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Just now, OCD-FREAK said:

thanks for your advice, what would be that ultimate lab ? i mean money doesn't matter as i have saved alot to build an ultimate lab at home that i can practice on to be professional and way ahead of others , thats my goal :)

I would say it REALLY depends on what you want to get to know. If you want MPLS then a Catalyst 6500 or 4500 would do well for helping with that paired with several routes to act as PE and CE nodes like the ISR 2811s could work. If you want to know the latest and greatest IOS-XE the ISR 4K routers and Catalyst 9000 switches would fit the bill and provide a lot of options depending on the licenses you get. If you want to know routing protocols get a 3750 or 3560 switch and hook up a bunch of routers like the 2811 routers and plug them up in all sorts of different configurations and use VLANs on the switch to adjust what can talk to what easily. If you want some switching knowledge then get a bunch of 3750 or 3560 switches and add those into the mix. There are tons of topics you could cover with just a few boxes but if you want to be an "expert" on a lot of things you need to get a job that will give you the experience. Just playing by yourself can only teach you so much, you need to get real world experience because that's where customers come into play and can break things you won't even think of on your own.

hello everyone,

 

iam currently studying CCNA and want to get "professional" at it in a practical way.

 

so what do you guys suggest for a home lab that i can train situations as close as real problems that is industrial standard ?

 

please be as detailed as possible :)

 

thank you all :) 

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Usually a couple IOS routers (or GNS3) will work (Cisco 2800 series are pretty inexpensive and run IOS 15).

 

Also a couple of switches (usually like three so you can make STP type of topologies) that can support L3 mode like the 3650 or 3750, you don't necessarily need gig ports for lab.

 

That should take you through CCNP.  Some other supplementary material like the Cisco Press books or CBT Nuggets/INE are helpful.

 

What kind of training material do you have currently?

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2 hours ago, beersykins said:

Usually a couple IOS routers (or GNS3) will work (Cisco 2800 series are pretty inexpensive and run IOS 15).

 

Also a couple of switches (usually like three so you can make STP type of topologies) that can support L3 mode like the 3650 or 3750, you don't necessarily need gig ports for lab.

 

That should take you through CCNP.  Some other supplementary material like the Cisco Press books or CBT Nuggets/INE are helpful.

 

What kind of training material do you have currently?

i want to have a universal lab that i can train all possible problems that might happen in an industry so when i graduate with a CCNA certificate i solve real world networking problems with ease, also any advise on what i need for CCNP ? i want an ultimate lab, money doesn't matter as i have saved for it :)

 

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13 minutes ago, OCD-FREAK said:

i want to have a universal lab that i can train all possible problems that might happen in an industry so when i graduate with a CCNA certificate i solve real world networking problems with ease, also any advise on what i need for CCNP ? i want an ultimate lab, money doesn't matter as i have saved for it :)

 

Ultimate lab for CCNA is about what he described. Know the basics and work your way up and add as you need to. Get familiar with the cli interface and how to navigate everything, that alone can put you well above most other people out there interviewing.

A true "ultimate" lab would cost you a good $100K plus if you really want to go all out.

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4 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Ultimate lab for CCNA is about what he described. Know the basics and work your way up and add as you need to. Get familiar with the cli interface and how to navigate everything, that alone can put you well above most other people out there interviewing.

A true "ultimate" lab would cost you a good $100K plus if you really want to go all out.

thanks for your advice, what would be that ultimate lab ? i mean money doesn't matter as i have saved alot to build an ultimate lab at home that i can practice on to be professional and way ahead of others , thats my goal :)

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Just now, OCD-FREAK said:

thanks for your advice, what would be that ultimate lab ? i mean money doesn't matter as i have saved alot to build an ultimate lab at home that i can practice on to be professional and way ahead of others , thats my goal :)

