Anyone know of a good resource for the whys and wherefores of building a personal lab? I know a lot of places that just list what equipment to get but leave out why so-and-so model should be included. Im trying to build a lab to use for both CCIE R/S and VoIP certs without breaking the bank. Really Im not slow just bewildered.
TIA for taking the time to reply.
It depends.
If you just want to do routing or switching, well, you need routers and switches to do that routing and switching on.
You need a good layer 3 switch, my recommendation is the Cisco 3550-24 with an EMI image (this lets it do the layer 3 stuff)... ideally, you want two.
You need routers that can support IOS 12.3 (or better), the 2610 is a good, cheap way to go.. it supports a variety of interfaces, and you can get them reasonably cheap.
You need a frame-relay switch, here you are better off, cuz you can go really cheap... 2520 or 2522.
You need a term server, a 2509 or 2511, or you can get an a/s NM for the
2600s...Jonathan
Thanks for the reply
I have an old AGS router I use for frame relay although Im considering scraping it due to noise and power useage. Makes a great FR switch though so maybe not. May just have to scrap the rest of the lab except perhaps a few 2501s. Have a couple of 1912 switches with Ent so perhaps they will have a use. So if I understand this correctly;
2x2610 4x2501* 2511 AGS* or 2520 2x1912* 2x3550 w/EMI *existingHeh that pretty much kills the budget so may have to reconsider both R/S and Voip. Lab for Voip would be cheaper so may just go that route this year. Hell of a way to decide but money is tight.
While the VoIP lab appears cheaper, you still need the 3550s... you also need a pair of Gateways and Gatekeepers.
The 2610s and 2501s can be used as Gatekeepers (just get the H323 image)...
You will need NM-2Vs for the 2610s to implement voice ports, and they are very expensive.
The 1912s are pretty much useless, except for doing some low-end spanning tree stuff.
The AGS is fine as a F/R switch.
The 2501s are also fine as routers, provided they have 16D/16F...
Jonathan
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