Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Domestic Lab Fitting Example in any event About
Involvement of your CCNA / CCNP edification is deciding what network topology to speak when you’re putting together your composed lab. Some of you are starting with solitary or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A bloke recently sent me a record of his Cisco routers and switches that he has within reach in search a at ease lab and asked after my staff in coming up with the most qualified disposition to put them.
There is no “proper” or “wrong” rebuttal to this question; again, part of the information course of action is configuring and reconfiguring the fleshly topology of your lab. Let’s look at the routers and switches he has within reach, including the interfaces on each, and take up with united workable CCNA / CCNP digs lab setup.
The equipment schedule:
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 dear favorite since nursing home labs! These have 1 AUI port, 2 serial interfaces, and undivided BRI interface apiece.
Only 2524 router. This has one serial refuge, 1 ethernet port, 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 alteration, and joke 1924 switch.
Contemporarily, if you don’t from this much equipment to creation with, don’t dismay! Most CCNA / CCNP candidates don’t; this is more of an distress in looking at what you do bear and using it to the utmost.
As I’ve mentioned in sundry of my CCNA / CCNP to the heart lab articles, an access server is a monstrous affair to have. All he needs is an octal cable to attach his AS to the other devices we choose to make use of, and he’s all set. (If you necessary an access server test configuration, there is one on my website in the To the quick Lab section.)
A arrangement relay beat is also inordinate to have, and the 4500 will cause a skilful FR switch. Having a pattern relay cloud in your CCNA / CCNP abode lab is a superb character to pick up common sense configuring and troubleshooting fabric relay, an quintessential knack for CCNA success.
I would put away both of the 3620s on the frame relay cloud via the Serial interface, as evidently as two of the 2503s. That gives you four routers that resolve be using construct relay to transfer, and that’s the most we can have since the 4500 has four serial ports. The 4500 thinks fitting lack to be configured as a body relay switch and connected to the other routers via a DTE/DCE cable. (Again, if you desideratum a frame relay beat configuration, the unified I put in my pods is on the website in the verbatim at the same time 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 nursing home lab also includes an ISDN simulator, which is inevitable to cede to routers to down via their BRI interfaces. Fair-minded get a several of straight-through cables to sew those two routers to the ISDN simulator and that part is enthusiastic to go. (Recall that you can’t affix Cisco routers speedily via their BRI interfaces.)
All of the routers in this lab arrange at least one ethernet or AUI anchorage, so we can buckle them all to either at one of the switches. The switches should be connected via at least two crossover cables to authorize practice with trunking, root span selection, and VLANs. Having two switches really does add actually a minute to a CCNA / CCNP native lab’s capabilities. You can investigate with contrastive subnets and vlans with as well. Don’t be on edge to plunge in - that’s what a home base lab is all hither!
So conditions 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 by a hair’s breadth need another DTE/DCE cable. Knowing how to carry up the line of work between two directly connected serial ports is an important CCNA facility, and so is troubleshooting it. You should be qualified to bring such a connection up with your eyes closed, and from time to time you post with your own CCNA / CCNP composed lab, you’ll be expert to!
Also, don’t fail to enlarge a loopback interface to each joke of your routers. I like to utilize 1.1.1.1 in behalf of R1, 2.2.2.2 instead of R2, and so on. Advertising loopbacks is another great trail to accumulate modus operandi with DECEIVE, OSPF, EIGRP, IGRP, and problems routing.
We’ve charmed 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 hospice lab topology is a immense learning experience and the opening of developing your analytical and troubleshooting skills.
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