A VPN "Lab"?

[ts8586]

Hello, everyone. This may or may not be a lengthy post, if it is, I apologize!

I work for a company that has many offices in different parts of the country. We had a really sharp vendor configure Cisco Site-To-Site VPN's for all these offices. Well, he was deported, so now it'll be up to me and my boss to configure these for any sites that my company purchases.

We have Cisco 3005 Concentrators here at HQ, and we use Pix 506E's (and a few ASA's) at the remote sites. We're "comfortable" with the configuration side of things, but like everyone knows, just because we think we have it right, doesn't mean it's going to work.

Here's what we need: A way to replicate a circuit in our lab at work. We'd like to actually configure our production Concentrators and the Pix we'd ship to the site, test it out with the actual IP addresses that we get from the site's internet provider, and if we can get the tunnel up, we'd ship it (and still keep our fingers crossed).

Looking for any and all suggestions. If you read all the way through this, thanks!

 

[docjohn52]

I'll do it for only 100,000 a year!
(Here I am doing jobs that americans won't do!)

And I'll do it here in my lab, in the good ole U.S.A. and ship it to your new location with instructions to hook it up! 100% guaranteed to work, if UPS actually gets it there, still relatively square.

I'll even pay for the shipping and maintain a 24/7 contact line for support.

BY THE WAY, you can't get an IP from another ISP provider to magically appear at YOUR lab.

I COULD actually offer a solution, but I am just incensed!

Indian, Pakistani, or Mexican... Take your time, your answer may influence mine.

 

[burtsbees]

What exactly is docjohn on about???

Interesting, to say the least...

Burt

 

[piperent]

Easy does it 'docjohn52' ..... the guy is only asking a simple question. Sounds like your about to blow a fuse ....


As to the question at hand. I think there is a way to download (push) a configuration to a remote site using Cisco, but I won't attest to it. Take a look at 'remote management' and 'remote configuration'. If push comes to shove, Cisco's web site has lots and lots of TA's about how to configure the various (and I do mean various) routers. It will certainly give you a place to start.

JP

 

[burtsbees]

If you want to simply simulate WAN connections, ethernet crossovers will do the trick. You won't have to worry about basic connectivity over the internet (in the lab, that is...)---if devices can ping eachother, then that's all you need.
The way I do it is I have a 2503 configured as a frame relay switch, and I also have a few 2620's with T1 cards in them, with T1 crossover cables between them.

Burt

 

[ts8586]

That's cool. I get that way after too much Vodka. Thanks for all the (useful) feedback.

 

[burtsbees]

I did not know there was such a thing as "too much" vodka...

Burt

 

[ts8586]

Well when you start making posts like that, I think that indicates a little too much. But that's just me!