Cisco 3000 Router for CCNA practice 1

[johnodq]

Hi

I have a Cisco 3000 token ring router which I want to use to practice IOS on, but I have never used telnet in XP and it seems to be dos only so can anyone help me make the initial connection over com2 to the router so I can start practicing.

All advice gratefully recieved.

Thanks

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Johnodq
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Please let me know if the advice I give is of help.
Feedback will benefit all

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[ChicagoJim]

Here's a link to a recent forum thread that discusses how to connect to the console port on Cisco devices. It also contains information on some of the telnet options you have available:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?SQID=660861&SPID=558&newpid=558&page=1

 

[johnodq]

I have it connected with a db9 to db25 serial cable, it doesn't have RJ45 so hope I can get it working.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ChicagoJim]

Hmmm, I think you may have a Catalyst switch, not a router. Both the 3600 and 3700 routers have an RJ-45 console port on the back, whereas the Catalyst 3000 series switch has a DB9 console connector.

If this is the case, the switch doesn't run IOS. It looks like it's one of the menu driven models. In any case, here's a link to Cisco's site that shows how to connect to the DB9 console port:

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/lan/cat3ks/3000/ahcncnsl.htm

It looks like a null modem cable will do the trick.

 

[johnodq]

Sorry I wasnt very clear it has a db25 connector for the console aswell as a db25 aux connector.

It is a TOKEN RING router and has a db9 connector for Token Ring and a serial V2 connector, it is definately a router as the person who gave it too me said it was probably version 9 IOS but would be updateable to a later version.

I know it's old and redundant but better for practice than any sim.

 

[johnodq]

I have used a standard modem db9 to db25 with hypertermial it either this at 2400,8,N,1

- --

or this at 9600,8,N,1

%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface TokenRing0, changed state to initializing
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface TokenRing0, changed state to down
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface TokenRing0, changed state to initializing
%LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface TokenRing0, changed state to down

and both just keep going.

I can't find it anywhere on the Cisco site, I have checked as many numbers on the router as possible and I think it might be a model 3202.

 

[ChicagoJim]

The messages your seeing when set at 9600,8,N,1 are a good sign if you haven't connected the token ring interfaces to a MAU yet. They're just log messages indicating that token ring interface 0 is trying to start up. If it's not plugged into a multi-station access unit, it can't initialize. So, it just keeps trying, and you keep seeing the log messages.

If you'd rather not see log messages in your telnet session, you can turn them off with the following commands:

config t
no logging console
ctrl+z
copy run start

 

[johnodq]

It seems to be working OK!

I found if I start a telnet session with the router and then restart it I can watch the router boot up.

Now the hard part - Learning IOS (Once I get the router password from the person who gave it to me.)

Thanks a lot for your help

 

[johnodq]

Oh what fun !!

I worked out how to get into the router without the password, only to find that it has version 9.1 IOS (Nearly 10years old)

And Cisco don't allow you to download the later versions unless you have a contract with them !

I must admit that using a real router is much more interesting and challenging than using a simulator.

And I suppose that I might come across a router or switch running an older version of IOS so it's all good experience.

 

[ChicagoJim]

Congrats

I agree. Playing around with a real router, even if it's an old IOS version, beats the heck out of any simulator.

It's to bad that Cisco doesn't offer an educational discount on upgrading the IOS, but it will still give you a feel for what Cisco IOS is all about.

If you find it's something you enjoy and want to pursue it further, you can pick up a couple of Cisco 2501's with the latest IOS on Ebay without spending a small fortune. Keep in mind that router's are more fun when you have two or more of them. What you can do with a single router is a bit limited.

 

[johnodq]

My tutors have said that they will sort out version 11.2 or 11.3 IOS for me.

But in the meantime I have a strange situation with it now in that everytime I start it up it wants to do the automated SETUP routine. I have searched everywhere but I don't yet know how to disable it.

All my other settings are saved when I choose "WRITE MEMORY" and I tried switching back to 0x2120 from 0x2142 but it only loads the bootstrap and nothing else when I do that

 

[Andyleates]

I think you want your config reg to be 2102 not 2120

Andy Leates MCSE CCNA MCP+I

 

[johnodq]

Hi Andyleates

2102 gives me

Bad RIF command - bad hex address

whereas 2120 gives no error message.