From: kym blair (kymblair@xxxxxxxxxxx)
Date: Sat Jun 16 2001 - 00:44:22 GMT-3
Varghese,
Deciding where to start is a difficult question. If you are studying for
CCNP, I'd start with three 2514's (don't get 2501's because there are times
you'll want a second ethernet interface). If you're beyond that, it's time
to get a terminal server and a frame-relay switch.
TERMINAL SERVER: Get a 2509 or 2511 for your terminal server (2509 supports
one octal cable to connect to the console ports of eight routers and
switches; 2511 supports two octal cables; I outgrew my 2509).
FRAME RELAY SWITCH: Get a 2520 or 2522 for your frame-relay switch. (2520
has four serial ports, 2522 has 10; four is enough). Recommend you only get
2520 and dedicate it to frame-relay; if you have 2522, you'll use three or
four ports for frame, and want to use some of the others so this looks like
a router outside the frame cloud too. Programming it will be confusing.
Get the smaller one and just use it as a frame switch. Put Frame Relay in
all of your scenarios. It's tricky at first, and the most important thing
you have to have down cold for the
CCIE lab. Once you get it down, do all your routing protocolscenarios over
the frame cloud to learn the tricks of each protocol. You'll absolutely
have to do this in the lab.
At this point, you've got a terminal server, a frame-relay switch, and three
2514s. You need one to five more routers and a 10/100 catalyst switch.
First the routers. You need to learn Token Ring, ISDN, ATM, and Voice.
Some can be combined on the same routers, others can be skipped in your
home-lab.
Token Ring is easy to solve : get two 2513's and a Token Ring MAU ($150 on
eBay) to get basic 1-ring experience. So simple, it's almost not worth
putting it in your home lab (but I did). You really need a 3920 token ring
switch in stead of an MAU so you learn how to configure a TrBRF and multiple
TrCRFs; that switch is too expensive, so buy Dmitry Zaitsev's 3920 $75
simulator (available now). DZaitsev@thrupoint.net ... tell him I sent you.
ISDN: Like frame-relay, you need to have this down cold. You must buy an
ISDN simulator ($1500-$2000); Teltone and Merge are good brands; some models
have two U ports; better models have two U and 2 S/T ports. You must also
get two routers that have ISDN. Two 2503's, or 2621's, or a mix. The 2503
has a built-in S/T port, so if your simulator only has U ports, then you
need an NT-1 ($50) between the S/T on the router and the U on the simulator.
An ISDN interface for the 2621 router comes in S/T or U for about the same
price, so buy U. (I love the 2621 router; it has many uses; see below)
ATM: ATM is too expensive (would cost $7K-10K) so you have two choices:
Buy Dmitry Zaitsev's $75 simulator that will be out in a couple months.
DZaitsev@thrupoint.net I'd recommend both; simulator to get you trained,
and rack time to get real experience once you think you have it down.
VOICE: This is expensive. However, if you can afford it, put it in your
home lab. (two other options: racktime, or Dmitry's 3640/ATM/voice
simulator due out in a couple months will also have voice.) You can't do
it on 2500 routers; you'll need two 2600 or 3600 routers. Don't get 2610 or
2611 routers because they only have 10Mbps enternet ports like the 2500
routers. Get 2620 or 2621 because they have 10/100 which you need for VLAN
trunking with your catalyst switch (later). I like the 2621 because it has
two fast-ethernet ports, while the 2620 only has one.
2621 routers are much cheaper than 3600 routers and they have two 10/100
ethernet ports built in; you have to buy fast-ethernet ports for the 3600 at
a very very high price. Only get 3600 if you are going to dish out for ATM
equipment (most people don't).
A 2621 router (has two 10/100 ethernet ports, two empty WIC slots, and an
empty network module slot) cost's about $1700. A WIC-2T ($250) puts two
serial interfaces in one WIC slot and leaves the other WIC slot for an ISDN
WIC card ($190). The NM-2V voice network module has two empty VIC slots for
voice interface cards. An NM-2V and a VIC-2FXS voice interface card cost
about $1,100 (and you need two of these).
CATALYST SWITCH: You need a 1900 or 2900 that does 10/100. I think one
model is 2924-XL-EN, but am not sure. You must be able to do fast ethernet
between the switch and a router in order to do ISL and 802.1Q trunking,
build VLANs, set port speed and duplex, etc.
