Lab Articles

1). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Setup: How To Configure Reverse Telnet By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
Occasionally, during your CCNA and CCNP studies, you'll run into a term that just doesn't quite make sense to you. (Okay, more than occasionally!) One such term is "reverse telnet". As a Cisco certification candidate, you know that telnet is simply a protocol that allows you to remotely connect to a networking device such as a router or switch. But.
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2). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: A Guide To Cable Types By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
When you're putting your CCNA and/or CCNP home lab together, you're not just buying routers and switches you're creating a blueprint for success. There is no better way to learn about how real Cisco routers and switches work than to work with the real thing! Of course, it's not enough to just get the routers and switches you've got to have the right cables and other devices to allow them to communicate.
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3). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Tutorial: Home Lab Assembly Case Study By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
Part of your CCNA / CCNP education is deciding what network topology to use when you're putting together your home lab. Some of you are starting with one or two routers or switches, while others are starting with more. A customer recently sent me a list of his Cisco routers and switches that he has available for a home lab and asked for my help in coming up with the best way to use them.
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4). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Configuring An Access Server By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
As your CCNA / CCNP home lab expands, an access server such as the Cisco 2509 or 2511 is one of the best investments you can make. In this article, we'll look at the basic configuration for an access server and discuss how to connect to the other routers and switches in your pod through the AS. Here's part of a configuration from one of my access servers: ip host FRS 2006 100.
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5). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Labs: Developing Troubleshooting Skills By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
CCNA / CCNP candidates are going to be drilled by Cisco when it comes to troubleshooting questions. You're going to have to be able to analyze configurations to see what the problem is (and if there is a problem in the first place), determine the meaning of different debug outputs, and show the ability not just to configure a router or switch, but troubleshoot one.
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6). CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Assembling Your Cisco Home Lab By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
A CCNA or CCNP candidate who wants to be totally prepared for their exams is going to put together a home lab to practice on. With used Cisco routers and switches more affordable and plentiful then ever before, there's really no excuse to not have one! With the many different models available, there is some understandable confusion among future CCNAs and CCNPs about which routers to buy and which ones to avoid.
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7). Tips On Buying A Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Kit By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
Buying a CCNA / CCNP home lab is the best way to be totally prepared for your Cisco exams. Most home labs are put together one router or switch at a time, but many CCNA / CCNP candidates prefer to buy kits where you get multiple routers and switches, along with all the cables and other connection devices you'll need. While this is a good idea, keep a few things in mind when purchasing Cisco home lab kits.
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8). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab: Why You Need An ISDN Simulator By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
ISDN is a vital topic for today's CCNA and CCNP candidates, especially for the ICND and Intro exams - you've got to know ISDN inside and out to pass those exams. Naturally you want to include it in your home lab. What many candidates don't realize is that you can't connect two Cisco routers directly via their Basic Rate Interface (BRI) interfaces you've got to have another device between them called an ISDN simulator.
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9). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Cabling Your Access Server By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
A Cisco home lab is an invaluable study tool when you're preparing for CCNA and CCNP exam success. Once you've gotten a couple of routers and switches, you'll quickly get tired of moving that blue console cable every time you want to configure a different device. The solution to this problem is purchasing and configuring an access server (AS). For those of you new to access servers, note that these are not white boxes running Microsoft operating systems.
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10). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam Tutorial: Floating Static Routes By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
To pass the Cisco CCNA and CCNP certification exams, as well as becoming a world-class networker, you've got to know how and when to use floating static routes. And if you're wondering what makes them "float" -- read on! In this example, R1 and R2 are running OSPF over a Frame Relay network, 172.12.123.0 /24. They're also connected by a BRI ISDN link, 172.
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11). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: The 2520 Router By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
I hear from CCNA and CCNP candidates every day, and the most common question is "What routers and switches should I buy for my home lab?" There is no one right answer to this question, since every test candidate has a different budget. There are also CCNA candidates who want to go on to the CCNP and want to know what routers and switches are best for future study.
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12). Cisco Certification: The Importance Of Building Your Own Practice Lab By : Chris Bryant
CCNA and CCNP candidates often hear that they need hands-on experience to excel on the exams. Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, tells you why and how to get started building your own home lab.
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13). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification Exam: Cabling Your Home Lab By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
More CCNA and CCNP candidates than ever before are putting together their own home labs, and there's no better way to learn about Cisco technologies than working with the real thing. Getting the routers and switches is just part of putting together a great CCNA / CCNP home lab, though. You've got to get the right cables to connect the devices, and this is an important part of your education as well.
