CCNA Lab Suggestions

Many people ask me what would make a good CCNA lab? Well, that can be a tricky question based upon your budget and future Cisco aspirations. So let’s start off with a few basic concepts I hope we can all agree on. Real Routers

You need a physical router as the simulators just don’t have the ability to give you the “hands on” you need to see what happens when you disconnect a cable, put a cable in the wrong location or just plain configure the interface incorrectly. Dependant on what you do by mistake, you may see either the interface or protocol go down and based upon that it should give you a clue of where to start troubleshooting(hint, what layer is the interface at and what layer is the protocol at?). Anyway, you will come to find quite quickly that mistakes you make on Router 1 are affecting Router 4 all because you did not screw in a cable properly. No simulator can simulate that, so a router is invaluable.

I also get occasionally asked if someone can use their D-Link “router” or such in their lab. That class of home “router” generally does not support protocols such as RIP, OSPF, IGRP, etc. nor do they support the Cisco IOS which is a majority of the CCNA exam. So the answer is they are not really applicable to building your Cisco CCNA lab.

How Many Cisco Routers Do I Need?

Two routers really are required to see if anything works. If you have a very limited budget, you can receive value from only purchasing a single router over working with a simulator. However, you will not be able to see the main thing we are trying to accomplish. The propagation of route tables and the routing of data! The only way you can see if your configurations work, is to have at least two routers. That said, if you can afford a kit with more than two routers, it will enable you to exercise more complex scenarios. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you purchase a dual router kit or better that comes with all the accessories you need. Otherwise you can spend days or weeks trying to find all the little extra pieces you need to get your lab up and running. I mention this as some other resellers are selling their kits with 2500 routers and they are not including transceivers. Well how will you use the Ethernet AUI ports without them?? So this is basically how I view it. One router will give you the ability to run the commands on it and allow you to memorize the correct syntax and context in which to run the commands. Two routers will allow you to be able to see route table information propagate, data propagation and path election. In addition, you will see basic device elections. With three or more routers you will get all of the above and full device elections. Hopefully these tips will help you pick the right CCNA lab kit for you budget.

Can We Build A Lab That Will Cover Every Single CCNA Exam Concept?

We get this question quite often. Yes, we can, but it is not realistic for most customers who are self studying as this will cost well in excess of $5,000. If you have that sort of budget available, we suggest you pick on of the CCNP kits as that will get you through your CCNA exam and well on your way to your CCNP certification.

How Many Cisco Routers & Cisco Switches Do I Need To Complete Your CCNA Lab Workbook?

Our CCNA Lab Workbook was designed with the knowledge that most of our customers can’t afford a large lab. Keep in mind, that you will see a variety of labs that were written for three of four routers below. That does not mean you can’t complete the labs that are written for three or four routers. It just means for the most part those labs will not be as complex as they could be and you won't see any many routes propagate.

Number of labs requiring only one router – 7

Number of labs requiring two routers – 11

Number of labs requiring three routers – 19

Number of labs requiring four routers – 4

Number of labs requiring one or more switches - 8

Typical 3 Router Lab Topology

What Are Some Things I Need To Consider For My CCNA Lab?

Two new topics have popped up for the new Cisco CCNA 640-802 exam. They are IPv6(IP Version 6) and SDM(Security Device Manager) which is a GUI based way to configure your routers and switches. A common question is can the Cisco 2500 series routers support IPv6? Yes, they can if they are maxed out with 16MB of DRAM and 16MB of Flash. Here are some more specs on Cisco routers and required DRAM and Flash to support IPv6 assuming you have the correct IOS. To make your life a little easier, I have included a handy chart illustrating the minimum DRAM and Flash required to support IPv6 per model platform below.

DRAM/Flash Memory Required for Feature Support

If you took a good look at the chart, you will also notice I mentioned the requirements for SDM too. As mentioned before, SDM is Cisco’s Security Device Manager and is the GUI option to configure your routers. It is not supported on some of the older models. But the good news from a lab perspective is that you do not need it on every router to get a good grasp on how SDM works. The Cisco 3640 router is going to be the cheapest way to get SDM with a 10mb Ethernet interface and the Cisco 2600XM series seems to be the cheapest way to get SDM with a 100mb Ethernet interface.

