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Equipment needed for an ISDN lab setup?

Hi, I'm studying for the CCNA and I am having a great deal of trouble with ISDN and BRI. I think it would help me to have some physical Cisco ISDN/BRI hardware and actually set it up, get it working, and then intentionally misconfigure and break various pieces to see what that looks like from the router console.

On eBay I have found Cisco 2503 routers w/ BRI interfaces. I have also seen Cisco routers with NT1 interfaces. Can either of these be configured back-to-back with a specific cable? Or, can you configure a third router to simulate an ISDN switch, like you can configure a router to simulate a frame relay switch? I have several spare 2501s and 2514s.

If I can get pointed in the right conceptual direction I can research it from there. I'm just not clear on the components needed for an ISDN LAB.

Thanks, John

Reply to
JohnH.
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You cannot connect Cisco routers back to back on ISDN ports, you need a very basic ISDN switch emulator.

I have successfully used the Emutel Sole 2 BRI ISDN from Arca Technologies when I created a CCIE practice lab in a past life. It functioned flawlessly

see

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for details

ask them if they have a discount for Cisco students.

Reply to
Merv

Hmmm... after looking for these on the web, ISDN emulators seem to be very exepensive, around $1,000US give or take. The few that were on eBay were also more than I really want to spend. I was hoping for a $50 +/- solution because I am working on a budget. Is this just not realistic. I have even looked for a software and card solutions for a PC and not found one. Anybody got any suggestions? Or, is the hardward ISDN switch emulator really my only option? Thanks, John

Reply to
JohnH.

2 cheap solutions:
  1. Elmeg C48.net, probably around 0 plus any extras. This is a proper ISDN pbx
  2. Linux/BSD, Asterisk and a cheap TE capable ISDN card. The ISDN card would cost around . Asterisk is free, PC whatever.

As for getting somethings for $50, you must be joking! unless you have a spare PC.

B
Reply to
Bob Goddard

I have not done this however I have seen people say on this group that an old small PBX is the cheapest way to do this.

Also:-

Aaron Leonard (who does not appear to make things up) published on this group recently:

ISDN BRI crossover (for BRI back-to-back connection): RJ-45 ----- RJ-45 3 ----- 4 4 ----- 3 5 ----- 6 6 ----- 5

What you can do with this I don't know.

Reply to
anybody43

Apparently Cisco has a ISDN BRI card that will offer emulation of ISDN emulation; I was not aware of that.

"Beginning with release 12.1.(3)X1, Cisco offers emulation of the ISDN network and with the newer VIC-2BRI-NT/TE card, support for phantom power generation."

see

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In that article there is mention of a BRI cross-over cable

I see reburnished VIC-2BRI-NT on the net for $800.00

But I believe that my original statement to still be true - that being that Cisco router regular ISDN BRI ports cannot be cabled back-to-back, crossover cable or not.

Reply to
Merv

Hi, (you may recognize that I removed Antw:) the VIC-2BRI-NT/TE is a voice interface card and will only function on voice enabled routers. That means it works only on routers having DSP´s (like PVDM-x) or having a voive-network-module like nm-2V and so on. Also having this I long ago tested it and it only worked with ISDN voice call. So if ISDN service type data appears in D-channel it didn´t work.

Finally I think to use Voice-modules as a ISDN-simulator is too expensive and doesn´t work in all environments.

Reply to
Horst Wagner

As Horst noted, although the VIC-2BRI-NT/TE does support network side BRI, it does not support data applications.

You CAN connect Cisco routers back to back on PRI (T1 or E1) ports.

In any case, I don't think that either the VIC-2BRI-NT/TE or routers with PRI ports will get down to the OP's $50 target price.

Aaron

Reply to
Aaron Leonard

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