If you’re new here, well, you picked a bad time to start, unless you want to read the last 10 weeks of posts. We’re almost to the end of the CCNP lab madness. Last week, I posted about a suggested CCNP lab with an $800 budget. Today, let’s expand that to a $1200 budget.
Same rules as last post, with almost the same assumptions. I’ll repeat them here for completeness:
- Prices, models, IOS’s etc in last week’s $800 budget post.
- I make no guarantees about whether this is right
- It’s up to you to follow any Cisco legal stuff for IOS images
- I’m setting aside $150 of the $1200 for non-specified items (more later on that). That’s $50 more than the budget I used for the $800 budget build lists.
I’m setting aside $150 for things like extra 2501’s for FR switches, serial cables, access server, etc.
Allright, here’s my two suggestions, followed by pros/cons.
$1200 Lab 1: Switch-centric
3 X 2950 w/ standard Image $450
2 X 1710 $160
3 X 2610 $375
Miscellaneous reserve $150
Total: $1125
Pros:
- Get most of the features needed for BCMSN
- Get 3 switches for more interesting STP practice
- Get all the ISCW security features I researched, including IPS
- Get 5 routers (1710’s and 2610’s) that support most BSCI features
Cons:
- No MPLS support, other than frame-mode with the right (old) IOS
- Nothing that goes past 12.4 mainline IOS
- Less BSCI support than alternatives due to 2610 (non-XMs)
$1200 Lab 2: Balanced
2 x 2950 standard image $300
3 X 3640 $600
1 x 1710 $80
Miscellaneous reserve $150
Total: $1130
Pros:
- Can practice MPLS including MPLS VPN P and PE routers
- Plenty of routers (meets Wendell’s minimum of 4 strategy) for robust Routing Protocol exercises
- Get all ISCW security features I researched, including IPS (using 1710)
- Get 3 routers (3640’s) that support a wide range of BSCI features
Cons:
- Much less interesting STP scenarios than if using 3 switches
- No IOS images past 12.4 mainline
So, what to do from here? Tell me what you’d change in my two build lists. Tell me what you’d do that’s totally different with the $1200 (with $150 reserve). And, if you meet the requirements I posted earlier for the contest, submit your build list like mine here, using all my same assumptions, logging in before you post, and I’ll consider your suggestion as an entry in the contest.