Finally, I also have an IOS version column. As you can see above, the Cisco 2500, 2600 and 3620 models only support 12.3 whereas the Cisco 2600XM and 3640 units support 12.4. So if you want to have exposure the latest IOS that is running on routers in the real world, right now that is 12.4. But if your budget does not allow for it, you will still find value in the routers that are running the older 12.3 IOS.

Why Do You Sell Routers With Memory That Can’t Run IPv6?

Not everyone has the budget to support every feature. So you will see that we still offer Cisco 2500 router kits with 8MB of DRAM and 8MB of Flash as being able to practice on routers that support 85% of the concepts is better than nothing at all if you budget is tight.

How Do I Know What Interfaces & Options Are Available On A Router?

In an effort to avoid any confusion and give you one place to look to compare models and interfaces/options, I will briefly describe the pros and cons of many routers below. I also made this handy little chart to give you an idea of what to expect on each router.

Now choices, choices, choices. Which 1700, 2500, 2600, 3600 router do I pick? Well, we have many choices which I will list below with some pros and cons to each. I will also include a table at the end of this document to visually aid you in seeing the features of each router. I suggest no matter which router you get, you max out the DRAM and Flash so you can run Enterprise IOS. The 2500s max out at 16 MB DRAM and 16MB Flash, most of the 2600s max out at 64 MB DRAM and 16 MB Flash and the 3640s max out at 128 MB DRAM and 32 MB Flash. The only routers that you do not need to positively max out are the 2600XM series. They can run on 128MB DRAM and 32 Flash fine. But they do max out at 256/48.

Cisco 1720 Router This is a modular router unlike any of the 2500 series routers. This is not a router we are real fond of. The first benefit to this router is that you get a 100mb Ethernet interface. However, that is negated in the fact that it does not support inter-vlan routing(which all the other 100mb routers do and is one of the main reason for the 100mb interface). So you can see that the 100mb interface is not really that great now on this unit. The other things we don’t like about this router is it is not rack mountable, it has an external proprietary power supply and memory upgrades are very expensive on it.

Cisco 1841 Router This is the cheapest and best choice for an ISR router for your CCNP & CCIE exams that supports MPLS(multiprotocol label switching). This is the router that Cisco states covers the exam topics for the CCNA. Why? Well it was the current router when the latest exam came out. They are not going to tell you to buy a router that they are no longer selling right? But in reality, many other routers will do the job for you.

Cisco 2501 Router The cheapest introduction router which can support a vast majority of the commands that you will need to learn for your CCNA test. You will need to add a transceiver to this unit to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

Cisco 2502 Router This is a Token Ring router and for that reason many people are of the opinion that it has no use in today’s lab setups. I disagree. I will try to explain why. If you are trying to keep costs down, and you want to add a third router into your setup, you can put this router in between your two other routers. Here is the situation. On Router A(2501), you have your back to back cable connected to Serial 0 which then connects over to Router B(2502) to Serial 0. Then again on Router B(2502), you have another back to back cable connected to Serial 1 which connects to Router C(2501) on Serial 0 of Router C. Now you just made a more complicated lab with a low cost router that many people might throw out otherwise. You don’t have to use the Token Ring features, but the Serial ports and the propagation of router tables still work the same way. There are also some other tricks you can do such as turning it into a very cheap two router frame-relay switch. Would it be better to have 3 or 4 routers in your frame-relay cloud? Sure, but we can’t all afford to have 4 to 5 routers in our labs.

Cisco 2503 Router This is the same as a Cisco 2501 except it adds an ISDN BRI port. You will need to add a transceiver to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

Cisco 2507 Router The same as a Cisco 2501 except it has a built-in 16 port hub so you do not have to purchase a transceiver.

Cisco 2509 Router This is your 8 port terminal server/access server. You can remote access 8 devices from this unit. You will need one octal cable.

Cisco 2511 Router This is your 16 port terminal server/access server. You can remote access 16 devices from this unit. You will need two octal cables.

