Most users tend to go with Cisco packet tracer, the free virtual lab software from Cisco which used to cost money but has now been generously made free by Cisco for all of us. I have nothing against virtual labs and do use Cisco Packet tracer occasionally for certain network scenarios, but I find I learn best on the physical equipment. For someone still learning to swim in the world of advanced networking, skills like putting together the mounting rack, attaching the devices and experimenting with physical ports and cables are invaluable. The fact that this setup cost me about $600 total also has me continually motivated to make the most out of what I have already spent. It works as a driving force to keep me focused.
With a virtual lab, I tend to get more easily distracted and put off learning with it. $600 might sound like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things it's nothing. Consider that a decent computer networking course at a decent community college is likely to span the course of a month or two and cost $1,000-$1,500. You've got a set amount of time to absorb the concepts and when it's over, you've got no equipment to use. Consider also that Networking bootcamp courses in general commonly cost several thousand dollars more than that. So now I've built my own classroom, get to go at my own pace, and I get to keep the equipment or sell it if/when I so feel the need. Add to this, that you can purchase courses from Udemy.com for $10-15 average that will introduce you to even more networking scenarios that you can now apply to your home lab. Though some will recommend purchasing everything separately from ebay, newegg, etc to save money, a complete all-in-one kit like this really makes things easier and will save you a bunch of time. I decided on a kit that fit my needs and it included three Cisco 1841 routers, three Cisco 2960 24-port switches, a bunch of crossover and straight-through (patch) cables, a console to serial cable (though I did have to buy a usb to serial adapter separately to utilize it. This could have been avoided if they instead provided a console to USB cable, but not a huge deal) and their lessons book that includes chapters on everything from RIPv2 routing to VLAN and Trunking setups, to name just a few. They also included a super helpful laminated CCNA Cram Sheet with a plethora of need-to-know concepts all plastered throughout the 3-page booklet. Also included is a small book on subnetting as well as IOS backup disc. I have even reached out to their support reps for help on certain lessons and could not believe how friendly and helpful they were in answering my questions. If you are motivated enough, I highly recommend checking them out.
Thus far, I have learned how to create a SSH (Secure Shell) line to my router, configured a VLAN across two different switches so that my 2 hosts/laptops could ping and communicate with one another, and configured one of my routers with double NAT, so that it can work in conjunction with my ISP router to reach the web. The latter was a lot more difficult than I expected, but only because it was a new venture for me. Learning the basics of the Cisco Command Line Interface also took some time.
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