For your CCNP studies, the important thing is that the device support switching, routing protocols, QoS, FHRPs, NAT/PAT, and security features. Most of these devices will cover these. Note that the differences in these devices that you have listed deal with particular functionalities that are not covered in the exam. These include Power over Ethernet and Metro Ethernet features to name a couple. Also, the number of ports is not so important since you won’t be connecting more than several hosts for any lab.
One thing you should ensure when choosing your device is that the IOS image it contains supports IPv4 and IPv6 routing. Other than that, you can choose any one of the above devices for your labs.
Thanks Laz , 1 more question i thinking can load different images (same image i am using in gns3) . Suppose i am buying cheapest box and load and try all the variant of gns3 images for that platform --is it will work or box will break ? can you help me take further decision ?
It is possible to purchase a model that has another IOS image and to upgrade that image with one that you may have. You just have to ensure that the image being used is compatible with the specific platform, and that you have the appropriate amount of memory required for it. By going to the Cisco Feature Navigator and searching by platform, you can see all of the compatible IOS versions, as well as their requirements as far as DRAM and Flash go:
Is there are any cheap alternatives or software instead of getting a terminal server , is it really required . I am searching for cisco 2511/2509 but these i am not getting anywhere .
Strictly speaking, a terminal server is not a requirement for a CCNP or CCIE lab setup. It is definitely nice to have, and convenient however. I have found that for around €100 or about $110 you can find a 2511 on Ebay, and for another €30 or $35, you can get the required module and cable set. More info about such a terminal server can be found here:
An alternative is to use a custom designed Raspberry Pi console server. More info about this can be found at this lesson:
In addition, companies such as 3Com, Perle, Nortel, IBM, and WTI have all developed console servers that can be used with Cisco equipment. Some of these companies are out of business, but their products are still out there, and can be found resold cheaply on Ebay and elsewhere. You’ll just have to do a bit of digging to find them…
I just want to clear and confirm about the LAB setup for New CCNP and specializations. If physical LAb: Please suggest equipment models and numbers, If Virtual LAB (GNS\EVENG): is that VIRL images can cover all LAbs including Wireless Specialization, CEF and Q-in-Q tunneling, etc. ).
I want to make sure whatever the resources I will budget will do, without struggling in the future.
I also heard on other forums that, If u but second-hand physical devices, most of time images are not licensed or not updated or do not support features.
Rene will soon have a lesson with various recommendations for lab equipment. However, until then, I can tell you that GNS3, VIRL, as well as EVE-NG can cover most of the requirements for these courses. This does not include the wireless content however. For wireless, you can cover most of it using packet tracer.
If you can get your own equipment, it doesn’t hurt, because you get the full experience, which is beneficial for work experience too. But it is not strictly necessary for the certifications.
If you purchase used physical devices, and if they come with the IOS that has been installed from the factory, then you are fully licensed. However, many users of these devices may have downloaded and upgraded the IOS with unlicensed copies.
Keep in mind that older IOS versions, primarily the 12.X series, were based on the honours system. That is, that users were free to download the IOS, but are expected to purchase the license required for use. Many users downloaded IOS versions and updated their equipment without purchasing the required licenses. However, this does not affect the actual functionality of the equipment.
More recent IOS versions have a new method of licensing. IOS images on newly shipped devices have all of the features available, but they simply have to be enabled by purchasing a license to activate each feature set. This ensures that you are using only feature sets that you have paid for.
More about how IOS licensing works can be found at this lesson:
If you purchase a used device, just make sure that it has the feature set you require activated. If not, then you will either need to purchase the license, or get a new device.
Finally my lab setup is up and i like your idea of raspberry pi as terminal server and its very stable even i don’t switch it off for days . Now i am thinking to buy 1 ethernet hub , so can connect it like wireless AP–>pi --> hub -->connection to each switch to get individual management ip to telnet/ssh for snmp operations . It will be little messy with all the cables . Any better suggestions ?
Looking good! It’s always great when you get your lab up and running, it’s a good feeling. What I can suggest to keep everything neat and tidy, is to get a desktop open frame rack mount. This looks something like this:
On it you can include power bar, cable managers and others. These usually come in sizes of 8 or 12 U, but you can find something that suits your work area. They’re quite cheap, anywhere between €15 and €40 (about $20 to $45 USD) plus shipping if ordered online.
Another option is to get a wall mountable open frame rack. There are some innovative designs that include these:
They allow for easy access to cabling and easy installation. If you have the wall space, it is excellent because it saves you on deskspace, and keeps your devices out of the way. These are a bit more expensive depending on their size and sturdiness, and may cost you just over €100 ($110 USD) plus shipping.
Now if you have the room, a fully fledged network rack would be ideal, but for a lab, its cost and size may not be worth it. I hope this has given you some ideas and got the creative juices flowing for you to create your own little corner of the house for Cisco lab creativity!
Hi everyone,
I am new here and in the profession. I would like to have a suggestion on how i can build my lab with 2x Cisco Cat 3560G with PoE ;1x Cat 2960S and ASA 5505.
Thanks in advance and i hope to enjoy this forum.
Jane
The equipment that you list looks good! You’ve got L3, and L2 switches, and a firewall, so you’re almost complete. You could also use a couple of routers either in the 19XX series, or the low end 29XX series if you can afford it. It also depends on what certification level you’re going for. For CCNA, you probably won’t need anything else, but for CCNP or CCIE a little more would help.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to rely on real equipment only, but you can use GNS3 and interconnect your real equipment with your virtual equipment. For more info on lab topologies and suggestions, take a look at this post, as well as the responses in this forum topic.
Rene is planning on updating the lessons that include information about suggested emulators and lab equipment. For the most part, GNS3 does now support many advanced features of switching including etherchannel, spanning tree, port security and others. To find out more info about this, take a look at this GNS3 page that describes it.
The available Cisco switch devices for GNS3 are IOSvL2, Etherswitch, and IOU. Despite their names, all of the above are available as L3 devices. See this GNS3 doc for more info about that.
The IOU images are not freely available. They have to be obtained from someone that works at Cisco as they are internal tools and not public.
GNS3 has comprehensive documentation for implementing these options. Whether it is easy or not depends on how you see it, but the documentation is very good, and should not present a problem for most users.