Cisco 2514 Router This router is the same as a Cisco 2501 except instead of one Ethernet port you have two. You may ask, what is the big deal? Well, you can use this as your Cable Modem/DSL Modem router. Now you can test your ability to setup a firewall and router in a live environment on the Internet. Lots of fun! You will need to add two transceivers to convert the Ethernet AUI ports to an RJ-45 style Ethernet ports.

Cisco 2520 or 2521 Router This is a good 4 port serial router that generally will act as a small frame relay switch in your lab. The 2520 is an Ethernet version and the 2521 is a Token Ring version. Since you generally only use it as a frame relay switch, you can save a little bit of money by getting the 2521 Token Ring version as you will only be using the serial ports.

Cisco 2610 Router This is a modular router unlike any of the 2500 series routers. So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your edge router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline you want to learn. Most people start off adding a serial module such as a Wic-1T which gives you a serial port and then they eventually add another Ethernet port.

Cisco 2610XM & 2620XM Router This is a great choice for many reasons. First it supports 12.4(only the XM series of the 2600 routers support 12.4. The normal 2600 series does not). Second it also supports SDM. Third, it is a 100mb router! These are usually the basis for your SDM training. One thing to note, in the “normal” 2600 series, the 2610 router is a 10mb router. In the XM series the 2610XM is a 100mb router. This sometimes confused students.

Cisco 2611 Router This is a modular router that is dual 10mb Ethernet so you can use it as your cable/dsl router too. So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your edge router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline you want to learn. Most people start off adding a serial module such as a Wic-1T which gives you a serial port.

Cisco 2611XM & 2621XM Router This is a great choice for many reasons. First it supports 12.4(only the XM series of the 2600 routers support 12.4. The normal 2600 series does not). Second it also supports SDM. Third, it is a 100mb router and it has two of them at that! So you can also use it as a cable/DSL router too! One of the most flexible, best bang for the buck routers for your training.

Cisco 2620 Router This is also a modular router better than the 2610 as it is a 100mb router. In addition, the other big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your edge router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline you want to learn. Most people start off adding a serial module such as a Wic-1T which gives you a serial port and then they eventually add another Ethernet port.

Cisco 2621 Router This is a modular router that is better than the 2620 as it is a dual 100mb Ethernet router so you can use it as your cable/DSL router too. So the big benefit of this is you can buy extra modules to add functionality such as more serial ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to the flexibility you will pay a bit more. One day it is a frame relay switch, the next it is your edge router. In the long run it will be cheaper than purchasing a bunch of dedicated routers for each discipline you want to learn. Most people start off adding a serial module such as a Wic-1T which gives you a serial port .

Cisco 3620 Router This is a great two port modular router. It is very useful for a variety of purposes such as a frame-relay switch if you put in an nm-4a/s module or two.

Cisco 3640 Router This is a excellent low cost, flexible since it is modular, 12.4 IOS and SDM capable router. It can accept a wide variety of network modules and as mentioned before is one of the cheapest 12.4 capable routers on the market that also supports SDM and MPLS which is hit hard on the CCIE exam. We mostly sell these to customers who are looking to study MPLS or take their CCIE exam and they want to replace the 1841s in the topology with 3640s.

Summary of Router Interfaces

Anything Else You Can Suggest?

Well, a few things. The Cisco 2500s are serviceable routers for your CCNA studies still as long as you have the proper IOS and maxed out memory with all the accessories you need. You might say, but they are only 10mb routers. True, but they still work. The major drawback besides the aforementioned lack of SDM and 12.4 support is that with 10mb routers you can’t do your inter-vlan routing labs with them(which is true of any of the 10mb routers). So just make sure you have at least one 100mb router in your lab so you can do inter-vlan routing and that takes care of that issue and helps to keep the cost of your lab down for those with a tight budget!

You want to make sure your router can support IPv6 as doing those labs will really help the IPv6 concepts sink in. Finally, SDM is more than likely the wave of the future, so you might as well start to get used to it now!

What Is the CiscoKits Trade-Up Program?

