Cisco → Preppin' for the CCNA

Yes I am..I took 1½ years of cisco netacad, and my discounted voucher is waiting for me at the netacad site.

To study one more time I ended buying several Cisco Press books, CCENT/CCNA ICND1 and 2, and Flash cards. The CD's in the ICND books have an entry to a site called boson.com where you get a free exam simulation and study guides. You can buy others. The Boson stuff is cra* and full of flaws, and it bothers me that Cisco would promote this garbage without checking the content for accuracy.

Last but not least, I thank all the people here who have responded to all my queries this past year

regards.

Really? I had heard Boson was a good simulator.

I've been thinking I should go for this cert myself. Any suggestions on the best book(s)?

I used the Boson sim once and thought it was pretty good.Best book? I would go with the "CCNA Study Guide" published by Sybex and written by Todd Lammel. Excellent book, best of luck in your studies.

»www.amazon.com/CCNA-Cert ··· 0&sr=8-3

Concur... Todd Lammle books are the business if you're needing to understand the concepts in a relatively short amount of time "and you actually know it" when you're done!

Jay

'31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam: A day-by-day review guide for the CCNA' there is a few different versions.

So no comments on the Boson simulator? Good/bad/indifferent?

Any advice on actual switches & routers to use for a home lab? Is it worth the cost to go real or do the simulators suffice?

quote:

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Is it worth the cost to go real or do the simulators suffice?

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- which way do you find you work better? Simulated or In Real Life, Hands On?

- do you work on the premise "it just has to teach me" or are you more "the proof's in he pudding of doing"

- are you the type to scour ebay, et al for hours on end for bargains, deals, and odds and sods... and actually
enjoy it?

- do you rub your hands in anticipation of a new piece of gear to add to your collection, while your
friends / significant other can only a) shake their heads, b) call you a junk collector to your face for the
nth time, c) staple the passed due credit card bill to your forehead to take care of, or d) a combination
thereof... and you still don't care.

- do you have room for a physical lab that may and can grow much MUCH larger as you progress upwards with
your certs or your curiousity, or are you simply getting it to learn then you'll ebay it simply to reclaim
the space in your living area?

It's really "whatever works for you" kind of proposition, really. If you want to go down the lab-building
route, let me know and I can point you to some resources.

Regards

I just killed my new 1812 ... I erased the IOS and now is in romon...For me is more fun with some breaking :P

I'm somewhat knowledgeable with the theory - I understand binary numbers, IP addressing, and the general concepts. What I don't have is a lot of experience with the physical hardware, so I think a small lab with real equipment would be best for me.

I already have a couple of switches, but I don't know if they are appropriate: Catalyst 2948-GE-TX. Looking at the specs, these run CatOS and not IOS - can they be flashed with IOS? If so, what's the latest version they support?

Next I need a router. Any suggestions? Thanks.

For switches you're going to want 2950's or newer. They support IOS and have the feature set required for the current CCNA topics.

As for routers you could get by with just 2500's for the CCNA. But it all depends on your budget and future certification goals. For example my lab (I'm studying for CCNP) consists of 2 2500's for stub devices, 4 2600XM's, a 2600 FR switch and another 2600 access server. For switches I have 2 2950's, 1 2960 and a 3550. It all depends on what you need want to accomplish.

But for the CCNA, 1 or 2 2950's and 2 2500's would be sufficient (IPv6 is briefly covered but not in depth).

Generally speaking for the lab:

- do not get any Catalyst 1900 / early-gen 29xx switches no matter what the price. CCNA has long depreciated these
devices and CatOS out of the curriculum, nor can they be converted to IOS.

- likewise for the older Cisco routers like the 600 / 700 / 1600 / 2500. If it doesn't run IOS and doesn't have
an RJ45 interface, don't buy it unless there is a specific identified need -- the 2500s make good terminal servers
and frame relay switches, but ONLY buy them if you intend to get one for this purpose.

For a really basic CCNA lab, a 1700 or 2600-series router plus a 2950-series switch should serve you well. It'll
let you do basic device operation, intervlan routing, basic routing protocols, and VLAN management. Double it up
and you can toss in single OSPF area configuration basic WAN simulation and NAT. I haven't owned one personally
but the older 85x / 86x / 87x can be useful gear to learn on as well.

Making a specific router recommendation is Tricky, it really comes down to price, preference and what is available.
I personally strongly recommend one with dual FE interfaces so one can be used as a LAN interface and the other can
be used as a WAN interface. If you can only get one with one FE interface, be prepared to shell out for WIC cards
for added expandability. For WIC / serial connectivity for added connectivity options, I rather like the NM-4A/S
because it gives you 4x serial interfaces for relatively cheap -- don't forget the DB60 crossover cables as well.

Another word of warning about routers -- make sure it has enough RAM and flash to run the needed IOS. For the
aforementioned 1700 and 2600s, 16F / 64D is strongly recommended.

My 00000010 bits for now

Regards

1812
Two FE interfaces for WAN
8 switch ports

Holy crap those are expensive - even used.

I got one for 200$ but i really think i was lucky with this..

Were do you get guys good used Cisco hardware for learning?

I just started shadowing this forum getting used to the jargon here. Reading a Lammele CCNA book, in 8 day four hour CCNA classes, and have CCNA Virtual Lab, Platinum Edition so far for hands-on.

I'm also thinking real hands-on would help.

Yeah I think you did. Where did you find that?

~$200 is about what I would want to spend, max. Any recommendations for an affordable model?

I am not from US.I am from Europe.Someone got it from an institution and he couldn't sell for over a year.It was rotting there and the guy wanted to get rid of it.The masses just don't buy this stuff.This is the paradox.I suppose i am not in the position to recommend any shop or other stuff for 1812.
If i wanted a 100mbps pipe to go and i wouldn't had this luck i would get an ASA5505 but for CCNA this is not a good choice because is a different os and other syntax..
ASA5505 refurbished is around 300$ in most shops so is not about luck.
It seemed i ate something brown that morning :P

LOL - I can only guess what you mean by that, but over here that sounds really disgusting.

Some online vendors that have gotten or will be getting my repeat business for gear are:

»horizondatacom.com/
»www.cablesandkits.com/
»stores.ebay.com/Xtreme-G ··· ctronics
»memorydealers.com/
»www.directdial.com/

Regards

well, I'm happy with m 2650's and 2950's..I spent about $1000 on a collection of switches and routers. on the routers I had to add a couple of wic 1t's. Also, buy a 2650XM or 2620XM so you can practice with SDM. I bought all my stuff (except for a couple) from www.computerpartsnow.com. They sell good looking stuff, it looks new and stuffed with ram. On a side note, they will sell you some flash with recent IOS on it heh heh heh

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Another question that just came to mind: what about "renting" rack time? I've seen places that let you use their equipment - anyone gone this route? I know some offer remote access so you can use real equipment from your own home, but I don't know whether you get to go there and touch the gear directly.

Again, depends on the person. I've never rented rack time before
personally, but I know a few people did. Their views were it saved
you the trouble and expense of getting the gear yourself, and since
alot were remotely accessible, you grab time when you have time --
eg. lunch break, rather than "when you were at home" kind of thing.

Never ran into a place that you rented lab time and touch the actual
equipment as well. That's what Netacad is for isn't it?

Regards

Ok....here is a free way for "renting" equipment done by donations..
packetlife.net
You reserve a slot time and you can play on some good gear..

Very cool!

Yeah - that looks very interesting. Thanks!