ACCESSORIES: you need about 10 DCE-DTE serial crossover cables, about 8
Category 5 transceivers, about 8 straight-through Category 5 jumper cables,
about 8 cross-over Category 5 cables, and DRAM and FLASH upgrades. Most
2500 routers come with 8MB DRAM and 8MB FLASH. You want to upgrade to
16D/16F so you can run newer and more feature-rich IOS (IP Plus or
Enterprise Plus). The 2500 has one DRAM slot, so you're going to pull
whatever is in there; the 2500 has two FLASH slots, so you'll probably leave
the one stick it has, and add another 8MB FLASH. The 2600 has two DRAM
slots (usually comes with one 32MB stick, room for another) and one FLASH
slot (usually comes with 8MB; pull it and put in a 16MB).
So the full list:
2514 - $ 700
2514 - $ 700
2514 - $ 700
2511 - (terminal server) $1200
2520 - (frame switch) $ 900
2513 - (token ring) $ 900
2513 - (token ring) $ 900
MAU - (token ring) $ 150
Token Ring Simulator $ 75
2621 - $1700
2620 - $1400
ISDN WIC for 2621 $ 190
ISDN WIC for 2620 $ 190
ISDN Simulator $1750
ATM/Voice Simulator (later) $ 75
NM-2V & VIC-2FXS for 2621 $1100
NM-2V & VIC-2FXS for 2620 $1100
10 DTE-DCE cross-over cables $ 300
8 ethernet transceivers $ 60
8 Cat 5 straight-thru cables $ 30
8 Cat 5 cross-over cables $ 30
7 16MB DRAM for 2500 $ 150
7 8MB FLASH for 2500 $ 400
2 32MB DRAM for 2600 $ 80
2 16MB FLASH for 2600 $ 280
Catalyst switch $1100
So you can do it a little at a time each payday, or you can get a $15K-$20K
loan and go get it all at once. You'll learn much faster if you have all
the equipment and can do most any lab someone shows you. Good places for
labs are cciebootcamp, fatkid.com, and ipexpert.com and various lab
study guides (see below).
We didn't talk about books:
(1) Routing TCP/IP Volume I, Jeff Doyle, ISBN 157870-041-8 -- the authority
on interior routing protocols (static routing, OSPF, RIP, IGRP, EIGRP,
IS-IS) You MUST study this thoroughly
(2) Cisco LAN Switching, Kennedy Clark, 157870-094-9 -- the other MUST HAVE
book
(3) Cisco Certification: Bridges, Routers, and Switches for CCIEs, Bruce
Caslow, 013090389-2 -- necessary to prepare for CCIE lab; might as well
study this before the CCIE written
(4) All-in-one CCIE Lab Study Guide, Stephen Hutnik, 0071351086 --
another great CCIE lab prep book
(5) Internet Routing Architectures, Sam Halabi, 157870233X -- the authority
on BGP (although, Doyle's book below was just released; get both)
(6) Routing TCP/IP Volume II, Doyle, 1578700892 -- BGP
(7) CCIE Lab Practice Kit, Michael Satterlee, 0072127651
(8) Configuring Cisco Routers for Bridging, DLSW+, & Desktop Protocols, Tan
Nam-Kee, 0071354573
(9) Advanced IP Routing in Cisco Networks, Terry Slattery, 0072125918
(10) Cisco Multicast Routing & Switching, William Parkhurst, 0071346473
(11) Cisco Voice over Frame Relay, ATM, and IP, Steve McQuerry, 1578702275
One last thing: if your employer will send you to school, Mentor Tech
www.mentortech.com has a 5 day (about 70 hours) ECP1 class for $4K; take
that about a month before your LAB EXAM date; any earlier and you won't be
prepared for what they'll show you; any later and you can't go home and
study it again. It is really awesome training on all the general stuff plus
many tricks. They say they'll have a two-week class by the end of the year.
NOW, YOUR INITIAL QUESTION WAS WHERE TO BUY: I bought everything on eBay, so
most are one-time sales. You'll probably get your best deals doing the same
thing. I had good luck on 2514 routers for $571 and I think they have more;
don't know what they'd charge if you contact them directly instead of an
auction: Star Computers dpaige@socal.rr.com
Other than that, I don't have a good single source. Sorry. When you're
ready for DRAM and FLASH, I'll give you two good places.
Good luck. Hope this is what you wanted, and not just a long email.
Regards,
Kym
>From: "Varghese Thomas" <vnthomas@hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: "Varghese Thomas" <vnthomas@hotmail.com>
>To: ccielab@groupstudy.com
>Subject: Home lab routers
>Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 20:25:23 +0400
>
>Hello,
>
>Could anyone suggest a place to buy cisco routers cheap.
>
>Could anyone suggest what type of routers I shoudl buy to begin with.
>
>Thanks a ton for the support ina dvance.
>
>Tx n RD
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