New Cisco lab

ace2109

ace2109

ace2109

Associate
Joined
28 Dec 2002
Posts
2,400
Location
Northern Ireland
Hi Guys,
Got my lab setup finally, or well part of it anyway. Have a look here.

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Im not really sure what i should do next. i am new to all this but i am really keen on learning it and hopefully end up doing my exam.

i know what i have is a little overkill but hey, what i though of doing is the following but remember i am new to this so go easy on me.

I want 2 network's to mess around with

Network 1
Cisco 2501 router connected to Cisco 1603R Series they from there either directly into the laptop (Acting as Client) or into the Netgear switch and then into the router.

Network 2 - exactly as above only with a cisco 1601 series.

I have yet another laptop that i was going to use to configure/mess around with everything.

You will also notice that i have a cisco 877 Broadband router, cisco 1900 series switch and a cisco pix 501, i know these are probably not on the exam but they were to good a price to pass up and they can probably be used later when i have the basics out of they way.

So what i need help with apart from everything :D

How do i go about connecting it all up correctly? I know how to make cat5 cables. I also have serial AUI to Cat5 converters for the routers. I am just not sure how or where to start and i would really appreciate your help.
 
You have some very powerful peaces of kit there, If your doing a qualification in Cisco maybe it's about time you messed about with it.

How about first things first and trying to get them connected via console via hyperterminal or some sort of console applications. This is where you can start doing commands to issue to the routers to do some amazing and wounderful things in networking. You will need a console cable and a db9 serial adaptor. You can make a console cable if you really want too. Go on give it a go.
 
Make sure the 877 is running the most up-to-date IOS. There was a version which didn't work to well with uk adsl.

You could try setting up the adsl connection on the 877 using the commands or maybe just get it connected, and then get the pix working through it, but with the pix etc doing the nat etc.
 
thanks for the comments guys, i didnt really want to hook the 877 up to my actual broadband in case it messed my main home network up!

But i suppose i could and that would give me even more experience.

So to connect my 2501's to the 1600 series, all i need to do is use a console cable? I have 2 small grey devices that fit into the AUI connector on the 2501 and a cat5e connector comes out the other end. I take it these are the serial adaptors?
 
ace2109 said:
i didnt really want to hook the 877 up to my actual broadband in case it messed my main home network up!
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You will never learn if you adopt this attitude, trial and error buddy, break it then fix it, go from there.

There is a wealth of information waiting for you online.

What are you doing first? CCNA?
 
May i ask why you even got a cisco lab if you are not sure what to do with it? There is a lot you can do to learn the basics on simulators. The first semester of the CCNA curriculum doesn't even realy need cisco equipment, it focuses on the basics, such as how networks work, encapsulation, addressing, subnetting, TCP/IP model, OSI model etc...

Once you know all the basics (and i dont mean just read about it, i suggest downloading wireshark as that will give you a good view of encapsulation as you can see the headers at every level) then you should move on to things like learning about routing protocols, specificaly RIP, RIPv2, EIGRP and OSPF, the others such as BGP and IS-IS is CCNP material so ignore them for now. Also this means that you should start to learn the IOS commands so you can actully use these routing protcols and set up the routers correctly.

Beyond that i can't help as currently I'm doing a CCNA course with the OU and am just at the end of the 2nd semester, so as for what you should learn beyond that for your CCNA someone else can proberly tell you better of the curriculum you know to learn.
 
When I was planning my Cisco lab I was getting asked this very question. My answer was that hands on experience with the equipment was essential and if proceeding onto the professional level it would be a good basis to upgrade from as a lab then becomes vital. I've had basic experience with Cisco equipment in previous jobs and know how much easier it is to understand the material once you know what they're refering to. I managed to cover the material for the first exam as the majority is theory, the second however requires a lot more understanding of commands and although could be accomplished from router sims I think a lot can be gained from setting up and break fixing your own home lab that you wouldn't get from sims.

A change in jobs meant I didn't actually sit the first exam and never got my lab setup after hours of planning. I'd like to finish it later this year after i've got a few MCPs out the way.

MW
 
ace2109 said:
How do i go about connecting it all up correctly? I know how to make cat5 cables. I also have serial AUI to Cat5 converters for the routers. I am just not sure how or where to start and i would really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...
You should have literature as part of your CCNA outlining lots of practice builds you can do.

From what I've heard, the 4.0 syllabus leaves a lot to be desired compared to the 3.1 syllabus which was much more thorough and intensive.
Practice plugging stuff in, setting up the network, getting it all configged then undoing all of it. Over and over. Your best friend in the Cisco CLI is '?' - use it a lot.
 
Looks like a PIX 501 at the very top? You definately won't need that for the CCNA, although I suppose could come in handy if you do the CCNP later also :)
 
ace2109 said:
thanks for the comments guys, i didnt really want to hook the 877 up to my actual broadband in case it messed my main home network up!
Click to expand...

The very first thing you want to do is hook up your 877 in place of your existing ADSl modem, then put the pix in between the 877 and your switches.

Getting that up and running will give you a good insight into a real world application of these devices - and provide you with a nice secure home network.
 
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