supports 15.x?
Are you just going to be totally messed up and left out in the wind
to dry if you don't do that?
It depends. If you're trying to put a lab together to practice your
CCNP - at CCNP level stuff - not really that important.
It's helpful, but you're actually going to find yourself spending
a little bit more money to get the devices that support the 15 code.
There's a lot more devices available and they're a lot less expensive
that support the older 12 code.
And at the CCNP, that's probably okay.
It's really once you get to the CCIE level,
especially on routing.
When you talk about the routing protocols and stuff that you have
to know about at the CCIE level, there are a lot of little nitty-gritty
commands that have changed from 12 to 15 - a lot of commands that
now have different keywords, that the structure of how you type the
command in is a little bit different, that the output you see is
a little bit different.
Once again, at the CCNP level, not so much,
but the CCIE level, yeah.
Especially with the routing stuff, that's where it would really behoove
you to get routers at least that are running 15 code.
I personally don't think you really have to worry about getting switches
that run 15 code.
Pretty much all the features you need to know about on switches -
private VLANs, private access lists, VACLs and RACLs - those are
all doable in 12 versions of IOS.
Here's the reality, here's the reality of the situation - even at
the CCIE level.
Nowadays when you go to take the CCIE lab,
the lab is all based on virtual equipment.
Back when I took the CCIE lab, I actually had a physical rack of
equipment in front of me of routers and switches that I had to cable
and plug into.
That's not the case anymore.
Nowadays the routers and the switches in the CCNA lab are all virtualized.
What does that mean to you?
The virtual version of software that Cisco uses for their virtual
switches is very limited.
It doesn't support a lot of stuff, and I'm talking about - for those
of you who are familiar, I'm talking about - something called L2IOU,
Layer 2 IOU, which is what they use in their switches there.
L2IOU to the last time I looked, still is lacking a lot of feature
support that you'd find in a real switch,
like some of the security features like dynamic ARP inspection and
DHCP snooping and stuff like that isn't really supported in the virtual
IOS. It's still only supported in the real IOS.
So, as far as switches are concerned, don't worry about it.
12.something is perfectly fine.
As far as routers are concerned, yeah.
If you've got the money and you can find a router that supports 15.x,
that's probably good because then the lab you're building right now
not only will work for CCNP, but will still work for you when you
go on to the CCIE level.
Let's see here.
So some additional notes I've got for myself here.
In the prepare stage, so at the prepare stage of PPDIOO,
the end result of this stage when you're building a home-based lab
is just a detailed listing
on like Word or Excel or something of all the protocols and features
that you'll need for your lab to support.
So that's what you're trying to build right here,
a list of all the protocols and features for your lab.
Now, next to each one of those protocols and features.
Like let's say you've got on that list,
I want frame relay, I want BGP, I want IPv6 for OSPF,
and you just build a list like that.
Now, next to each one of those things, you should list some additional
things. For example, is there any particular hardware you're going
to need to support that protocol?
For example, if you say frame relay, next to it you should write
serial interfaces.
If you build a lab of nothing but Ethernet interfaces,
you're not going to be able to do frame relay.
You're going to need serial interfaces.
If one of the protocols you want to practice is VLAN Trunking
for example. Well, if you buy a really old Cisco 2500 series router
that only has 10 MB Ethernet interface,
you're not going to be able to trunk to that router,
because trunking requires that a router has at least a FastEthernet
interface or higher.
That's a hardware requirement to do trunking.
So those are some examples of that.
So here at the Prepare stage, you're not yet at the point where you're
saying, I need a 29/61.
or, I need a network module - an NM-4A/S.
You're not there yet.
Right now, all you're doing is listing out your protocols and features
that you're going to want to play with - that you probably got from
the blueprint, or the route, or the switch,
or the CCIE - and then next to them, you're porting just at a real
high level, general characteristics of hardware you'll need - if
any; maybe there's not anything - that you'll need to support that
particular protocol.
Another thing you're going to want to list is,
what's the minimum quantity of devices that you would need to play
with this protocol?
For example, if the VLAN trunking protocol of VTP is something you
want to play with, you can't do that with just one switch.
You're going to have to get at least two switches to support that.
So that's one thing you'd put in there.
If you're talking about frame relay, at a minimum you would need
two routers with serial interfaces.
If you wanted to do back to back frame relay,
that would be your minimum you would need to support that particular
protocol or feature.
What's the minimum version of IOS needed to support this feature?
Like I said, vast majority - probably 90-95% of what you're going
to want to play around with - will be supported at some version of
12 software, like 12.4 T, or something like that.
That's where using the Cisco IOS feature navigator will answer that
question. Here at the prepare stage, when you're done that's what
you should have.
You should have a document or spreadsheet that lists all that stuff
out - the protocols you want to play with and at a real high level,
what they're dependencies are.
What hardware you're going to need.
What kinds of interfaces.
What the minimum quantity of chassis you'll need,
or the minimum quantity of interfaces you'll need to support each
one of those features.
Let me take a quick pause here and just catch up and make sure
there's not a gazillion questions I need to answer.
Someone here is mentioning Packet Tracer.
I've looked into Packet Tracer, but from what I've seen Packet Tracer
- now remember, I'm talking about legally,
what you can get your hands on legally - legally speaking from Cisco's
perspective, Packet Tracer is only supposed to be available to people
who are going through the Cisco Networking Academy,
or you're a Network Academy instructor.
As far as I know, those are the only legal approved methods by Cisco
to get a hold of the Packet Tracer software,
so that's why I'm not including it in this presentation right here.
[music]