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14). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Routing On A Frame Relay Switch By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
When you're preparing for CCNA and CCNP exam success, the best investment you can make is to put together your own home lab. There is no better way to learn Cisco technologies and prepare for the CCNA, BSCI, BCMSN, CIT, and other exams than by working with the many protocols and services you'll need to master in order to pass the exams. One of the most popular articles I've written over the few years dealt with buying and configuring a Cisco router as a frame relay switch.
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15). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: The 2503 Router By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
I know from experience that part of the excitement and anxiety of putting together your own CCNA / CCNP home lab is deciding what to buy! While you can make a workable home lab out of almost any combination of Cisco routers and switches, some routers are better suited for home lab work than others because they can fill multiple roles. When you buy CCNA or CCNP "lab kits" - bundles of routers and switches - you can get a little confused about whether you're getting a good deal.
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16). Cisco Certification: The "Secret" Key To Getting Your CCNA And CCNP By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
Whether you're working on your CCNA or CCNP, Cisco certification exams are the most demanding computer certification exams in the IT field. Cisco exams are not a test of memorization, they're a test of your analytical skills. You'll need to look at configurations and console output and analyze them to identify problems and answer detailed questions.
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17). Passing The CCNA and CCNP Exams: Cisco Home Lab FAQ By : Chris Bryant
CCNA and CCNP candidates have lots of questions about putting a Cisco home lab together. Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, has helped hundreds of such candidates assemble their labs, and answers the five most-often asked questions in this exclusive FAQ.
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18). Cisco CCNA Certification Exam: Five Frame Relay Details You Must Know By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
When you're studying for your CCNA exam on the way to earning this coveted Cisco certification, the details can seem overwhelming! In this article, I'll point out five Frame Relay details that you must keep in mind when you're on your way to the CCNA exam! Inverse ARP starts working as soon as you open the serial interface. This protocol performs dynamic Frame Relay mapping, but you don't have to enable it - it's already enabled as soon as you enter the command "encapsulation frame-relay".
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19). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Using 2520 Routers By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
I know from experience that part of the excitement and anxiety of putting together your own CCNA / CCNP home lab is deciding what to buy! While you can make a workable home lab out of almost any combination of Cisco routers and switches, some routers are better suited for home lab work than others because they can fill multiple roles. My personal favorite is the Cisco 2520.
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20). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: The 2501 Router By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
To be truly prepared for your CCNA and CCNP exams, you need real hands-on experience with real Cisco routers and switches. However, a production network is a really bad place to practice your configurations, but an excellent way to get fired and/or sued. The key to becoming a true CCNA and CCNP is assembling your own Cisco home lab. You don't have to spend a lot of money to do so; used Cisco equipment is cheaper than ever.
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21). Computer Certification: Become A Utility Player By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
In baseball, a "utility player" is one who plays more than one position. These players are usually backups, but they have a job in the major leagues because of their value to the team; since they can play more than one position, they have that much more value to their employer. Too often in IT, workers become either LAN or WAN engineers, knowing little if anything about the other side.
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22). Cisco CCNA / CCNP Home Lab Tutorial: Starting Over By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
When you're preparing for success on your CCNA or CCNP certification exams, sooner or later you're going to want to start totally from scratch on your Cisco routers and switches. It's easy enough to type "write erase" and "reload", but there are a few details you have to watch if you want your home lab or rack rental devices to act as though they just came out of the box.
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23). What is Occam's Razor? By Wally Jukes By : Wally Jukes
Occam's (or Ockham's) razor is a principle named after the 14th century mathematician and friar, William of Occam. Ockham was the village in this English County where he was born. There are many resources to investigate this man and his theories. This is not about him but his thinking. Thinkers are important to the world. Over thinking something can be the death of it.
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24). Four Important Commands For Your CCNA / CCNP Home Lab By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
More CCNA and CCNP candidates than ever before are putting together their own home practice labs. It's more affordable than it ever has been, and I receive emails daily from new CCNAs and CCNPs who say it's the best thing they could have done to improve their studies. There are some commands you can configure on your lab routers that won't necessarily be on your CCNA or CCNP exams, but they will make life a lot easier for you.
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25). Passing The CCNA And CCNP: Cisco Home Lab FAQ By : Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933
There is a real revolution today among CCNA and CCNP candidates. More and more of you are turning your back on "router simulators" and putting your own CCNA and/or CCNP Home Lab together, which is the best way to totally prepare to pass these tough Cisco exams. I get hundreds of emails every month from CCNA and CCNP candidate who are putting together their first lab or adding to their existing one.
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