Well, I'm finally ready to spell it out - what would I buy with $800 for a CCNP lab? Your job is to tell us all how you'd tweak my suggestion, or what you'd do that was totally different. Also, if you want to join in the free book contest I announced yesterday, then make sure you post your alternative design using those same requirements.
Again, my assumptions:
I'm setting aside $100 for things like extra 2501's for FR switches, serial cables, access server, etc. You can't buy all that with $100. However, say you wanted an access server - 2509's look like they run around $100 on Ebay buy-it-now. Or, a pair of 2501's, plus 4 serial cables, to create a 4-port FR switch, looks like it'd run about $100 as well. But I'm not spelling those things out here, I'm just budgeting $100 of the $800, and leaving it to you to pick.
For reference, here are the prices I came up with in those earlier posts:
Even as I sat down at my desk to choose, I came up with lots of options. So, before I tell you the two build lists I chose, here are a few thoughts I had when making my choices:
Allright, here's my two suggestions, followed by pros/cons.
$800 Lab 1: Kitchen Sink
2 X 2950 w/ standard Image $300
2 X 1710 $160
1 X 3640 $200
1 X 2501 $25
Miscellaneous reserve $100
Total: $785
Pros:
Cons:
$800 Lab 2: Router-centric
1 X 2900XL $50
3 X 3640 $600
2 X 2501 $50
Miscellaneous reserve $100
Total: $800
Pros:
Cons:
So, what to do? Tell me what you'd change in my two build lists. Tell me what you'd do that's totally different with the $800 (with $100 reserve). And, if you meet the requirements I posted earlier this week for the contest, submit your build list like mine here, using all my same assumptions, logging in before you post, and I'll consider your suggestion as an entry in the contest.
Odom, CCIE No, 1624, splits time between writing books for Cisco Press and teaching classes for Skyline ATS. In his 25-ish years in the networking industry, he has worked as as a pre-sale and post-sale SE for a few networking vendors, as well as a network engineer implementing network technology. Wendell has spent the majority of the last 15 years teaching, consulting, and writing about networking technologies, most of which in some way relate to Cisco products. His books include titles on QoS, CCIE R/S, as well as several titles related to CCNA certification, including the September 2007 book CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802) (Read a sneak peek of chapter 7). Click for the list of current titles by Wendell.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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CCNP Lab Information
I would like to begin by saying that I have found these articles to be extremely helpful. I am currently in the process of building my CCNP lab and do have some information that could possibly be useful to others who are just beginning. My quest for a functional yet cost-effective lab went from extremely frustrating to quite rewarding in a reasonably short period of time. So without further ado; here is my experience.
Routers:
You have various ways to go here. I will share my experience first then list the best options as I see them in regard to cost/functionality.
I purchased four 3640's for my CCNP lab. The total cost of these routers was $370. I purchased two of these routers from www.cablesandkits.com (A site that I located from one of Wendell's posts/comments) without face plates (Purely cosmetic) for $99 each plus $5 shipping! I located the other two on www.craigslist.com. (Search for Cisco!!!) I should mention that the 3640's from C&K's come with a NM-1E2W cards.
This brings the cost of the 3640 down to approximately $100 from $200 which allowed me to better allocate my resources. I also bought a 2610 from www.ciscokits.com for $79 ($100 with S&H but comes with lab material/console cable/power cord ETC.)
Thus far I have spent $470 and still need switches ETC.
Switches:
I opted to buy the Cat2924XL switches vs. the 2950 series to begin with. The majority of the features supported by the 2950 SE are available on the 2924's. These are both IOS based switches with few differences in CLI syntax. There are some limitations to these switches.. RSTP, IGMP Snooping ETC. It seems to me that the majority of the CCNP exams are router based. I plan on purchasing a couple of new switches later when I reach the switching exam but at that point the 2950/2960/3550's will have dropped in price. In other words, I suggest waiting on the switching portion to some extent unless you have already completed the other three exams in which case this post does not apply to you. Switches are definitely the most expensive part of a lab and inevitably the cost of technology decreases with time! The average cost of a 2924XL on eBay is between $30 and $50. The site www.cablesandkits.com have them for $50 all day long with $5 shipping! That said I bought four Catalyst 2924XL switches with Enterprise IOS installed for $50 on eBay bringing my total spending up to approximately $520. The budget-minded individual (nearly all of us) should watch eBay nearly religiously when building their lab.
NM's and WIC's:
Two of my routers came with NM-1E2W's but I will be needing more ports than currently available. However, I have $280 to play with and while remaining under the $800 budget that I initially decided on (Thanks to Wendel's blog). I purchased an NM-4T (eBay) for $60 with shipping and have located several avid eBayer's (With great reputations) who sell Cisco cloned (Search WIC-1T) WIC-1T's five for $100 plus $20 shipping. That as well as an NM-1FE2W or NM-1FE1R2W [Average eBay cost $50 to $90 (For Inter-VLAN Routing)] will have my lab complete with the exception of cables. Total thus far = $770!