I would say it REALLY depends on what you want to get to know. If you want MPLS then a Catalyst 6500 or 4500 would do well for helping with that paired with several routes to act as PE and CE nodes like the ISR 2811s could work. If you want to know the latest and greatest IOS-XE the ISR 4K routers and Catalyst 9000 switches would fit the bill and provide a lot of options depending on the licenses you get. If you want to know routing protocols get a 3750 or 3560 switch and hook up a bunch of routers like the 2811 routers and plug them up in all sorts of different configurations and use VLANs on the switch to adjust what can talk to what easily. If you want some switching knowledge then get a bunch of 3750 or 3560 switches and add those into the mix. There are tons of topics you could cover with just a few boxes but if you want to be an "expert" on a lot of things you need to get a job that will give you the experience. Just playing by yourself can only teach you so much, you need to get real world experience because that's where customers come into play and can break things you won't even think of on your own.

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11 minutes ago, Lurick said:

I would say it REALLY depends on what you want to get to know. If you want MPLS then a Catalyst 6500 or 4500 would do well for helping with that paired with several routes to act as PE and CE nodes like the ISR 2811s could work. If you want to know the latest and greatest IOS-XE the ISR 4K routers and Catalyst 9000 switches would fit the bill and provide a lot of options depending on the licenses you get. If you want to know routing protocols get a 3750 or 3560 switch and hook up a bunch of routers like the 2811 routers and plug them up in all sorts of different configurations and use VLANs on the switch to adjust what can talk to what easily. If you want some switching knowledge then get a bunch of 3750 or 3560 switches and add those into the mix. There are tons of topics you could cover with just a few boxes but if you want to be an "expert" on a lot of things you need to get a job that will give you the experience. Just playing by yourself can only teach you so much, you need to get real world experience because that's where customers come into play and can break things you won't even think of on your own.

thanks for your professional advice, it is 100% true that i need to engage in real life problems because no one can create training problems that might happen with clients. but what i meant is : are CBT nuggets enough for me  to really train during my six month bootcamp course ? and if i want to start cheap will 2 Cisco Switches and 2 Cisco routers + the accessories be enough ? and by the way i've seen some labs with a bunch of telephones, would this be a plus to my lab ?

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1 minute ago, OCD-FREAK said:

thanks for your professional advice, it is 100% true that i need to engage in real life problems because no one can create training problems that might happen with clients. but what i meant is : are CBT nuggets enough for me  to really train during my six month bootcamp course ? and if i want to start cheap will 2 Cisco Switches and 2 Cisco routers + the accessories be enough ? and by the way i've seen some labs with a bunch of telephones, would this be a plus to my lab ?

CBT nuggest and some training camps are plenty to start with, you can always say "I want more" and go add more to the lab but better to start small and grow than go too big and have to sell it later. I wouldn't worry about phones, those are for voice studies, unless that's the path you want to start with I wouldn't worry about it.

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5 minutes ago, Lurick said:

CBT nuggest and some training camps are plenty to start with, you can always say "I want more" and go add more to the lab but better to start small and grow than go too big and have to sell it later. I wouldn't worry about phones, those are for voice studies, unless that's the path you want to start with I wouldn't worry about it.

thats great, and you think that in six months training and boot camps i will be ready to work as a network tech/engineer? if not what can i do to intensify my skills and experience ? again as i want to be ahead of others in my class as they were told that after the bootcamp training they will be already trained to ace in any employment :) 

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2 minutes ago, OCD-FREAK said:

thats great, and you think that in six months training and boot camps i will be ready to work as a network tech/engineer? if not what can i do to intensify my skills and experience ? again as i want to be ahead of others in my class as they were told that after the bootcamp training they will be already trained to ace in any employment :) 

Yah, you could definitely get a nice entry level job as a network tech/engineer. Just remember, it's not just about memorizing things, it's about how you apply it and how you think that will set you apart. Not just thinking "well the book said x so I have to do y" but being able to take that knowledge and apply it in new and unique ways goes a long way to letting you stand out from the crowds.

