New lab

[Giant99]

Hello

I have arrived home with my basic lab for help with the BCMSN. Listed below is the Lab. I've never had one before or had contact with Cisco equipment.

I told the guy at 'Labs r us' what I was studying and he said this would do it on my very limited budget.

3 x Cisco WS-C2950-12 - latest IOS
1 x 1721 802.1Q/SDM router
8 x Cat5 crossover cables
3 x Cat5 staight cables
4 x Power cables
1 x Console cable

I was told I could use the router to simulate a layer 3 switch. I assume this is correct but I have no idea how to do it.

First problem is I don't know which cables to use to connect up the swtiches.

Second thing is he has given me a console cable with a serial plug on it and I don't have a serial socket on my PC or laptop. I wish he had asked...

Any help in telling me how to connect everything up would be appreciated.

 

[lerdalt]

First off you are going to need to get a usb to serial adapter for the console cable in order to configure everything.

What I would do to start with is basically put the 3 switches in series with the cross over cables.
2950 <---> x-over <---> 2950 <---> x-over <---> 2950

And setup the ports all as trunks. Configure a vtp server on one, and clients on the other. Create a vlan on one of the switches and see it be available on the other switches.

Connect either your PC or laptop to one of the switches and see how the mac-address gets populated across all the switches as well.

You can connect the 1721 router via trunking to one of the switches to then be able to route between the vlans. Since you have a pc and a laptop, you can put one on each vlan and then do pings across it.

Where I think the real fun comes in though is with Spanning-tree. I'm trying to remember all the labs I did with 3 switches when I went through the BCMSN studies. But for that, put the 3 2950's in a triangle with the cross over cables. Use your debug commands and watch the various states as you plug and unplug a switch.

I did some google searches when I went through for some lab exercise ideas, but it's also fun to just make stuff up on your own. Advantage of having your own lab is if you are reading something in the books and start to "wonder what if"...you can test it and see how it works.

I'm also a big fan of using Wireshark for studies. If you are at all familiar with it, it can be a great learning tool. To me, you can see the spanning-tree states, ospf/eigrp exchanges and such much clearer with wireshark than with the debug commands.

Another tip, find a terminal emulator that allows you to log the information on the screen out to a text file. I've been using putty more and more at home. Enabling logging helps if messages fly past your screen, you can open the log file and see them all later.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

 

[lerdalt]

Just thought of one more thing that I started getting in the habit of doing. Set the router up as a DHCP server for when you plug in your end devices. That way you don't have to keep setting static addresses on them if you should move things around.

 

[Giant99]

Thanks for the help and advise.

I don't want to appear stupid but I have connected up all the wires, switched on the power and sat in front of my PC.

Now what?

I have no idea how to open a session with the switches to start configuring them. Console wire is plugged in through the adapter. Power is on. Switches are connected in series and making quite a noise with those fans.

Is it telnet?

 

[Lemon13]

u can use hyperterm, i recommend getting terraterm.
the console must be set to 9600baud, 8bit data, no parity bit, 1 stop bit, no flow control
start the switch/router and u´ll see it boot, next, get a good book and start reading.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Giant99,


You said -

I have arrived home with my basic lab for help with the BCMSN . Listed below is the Lab. I've never had one before or had contact with Cisco equipment.

I don't want to appear stupid but I have connected up all the wires, switched on the power and sat in front of my PC.

Now what?

I have no idea how to open a session with the switches to start configuring them.

YOU ARE A CCNA??????????? You have to be a CCNA before you can be a CCNP!

You did say you are working on BCMSN????

If you are working on a CCNP cert and DO NOT know how to console into a switch, you REALLY are missing A LOT of FUNDAMENTALS from CCNA and need to LEARN these now!!

Just a thought after doing this for more than 10 years


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[burtsbees]

I agree---are you a CCNA???

more /proc/meminfo | grep Burt

 

[Giant99]

Hi guys

Yes I have a CCNA and passed the BSCI. I know enough about EIGRP, BGP, OSPF, Multicasting, IPV6 etc. to get through these exams.

I used GNS3 and Boson (which do not require you to console onto anything) to pass these previous exams but now I want to start using a lab. As I stated in the first part of my post I've never had a lab before or had contact with Cisco equipment. I do not work in networking, this is my ambition.

Buying a lab is part of my process of learning. I came onto this forum with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

I'm off now to dig out my CCNA book.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Giant99,

I CAN NOT BELIEVE that you passed CCNA AND BSCI and DO NOT know how to console into a router or switch!!!!!!!

I am not trying to be a smart &%$#, but YOU are truly wasting your time on CCNP WITHOUT the UNDERLYING FUNDAMENTALS of CCNA as well as ALL the hands on lab work it entails.

You said -

"I used GNS3 and Boson (which do not require you to console onto anything) to pass these previous exams but now I want to start using a lab."

Yeah, but EVERY CCNA book I have ever seen goes into detail about connecting to routers and switches, as well as all the different cables used!!