Cables:
I just purchased three 1ft. back to back cables (DTE to DCE) from eBay for under $20 while writing this. As far as your CAT5e straight-through and crossover cables I suggest www.cablesandkits.com as these are available for $2 to $3 each. And there you have it. I successfully managed to build a nice CCNP lab for under $800.
My Lab:
4x 3640
1x 2610
4x Catalyst 2924XL
1x Console Cable
3x Back to Back cables
2x NM-1E2W
1x NM-1FE2W
4x WIC-1T
1x NM-4T
xx CAT5e ST/xOver
*Recommendations:
I will have to buy a 1710 router for the IPS feature set so you may wish to purchase one of these in stead of the 2610 (Cost = Same) or one of the 3640's. In all actuality if you really had your heart set on the 2950 series Catalyst switches then an alternative build could be:
2x 3640
1x 1710
1x 2501
2x 2950 (You only need two switches for STP/RSTP)
ETC... Less than $800
Other goodies:
Ultimately, you are looking for a functional lab while spending the least amount of money; however, inevitably you will run across some "goodies" that you just absolutely have to have. First is a rack. I have a couple of options for you here. First www.ciscokits.com has a 12U rack for $30 plus shipping as well as a 20U for $100. This 12U will not accommodate my lab but it will support the alternative suggestion (1710 is not rack mountable and sits on top). Note that 1U equals a smaller unit like a 2600 series router or a 2900/3500 series switch. A 3640 is a 2U unit and takes up more rack space. Secondly, there are the Skeletek racks available on eBay (Search Cisco Rack). These are modular racks so you can begin with a 16U and add to it as yoru lab expands. They are priced well. If you don't see what you want then visit their site, choose your rack, then message the seller and ask them to post it on eBay with a "Buy it Now" price.
Also, I wanted to mention that you are investing in a lot of equipment and it would be easy to overlook the little things like redundant power supplies ETC. So lastly, visit www.cablesandkits.com and under "Cisco Equipment" select "Cisco Redundant Power". You will find that you have two good options here. For $50 you can protect up to six of your switches (All of them) and for $100 you can protect up to four routers. This leaves me with the option of plugging the 2610 into a regular surge protector or only running four routers at a time. The best thing about these RPS's are that they are rack mountable so make sure to account for them when selecting your rack. Especially if it is a fixed configuration.
OK. Well quoting a very famous war-movie personality... That's all I have to say about that. I hope this helps and Happy eBay'ing!
Glad to have helped Bill
Bill
I'm glad that my own search for Cisco equipment was of some use to other people seeking Cisco certification.
Wendell, where do I sign-up so I can officially be part of this competition?
Also, is the prize a hardcopy version of a Cisco Press book, or just an Ebook version?
Cheers
Never Mind
I worked it out Wendell.
Anything that's at ciscopress.com
Shaun,
In case this part wasn't clear... the prize is anything on ciscopress.com that's US $100 or less. Looking forward to your entries!
Wendell
Hi Bill, Wonderful and
Hi Bill,
Wonderful and detailed response. Very helpful! I see you're ok with the 2900XL command differences, which I tend to shy away from. That's probably my really old memory speaking there. ;-)
Great input on the alternative lab builds. I do need to let you know though that for the contest, your build list has to include the $100 reserve for cables, and use my prices, just to keep the playing field level. Feel free to post a revised list of you want to have oyur entries considered for the contest.
Also, you didn't say what you spent on the WIC-2T's when you bought the 3640's w/ NM-1E2W's. I was surprised at the prices last time I looked (higher than I thought they had been). How long ago did you purchase the $90 3640's?
Thanks again for such an informative post...
WEndell
Wendell The price for those
Wendell
The price for those particular 3640's is chep all because the face plate is missing.
With the flace plate intact, the price from the same place is more or less what you say it is.
No I cannot figure that one out either.
Question for Bill H - CCNP Lab Information
Bill H,
Few questions:
1. What software version came with your Cisco 3640 Multifunction Router Bundle - 64D/16F, No Faceplate kit that you purchased from cablesandkits (12.x.x)?
2. What software version is on the 2610? What flash/memory size do you have? What features does that supplement with the 3640 unit? Is the 2610 required?
3. Is IOS 12.0 on a Cisco 2900 Series 24-Port Switch, WS-C2924M-XL-EN good enough for the BCMSN labs? What flash/memory size did you get on your 2924 switches?
Thanks
Thanks
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