In a nutshell something no other vendor is willing to offer to you! For any routers or switches you purchase from us, we will allow you to trade it in for a higher priced router or switch in the future as your Cisco certification lab grows. We are here to see you all the way up to CCIE as your Cisco certification partner! Please see the Trade-Up Program link on the left for full program details.

Do I Need A Switch?

This can be debated a few different ways. First some people will say that 80% of the test is based on routing. To which I will agree. But with only a small margin of error between passing and failing, not fully understanding switching concepts such as VLANs, STP, and root elections could be the one question that stands between you passing and failing your exam. There will be some switch questions which are memorization based such as “What is a Layer 2 protocol used to maintain a loop-free network?” Thank goodness we memorized STP. That said, it would be nice for us to be able to actually “see” the switching concepts work. So this is basically how I view it. One switch will give you the ability to run the commands on the switch and allow you to memorize the correct syntax and context in which to run the commands. It will also allow you to do some of the VLAN labs. Two switches will allow you to see VTP Domain & VLAN information propagate. In addition, you will see basic device elections. With three or more switches you will get all of the above and full device elections. That brings us to the 3550 Series switches(note, this does not cover 3512, 3524, 3548, only 3550). Do you need a 3550 and why would you? Well, a 3550 is a Layer 3 switch. Basically it allows you to do routing within a switch. It is a pretty cool concept and it touched on the CCNA exam. Given the cost of it and it is only one concept on the exam, you may want to forgo this switch if your budget is tight. Finally you may ask why do some of my dual router kits not have switches in them. Well because you can quite simply go to the section on our site labeled Switches and add the switch you would like to be a part of your kit. The switches don't need extra transceivers, ports and such so I don't really have to kit them up with the routers. We do have some of the larger kits that have both routers and switches in them too.

What Switch Should I Get?

This is one that there is so much debate on these days. I will give you my thoughts on it and there are a hundred different ways you can build a lab. I will give you the information and let you decide how you want to build your lab.

The Cisco 2950 switch is the switch that is covered on the test and has the exact IOS command set that you will see on the lab. So if you can afford one, it is great to get. But sometimes when customers only have a $200 budget, I can’t suggest for them to get a switch and forego the routers. After all, the test is 80% routing! Back to the Cisco 2950, this is the best switch for the test if you can afford it.

Now I want to spend a little bit of time and explain some differences between some of the 2950 switch models and what it means to you and your CCNA studies. There is the standard 2950 which is going to cover 95% of the commands you can see on the exam. But some students are aware that there are a couple of commands such as Enhanced QoS, 802.1s MISTP(Multiple Instance Spanning Tree Protocol) and 802.1w RSTP(Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) that are only support on the Enhanced Image version of the 2950. So if you want to run those few commands, you will need to upgrade your 2950 to a 2950C(which is available as an inexpensive upgrade on our kits), 2950G or a 2950T unit. Just ask us about it and we can get you setup with them.

But let’s say you can’t afford that switch , but still want a switch, what is next? We have the Cisco 2900 series. This is a step down from the Cisco 2950 and supports all the same CCNA test commands except the switchport and global vlan command. So with that knowledge, this switch may just work for you.

As I did with the routers above, I have also included a brief description of each of the common switches and created a feature chart below to help you make your Cisco switch selection.

Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software These switches are no longer relevant to the exam.

Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software This switch will run 95% of the current commands needed for the exam and is a full 100 MB switch. It is a great low cost switch if you budget is tight as the 2950s are about twice the cost.

Cisco 2950 Switch This the switch that most people target to run all the CCNA exam commands. Keep in mind you can save money on a lab by not having all your switches as 2950s and mixing in some 2924 switches just realizing a couple of the commands are different. The normal 2950 runs Standard Image and the 2905C unit runs Enhanced Image. This gives you access to a couple more commands and is available as an inexpensive upgrade on most of our kits. So does the 2950T and 2950G units.

Cisco 2960 Switch This the switch that Cisco states covers the exam topics for the CCNA. Why? Well it was the current switch when the latest exam came out. They are not going to tell you to buy a switch that they are no longer selling right? But in reality the 2950 and 2924 switches will do the job for you.

