Cisco access servers are generally the last item a CCNA or CCNP candidate has when they are setting up a home laboratory. The thinking is likely because this router doesn't really do anything in the production section of your practice lab, it doesn't really matter.
However, once you have more than two devices in your home lab, you will realize that continually moving console cables from one router to another becomes very tiring. That's what an access server does for a home lab - it allows you to connect your PC to one device while working in your home laboratory, without the need to always unplug and reconnect the console cable. The console cable will connect directly to the access server, and the access server is connected to all other devices in your home lab. Once you start working with one, you will wonder how you can live without it!
The term "server access" is a bit misleading. This is not a server in the traditional sense, this is a Cisco router with an asynchronous serial port. This port will you use to connect to other devices in your home lab. Two affordable access server models are Cisco 2509 and Cisco 2511. They can be found on eBay and also other vendors on the Internet.
You also need an octal cable. At one end, the cable has a large connector that will be
sulfur analyzer indonesia connected to the access server. The other end is actually eight separate cables, each with an RJ-45 connector. These connectors are numbered 1-8 and will be connected to the console port on each router and switch. It is important to note the number on each connector that you connect to other lab devices.
Now that you have physical equipment, let's look at the typical configuration of the access server:
You can specify any loopback address and number here that is important to note is that the IP HOST table that you are building will constantly refer back to the loopback address on the access server.
In this configuration, I have octal cable connectors 1 on R1, 2 on R2, 3 on R3, 4 on SW1, 5 on SW2, and 6 on my frame relay switch. The number "2001" in the first row of the IP HOST table refers to that connector. That is why it is important to note the number on the connector that you place on the console port of the router or switch.
Asynchronous lines are identified by "line 1 16". This access server has 16 connections, maybe many will only have 8, which are usually many. Regardless of how many lines you have, you will need the transport input all and no exec commands to allow reverse telnet to work effectively.
There is one more thing that must be considered. When you first connect to the US for a training session, you must open a path to each device by using the device's full hostname as shown in the IP HOST table. Here, you will start by entering R1, R2, R3, SW1, SW2, and FrameSwitch to open a path to each device. After that, you have to enter the line numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. It sounds a bit confusing at first, but after only a few minutes of practice, you will do it without thinking about it.
When you are working in your home laboratory, you will not go from one device to another ie, when you are finished on R1 and want to configure R2, you have to go back to the access server and then to R2. The key to doing this is. Again, this may sound complicated, but after a little practice you will return to doing this without thinking about it.a
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