ICND lab setup

[ccna1207]

Hi guys,

I have decided to study for CCNA and I have purchased a small home lab to learn with. As a total newbie to the world of networking, I need to know how to set the lab up please.

I have 2 x 2620xm IOS 12.4 both with 128/32 memory.

I have a 2950 24 port switch.

I have 2 x WIC-1T cards and DTE cables console cables etc.

I just need to know how to put it all together to be able to configure a basic network if its possible with such little equipment.

I will be studying the CCNA in the two part method as I am new to all this, so I will be firstly looking to have a lab worthy of the ICND1 exam.

Any help would be amazing.....

Much love x

 

[unclerico]

if possible i would add at least one more 2950 switch in there for spanning-tree and vlan labs, get two more if possible. with the two 2960s, you can do point-to-point links and configure basic routing which is more the focus of ICND1 (along with OSI model, TCP/IP stack, and subnetting concepts).

I hate all Uppercase... I don't want my groups to seem angry at me all the time! =)
- ColdFlame (vbscript forum)

 

[TekkieDave]

For ICND1 you don't need to worry too much about Spanning-tree and VLANs, it's really more focused on the basics of networking, tcp/ip, and setting up a small switched/routed network.

Make sure you can subnet well, and fast, b/c the sims will show a network where everything is connected correctly, but the IPs will misconfigured.

I used the Boson Netsims simulation labs, but I've been messing with the hardware of these things for years, so I'm comfortable with the actually plugging in and what not. The netsims were fine for me, and allowed me to quickly set up a network from scratch, over and over and over.

Know your subnetting! go to

http://www.subnettingquestions.com

everyday! Also go to

http://www.learntosubnet.com

and download their practice tests.

 

[ccna1207]

Thanks guys, thats really helpful. I am slowly getting my head into the IP addressing and subnetting, its really interesting. Ill let you know how I get on.

Thanks again.

 

[Quadratic]

You may want to read the formal syllabus at:

https://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/current_exams/640-822.html

Be comfortable with anything in those bullet points. Also, as others alluded I don't believe STP or vlan concepts are fair-game on the first test. Be ready for it for the ICND2, though. I believe RIPv2 is the only routing protocol you'll see, too.

CCNP, CCDP