Setting up a personal rack at home

[Zswizzy]

So as a networking student who has no means to get to grips with all the networking and server stuff I need to know Im planning to build a small rack to set up a server or two for testing and friends, I need some help.

I need to a small rack to put the servers in
2 or 3 (depending on cost, Blade/rack servers, Storage isnt the primary focus of these, I guess Ill need a switch, a router/modem will be downstairs and Ill ethernet up to the rack and finally powering it.

I may sound like a complete noob, Ive always learnt best by diving in headfirst so thats what im planning to do and help from you fellas is greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[Zswizzy]

Yeah I have somewhere to put it, ASE001 your idea sounds rather expensive, I should have pointed out that ill be purchasing pretty low grade equipment, Im doing cisco certs at the moment and just want some stuff to mess around with but decent enough stuff that I can transfer the skills over to proper full datacentre racks and such.

 

[Zswizzy]

righty ho, I am sure I can rustle something like what you said up.

 

[Zswizzy]

What are you trying to learn?

Edit: What Cisco certs are you studying for?

GNS3 can be used to emulate Cisco routers very effectively, though depending on your level of study and your choice of track you may need more than just GNS3.

Ive done ccna 1, doing ccna 2 in the autumn, I mainly want it to just learn setting up of servers/mail servers/domain name stuff and vm config ect.

It shouldnt take long to get something simple put toegether.

 

[Zswizzy]

P.S if you pass you CISCO certs, you won't be working in datacentres you will be to expensive a resource to waste on that type of work!

We get general engineers to do datacentre racking and cabling, the CISCO cert engineers do everything remotely.

Thats pretty cool, Is that what you do?