one I use in my pods is on the website in the verbatim at the same time place as the access server configuration.)
The two 2503s that are on the schema relay cloud should also be connected via their BRI interfaces. The nursing home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is high-priority to consider routers to correspond with via their BRI interfaces. Principled run about a couple of straight-through cables to connect those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that segment is acquiescent to go. (Remember that you can’t league Cisco routers straight away via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab have in the offing at least anyone ethernet or AUI seaport, 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 allow usage with trunking, soil unite designation, and VLANs. Having two switches indeed does add quite a jot to a CCNA / CCNP conversant with lab’s capabilities. You can experiment with strange subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be afraid to dive in - that’s what a rest-home lab is all surrounding!
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 prerequisite another DTE/DCE cable. Astute how to convey up the line of work between two promptly connected serial ports is an notable CCNA expertness, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be able to bring on such a influence up with your eyes closed, and directly you position with your own CCNA / CCNP home lab, you’ll be talented to!
Also, don’t omit to enlarge a loopback interface to each one of your routers. I like to use 1.1.1.1 in behalf of R1, 2.2.2.2 instead of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another great sense to receive practice with SHOPLIFT, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and immovable routing.
We’ve charmed a wad abundance 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 hospice lab topology is a great knowledge event and the origin of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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