Cisco 3550 Switch This switch is really cool and is used to a large degree in CCNP labs. It is a switch that does Layer 3 routing built into it. It may not make sense right now that a switch does routing, but it will before you know it! It is a bit pricey compared to a 2950, but you will need it come CCNP time and it well worth it if you can get it in your CCNA lab.

Cisco 3560 Switch This is a new one on the block that adds a few more features that the 3550 does not support. Right now for most people they are cost prohibitive as they are about $1,100 each. This is also a staple of the CCNP and CCIE exams.

Summary of Switch Features

What about Cisco Academy Compatible CCNA Kits?

Great question! Be careful as there are some resellers out there that just don’t know what is required for the Cisco Academy topology. They may say it is three routers and two switches but they are incorrect. It is three 1841(dual FE, ISR) routers and three 2960 switches plus all the modules and such. Some vendors try to say a regular 2610 will do just fine. Well, as long as you understand it will cover only about 70% of the concepts you are ok. So what is REALLY needed and why?

You don’t’ really need 1841 routers. Why does Cisco list them? Well they are 12.4 ISR routers(think SDM support) and they were the current router Cisco was selling at the time of release of the curriculum. Think about it, they are not going to tell you to purchase a router that is no longer in production. So is there a cheaper router that will fit the bill? Yes! The 2600XM and 3640 series. By combining some 2610XM/2020XM(single FE routers) with a 2611XM/2621XM(dual FE routers), we can create the three router scenario they suggest. Now some people jump out and say…”Hey, the 2610 and 2611 routers are 10mb, not 100mb. That is correct, but these are XM series routers which are all 100mb. So the XM on the end of the router model is very, very important. Also, we can work with 3640 routers too in this setup.

So what about the 2960 switches? Well as mentioned above, they were the current switch Cisco was selling when the course came out so they were the suggested switch. But in reality you will be just fine with the 2950 switch.

So by making these two small substitutions, you will save about 70% off the price of a kit with 1841 and 2960 units. So do we have these kits available? Sure do. Right here... CCNA & CCNA Security Cisco Academy Topology Kit and as an added bonus, the topology is the same for the CCNA Security exam. So you basically get two kits in one!

But what if I don’t have that amount of money and I need to compromise for something in my budget? Easy, just review our many other CCNA kits and keep in mind all the tips and suggestions we provided you in this article to help you pick the best kit for your budget. You can browse them here… CCNA Certification Kits If you are still unsure of what to choose, just ask us by using our contact us link here Contact Us

Now all that said, don't worry about making sure your kit is absolutely compatible with the Cisco Academy topology. Why? Well first of all, you only need that setup if you are going to get their four different CCNA lab workbooks to follow. You can do that, but they run about $150 total just for the CCNA lab workbooks. That is a bit pricey for most people. Also to be technically correct and have the full Cisco Academy topology you need two Cisco/Linksys 300N routers too. So then that adds some more expense to the kit. By the time you are done with books and the wireless routers you can be close to $1500. We think the many other kits with our lab workbook will get the job done very nicely as illustrated by our many CCNA certified customers!

Finally, we highly suggest you subscribe to our Premium CCNA Content section of our website. Here you will find access to over 350 CCNA, CCNA Security and CCNA Voice articles explaining the most difficult concepts to master. That is not it, you will also have access to over 100 CCNA, CCNA Security and CCNA Voice labs found no where else. Not even in our lab workbooks that we sell. They are only available to our CCNA Premium Content subscribers. But there is more! You also get access to over 60 videos and tons of games to make your CCNA studies fun such as exam questions, flash cards, CCNA Hangman, Jeopardy, Million Dollar Question and much more!

Also please take advantage of our Test Question of the Day service. Have a CCNA, CCNA Voice or CCNA Security exam question sent to your inbox daily with detailed explanations on why each answer is right or wrong.

How to build your Cisco CCNP or Cisco CCIE Lab

Feel free to review our Cisco CCNP and Cisco CCIE Certification lab suggestion articles below:

Cisco CCNP