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Warning: These 9 Mistakes Will Destroy Your Computer Training

CCNA and CCNP candidates see it constantly: ‘Get some hands-on experience’. From my own experience climbing the Cisco certification ladder, I can tell you firsthand that there's no learning like hands-on learning. No simulator on the planet will almost certainly provde the experience you're going to get cabling and configuring your own personal routers.

Whenever I mention this to a single of my students, they always say it costs excessive. The truth is, it's cheaper now to build your individual CCNA and CCNP lab than it has have you ever been. The secret’ Used routers.

The word ‘used’ turns off many people very few people buy used computers or used servers. Cisco routers, though, are robust. I personally own a Cisco 4000 router that I use being a Frame Relay switch within my lab that I’ve had for approximately four years, and I’ve never had an issue with it.

The very good news for current CCNA and CCNP candidates considering building their unique labs is always that used Cisco equipment has not been more plentiful or cheaper. eBay is an excellent way to get an idea of what’s on the market and what the price is, however you don’t ought to assemble your lab one piece at a time. Many eBay vendors who sell used Cisco equipment sell ready-made CCNA and CCNP labs for starters price, including cables.

I asked one major vendor of CCNA and CCNP labs, , exactly what the most popular questions are regarding building your own home lab. Here’s what they had to say:

Why do I need real routers instead of a simulator?

You have to have a physical router,since the simulators just don’t be capable of give you the ‘hands on’ you need to see how are you affected if you disconnect a cable or put a cable in the wrong location. You will come to find quickly that mistakes you make on Router 1 are affecting Router 5 all when you didn't screw inside a cable properly. No simulator can simulate that.

How many routers do I need?

Two routers are actually needed to check if anything works. If you've got a very limited budget, you can receive value from only investing in a single router over using a simulator. However, you will not be capable of start to see the main thing we're trying to accomplish. The propagation of route tables!

The only way you can determine if your configurations work, is usually to have a minimum of two routers. Therefore, I highly recommend that you simply purchase a dual router kit that accompanies all the accessories you'll need. Otherwise it is possible to spend days attempting to find every one of the little extra pieces you need to get your lab up and running.

Do I have to have a switch?

Well, it is nice to own. However, with only about 2 questions on the exam specialized in ‘hands on’ switch knowledge, in case you need to skimp on something, skimp for the switch.

What routers and switches should I buy?

Choices, choices, choices! Which 2500/2600 router do I pick’ I will list some positives and negatives of each one router below, in addition to current prices (remember that cost is generally lower if you opt for a dual router kit rather than a single router). Please note that cost is approximations.

1) Cisco 2501 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $94.99. The cheapest introduction router, therefore it may support a vast majority of the commands which you will need to understand for your CCNA test. All 2500 routers that people will discuss feature a at least two serial ports and an Ethernet port.

You will likely need to include a transceiver to the unit to convert the Ethernet AUI port to an RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

2) Cisco 2503 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same like a Cisco 2501, except it adds an ISDN port so you are able to complete all of your ISDN commands to the CCNA test. You will need to include a transceiver to convert the Ethernet AUI port to a RJ-45 style Ethernet port.

3) Cisco 2505/2507 with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $109.99. The same as a Cisco 2501 except it has a built-in 8 or 16 port hub so that you do not need to obtain a transceiver.

4) Cisco 2514 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $149.99. This router is the same like a Cisco 2501 except rather than one Ethernet port you've two. You may ask, what is the big problem?Well, you can make use of this because your Cable Modem/DSL Modem router. Now it is possible to try out your capability to setup a firewall and router inside a live environment around 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.

5) Cisco 2520 Router with 16 MB Flash/16MB DRAM $119.99. This is the same being a 2503 it adds two more serial ports so you'll be able to make use of this as a frame relay switch later inside your CCNA studies. It costs the same being a 2503, so this is a great worthwhile tip.

6) Cisco 2612 Router with 32 DRAM and 8 MB Flash $199.99. This is a modular router unlike the 2500 series routers. So the big advantage of this is it is possible to buy extra modules to add functionality including more serial ports, ISDN ports, Ethernet ports, WICs and such. However, due to flexibility payable more. One day it's a frame relay switch, the following it's your ISDN router. In the long run it's going to be less than buying a few dedicated routers for each and every

discipline you want to master.

7) Cisco 1912 or 1924 Switch with Enterprise Software $109.99. This is a good inexpensive switch. The only drawback is it is a 10 MB switch except for your two 100 MB uplink ports. Not a big deal since you might have 10 MB routers.

8) Cisco 2912 or 2924 Switch with Enterprise Software $249.99. This switch will run all the current commands required for the exam and is a full 100 MB switch.

And if you would like to sell your lab after you complete your certification, you'll be able to either negotiate an amount with all the vendor who sold it to you, or it is possible to flip it your self on ebay. It’s my experience that 95% of candidates who are earning their CCNA go on to pursue their CCNP within twelve months, though, so don’t market it too quickly.

In the end, you spend just a few hundred dollars, and also you gain invaluable experience and knowledge that will assist you both within your certification quest plus your job performance. Having worked my way from your CCNA to the CCIE, I can tell you that you simply will learn far more from actually configuring and cabling your personal equipment than you ever will from any simulation with the real thing.