CCNP Lab
I was recently asked what the makeup of my CCNP lab is. I've got a fairly standard lab that has its' roots in my CCNA lab. I started out with 2 2501's in my CCNA lab then expanded with 2 3640's, 3 2600s and 3 2950 switches. The reason for the additions was my enrollment in the CCNA v4.0 curriculum at Santa Rosa JC's Cisco Networking Academy Program. The labs in the curriculum are very extensive and require the configuration of frame relay clouds and other complex routing configurations as well as a minimum of 3 switches for the full STP experience. Right now I'm studying for the CCNP Routing exam and have the lab configured as follows:
1x 2509 Remote Access Server (2 Serial, 1 10BaseT)
2x 2501 Routers (2 Serial, 1 10BaseT)
2x 2611XM Routers (2 100BaseT, 1 WIC-1T Serial)
1x 2610XM Router (1 100BaseT, 1 WIC-1T Serial)
1x 3640 Routers (1 NM-2FE, 2 NM 4/AS Serial)
3x 2950 Switches (24 port)
The only reason I still have the 3640 is I need something to act as frame relay cloud and this fits the bill. NM 4A/S cards are dirt cheap. You can fit them in a 2600 series router but they only have 1 network module slot. I'm using a Dantrak 24U rack to hold everything. Even though the 2501's use an older version of IOS, I'm holding on to them because they can make decent IPv6 backbone routers. When I move on to the switching exam I expect I'll need to pick up a 3550 siwtch or two so I can do QoS, SSH and all that other fun stuff.