CCNP Lab Suggestions Okay, now you are CCNA, I don't need to explain to you why you need more than one router or every router feature. So, let's start a business. As you can guess, it all depends on what you are able to pay on a budget. But first I want to clarify some of the requirements of the new CCNP tracks.
12.4 IOS is a requirement for routers according to the Cisco website. So what does that mean for you? 2500 routers and 2600 normal routers cannot support 12.4 (although you can use this as an edge router). So, if you want to build a real CCNP lab, jump directly to the 3640 or 2600XM series routers. They are the two most economical routers that will support 12.4. The 3640 is a modular router that comes without ports, but has 6 network module slots you can insert various Ethernet, Serial and Voice cards. The 2600XM series has one open network module slot and two WIC slots. The nice thing about the 2600XM series is that it has a built-in 100MB Ethernet port! You might also want to include the nm-4a / s module so you can do some frame relay labs on this router. Finally, you want to make sure you have several of these routers in your lab so you can create complex scenarios.
Now with all that said, that is the preferred way to start building your CCNP laboratory from a router perspective. That does not mean that you have to throw away all 2,500 and / or 2,600 of your normal routers and start from scratch. We can incorporate them into your new CCNP lab environment, but you should be aware that you might not be able to see every feature functioning on every router because some of you routers might run 12.3 and 12.4 others. The old adage that you get what you pay for applies in idexx indonesia this situation. The bigger your budget, the more features you will get. This is like buying a car. The more money you have, the more bells and whistles you get.
There is a concept in the test that requires a router that supports the ISR (Integrated Services Router) feature. 1841 is the most economical solution to support this feature set so we make sure that this router is included in your lab.
As with the old CCNP exam, the condition is that you must understand Layer 3 switch. We recommend the 3,550 switch because it is the best switch for money. I think you will find that this is an interesting module.
We also recommend two additional 2950 switches so you can do some of your QoS and other switching laboratories because you really need a total of three switches. This is an economical price and will do the trick when you pair this pair with your 3,550 switch.
A good thing to have is a 2509 or 2511 access server. This way you don't have to keep moving the console cable from router to router. You can access all your routers and switches through the access server and the connected octal cable. Again, this won't work in your lab, but the fun of it has to make your lab easier to use. Finally, they just deleted the ISDN concept on the CCNP path. So you don't need to build an ISDN environment anymore for your CCNP tracks. However, keep in mind, ISDN is still discussed in the CCNA course so you will need several routers that will support the ISDN feature in your CCNA lab.
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