You said -

"Buying a lab is part of my process of learning. I came onto this forum with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I'm off now to dig out my CCNA book."

You better do more than "dig out" your CCNA book, you might want to READ it and I am glad that you are now doing it right, but you need to go back to the begining and learn the fundamentals NOW because if not - as I said YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME!!!!!

And since you DO NOT work in networking and obviously have little background, I would SLOW DOWN and learn it right! If you want to work in networking why don't you find an entry level position and start working with it as you are working on certs.

I am not sure if you are under the impression that with a CCNA and CCNP you will move into a great networking job, you might want to talk to Burt, HE IS A CCNP and knows his stuff VERY WELL !!!! He can tell you what jobs will EXPECT when they see CCNP.

I really should not be as surprized as I am - I had a student who was a CCNA like you but he got it after going to a 2 week "boot camp" and using some "dumps"!! He got laughed out of every interview he went on, so he went to a Cisco Academy (as a CCNA already) but to learn the FUNDAMENTALS.

He learned, ANYONE can use a "brain dump" or "test king" and pass the exams - BUT THAT WILL NOT GET YOU A JOB!!!

Glad you are on the right track...... but get the books out and learn them and just slow down, no one will hire you when you don't know the basics

E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[Giant99]

Hello

I find your assumption that I don't know any fundamentals surprising.

Everytime a new piece of equipment lands on your desk does the knowledge of how to operate it magically enter your head? If not then going by your logic you probably have very little knowledge of all the fundamentals of all your equipment and you should go back and start learning them.

I processed a lot of knowledge to pass my exams and I did not use any 'dumps'. It was all hard work.

I asked for a bit of help on a basic piece of practical knowledge and suddenly people are making extroadinary wild assumptions.

I found the information about hyperterminal in my CCNA text book. It was something I learned quite a few months ago when I did my CCNA.

I studied a lot of very technical information after I passed that exam and the fact that I didn't need it meant that it wasn't something I could draw on immediately.

I doubt you could draw on specifics of configuration without help if you haven't used it for some time.

 

[lerdalt]

Giant, I have to admit, if you were to scroll back and look at some previous posts, it's been amazing the people that have passed by using the dumps. Usually not having actually consoled into a device is a huge sign that is all someone used. I'm impressed you were able to get through both the CCNA and the BSCI without hands on any real equipment. Connecting via the console is one of those extremely basic tasks that we all just take for granted that anyone who has gone through the CCNA is going to know right off the top of their head.

I can say this, working with real equipment is different than the simulators. I've had access to a couple of different simulators over the course of my studies, and have yet to find anything close to the real thing. GNS3/Dynagen is close since it actually uses IOS, but still feel there are some quirks with it.

I'm with Lemon too, you can use hyperterminal, but I'd go with a Teraterm or putty instead. I only use hyperterm when I'm really desperate.

 

[CiscoGuy33]

Giant,

Hey sorry, but your question (to me) was the same as a doctor asking what a scalpel is, especially since you are working on a PROFESSIONAL level certification - once again - just me

I have taught CCNA's in a Cisco Network Academy for more than 10 years and know the stuff that is drilled in, at least in the Cisco Network Academy, the Cisco Press books and the Sybex CCNA books.

As lerdalt said it tends to be the "dumpers" who ask those kind of fundamental questions, since they have no hands-on experience with Cisco equipment and have not picked up a Cisco book, so again sorry you REALLY caught me by surprise !!!!

You asked -

"Every time a new piece of equipment lands on your desk does the knowledge of how to operate it magically enter your head?"

No it doesn't, that is what my computer, "Google" and

http://www.cisco.com

is for, in fact even BEFORE I buy a piece of equipment, I create a folder on my computer and download the "Fast Start Guides" and other product guides from Cisco so that I understand the piece of equipment I intend to buy as well as understand how it works! Then I ask questions if something is not clear.

I even have folders for equipment I'll NEVER have ($$$$$$) just so that I understand how they work!!! Once again - that is ME, I like to research stuff first

Sorry again and good luck on your studies!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[burtsbees]

Dude---you don't know what router-on-a-stick is, how to cable the switches together, what a layer 3 switch even is, how to console into a router or a switch---THESE ARE ALL FUNDAMENTALS!!!

How long ago was it that you passed CCNA, and why did you even get the CCNA???

Burt

 

[pctech64]

Oh My God !!
I came late to read this post;
I'm not a CCNA yet and even if I pass the test I won't consider myself one not until I can console to a rack of routers and switches and "Do" configurations with my eyes closed; CiscoGuy33, Burt and Lerdart are all correct.
I don't even understand a lot of thech concepts yet I keep studying subnetting and keep failing to resolve some questions and won't dare to take my teast until I can, less to apply for a job, but I have bought an army of equipment to support my learning time; I tried first with simulator and didn't like them; free? sure! can they give you the "feel" of a lose RJ45? think not!
So that is my two cents!