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11 minutes ago, Lurick said:

Yah, you could definitely get a nice entry level job as a network tech/engineer. Just remember, it's not just about memorizing things, it's about how you apply it and how you think that will set you apart. Not just thinking "well the book said x so I have to do y" but being able to take that knowledge and apply it in new and unique ways goes a long way to letting you stand out from the crowds.

thanks so much. you really helped me alot. much appreciated :) 

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The boot camp itself should give you a decent overview, you can always take the labs you learn there to the next level with your own topologies or adding some additional complexity.

 

IP phones are pretty inexpensive, you could even roll something like Cisco IP Communicator (softphone) and register it against one of the 2800s running CallManager Express (built into the router) as a zero cost lab.  You can even do crap like tie it into a SIP trunk service and have a real phone in your lab, if that's something you find that you enjoy doing.

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8 hours ago, beersykins said:

The boot camp itself should give you a decent overview, you can always take the labs you learn there to the next level with your own topologies or adding some additional complexity.

 

IP phones are pretty inexpensive, you could even roll something like Cisco IP Communicator (softphone) and register it against one of the 2800s running CallManager Express (built into the router) as a zero cost lab.  You can even do crap like tie it into a SIP trunk service and have a real phone in your lab, if that's something you find that you enjoy doing.

it's not about enjoyment, i want to be great at CCNA and iam aiming to get CCNP right after i get the CCNA thats why iam asking all those questions to get better than others to be competitive 

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4 hours ago, OCD-FREAK said:

it's not about enjoyment,

Why are you considering this field, then?  

 

Networking has some breadth to it, there are a bunch of specializations, which all have their own unique implementations and experiences.  To me, after ten years in the industry, things like writing SIEM correlation rules all day or tweaking snmp monitoring parameters/alerts like solarwinds would make me blow my brains out.

 

Cisco has a few specialization tracks for this reason.  The main takeaway is that your lab has the ability to be a VoIP lab at no extra cost.  I've worked in a full time VoIP role for a few years on large state-wide clusters (~40k phones), it's not a skill for everyone, but it is an option and has a large industry salary range.  It's also not limited to VoIP as you can do a lot of the security track with IOS firewall and VPN.

 

Many people specialize into particular sectors like wireless, voice, security or data center to name a few.  They all share a base CCNA R&S skillset.  If you hate what you're doing all day then there's little point in continuing that path.  Feeling that you're 'better' when focusing against your classmates serves your ego but does little for your technical ability.

 

The average network administrator/engineer usually fit into the 'sustainable but not great' category.

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55 minutes ago, beersykins said:

Why are you considering this field, then?  

 

Networking has some breadth to it, there are a bunch of specializations, which all have their own unique implementations and experiences.  To me, after ten years in the industry, things like writing SIEM correlation rules all day or tweaking snmp monitoring parameters/alerts like solarwinds would make me blow my brains out.

 

Cisco has a few specialization tracks for this reason.  The main takeaway is that your lab has the ability to be a VoIP lab at no extra cost.  I've worked in a full time VoIP role for a few years on large state-wide clusters (~40k phones), it's not a skill for everyone, but it is an option and has a large industry salary range.  It's also not limited to VoIP as you can do a lot of the security track with IOS firewall and VPN.

 

Many people specialize into particular sectors like wireless, voice, security or data center to name a few.  They all share a base CCNA R&S skillset.  If you hate what you're doing all day then there's little point in continuing that path.  Feeling that you're 'better' when focusing against your classmates serves your ego but does little for your technical ability.

 

The average network administrator/engineer usually fit into the 'sustainable but not great' category.

yeah, you proved a point, by "it's not about enjoyment" i meant that iam not after having fun only but getting more skills by adding stuff to my lab that makes me more attractive to employers and better than an average CCNA Tech. but still i really appreciate your advice and would like to hear from you more, as you seem experienced.  :) 

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