In this series of articles, we’re going to cover the lab requirements for the following Cisco certifications (click on the acronyms for more information on each title from Cisco's Web site):

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
• Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP)
• Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Routing and Switching
• Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Security

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Cisco classifies its certifications into three levels: associate, professional, and expert. The CCNA falls into associate, CCNP and CCSP into professional, and CCIE into Expert. You typically work your way up the pyramid from the lowest level.

In this series, we will start with the basics of building a home lab, then focus in on each of these certifications, providing an overview of the technologies presented within each certification then equipment to use. Tips on where to obtain sample configurations for the equipment that will help you in your studies.

First, though, let's consider your study options.

Simulation or Study Labs
There are two distinct paths for obtaining hands-on experience with Cisco networking equipment: You can use simulation programs, or use the actual Cisco equipment, either in person or remotely. There are pros and cons of using each of these types of study aids (they can also complement each other) – these are covered below.

Simulation Programs
Several companies that produce simulation programs that are solely based around Cisco certifications. Most of these are aimed at the general CCNA certification level with a few also going for CCNP/CCSP. I have not yet found a simulation program that is adequate for the CCIE, and to be honest, I only see these as complementary to your CCIE studies, since you need true hands-on experience with the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS) in order to achieve the CCIE status.

Most all simulation offerings are software-based applications that you purchase and install on your PC. The applications mimic a simple network. Normally the devices are presented in a network topology with the application simulating telnet and/or SSH connections to the network devices. Subsets of the full IOS commands are provided, along with context sensitive help, making it possible to work through common scenarios totally simulated.
The benefit of these simulation programs is that they are a fraction of the cost of even a single Cisco router running IOS. They provide ready built network topologies, and the better ones even provide sample lab scenarios based upon the certification requirements for you to work through. You can use these applications on your laptop from the train station or in the comfort of your own home without the need to be connected to your own lab.
The negative is a lack of commands and features. Most are fine for the lower exams such as the CCNA, but as you progress through your certifications, they’ll become less useful for learning the complexities of experiences you’ll require.

An example of a simulation program is NetSim from Boson (http://www.boson.com/netsim). The Boson NetSim includes a drag-and-drop Network Designer that supports up to 200 devices using 47 different device models. You can also have up to 200 active telnet sessions open to configure the devices. NetSim currently costs $249.99 and is available from the Boson corporate Web site. Currently, NetSim is designed only for CCNA certification.

Another vendor that produces a simulation program is RouterSim, which offers Network Visualizer (http://www.routersim.com). Network Visualizer lets you to design, build and configure your own network with drag and drop design, plus editing and help tools. Like SetSim, Network Visualizer is aimed at studying for the CCNA exam. Each lab is specifically written to team up with the Sybex CCNA Study guide. Network Visualizer currently costs $179 -- for mor information, visit the above Web site.

Many other simulations are available, at a range of prices. Searching Google on the topic should afford you a wide number of options.

Study Labs
The other option for learning the skills you need is work with real Cisco equipment. We are going to focus on real study labs for the rest of this series of articles. First, though, let’s look at the different ways you can work with Cisco equipment.

Online Lab Rental
One alternative to building a home lab is to use a remote lab. Remote labs are usually offered from companies that have amassed enough equipment to build quite a few lab topologies.

Remote lab offerings can be a great way to get hands-on experience for the more advanced qualifications such as the CCIE. Various companies offer time on their lab equipment for a fee. The amount of lab gear, the topology and features, the lab exercises and, of course, the cost, are all part of the decision about whether these labs are right for you.

Note that you have built a home lab, but you are missing a technology (like ATM) that is expensive to purchase, you can use a remote lab to gain the experience on this type of technology.

The features of remote labs vary between offerings. All labs provide simple console access to routers and switches. Some offer PCs, with the ability to remotely-control the PCs over the Internet either directly or through a virtual private network (VPN) – even allowing remote booting of the PCs. Power management is also important, in case you need to recover passwords or if the OS on the PC gets the “blue screen of death”! Often, all devices are cabled to the same LAN switch, so with configuration, you can form any LAN topology that is needed. In some cases, a router may be included in the lab cases; a separate router, not controlled by the user, has been cabled and configured as a Frame Relay switch. The real goal of the remote lab is to give you total control of everything that can be done without moving a cable.

A company called IPExpert (http://www.ipexpert.net) has various racks available for online rental. IPExpert have a series of workbooks for the various CCIE certifications and its online rack access mirrors the topology in their workbooks. Therefore, you can purchase the workbooks and work through the labs using their equipment -- not yours. The standard lab rack consists of 13 routers, an ATM switch, a Frame Relay switch, an ISDN Simulator, and VoIP capabilities. Rack time is rented in time slots of 5.5 hours each at a cost of $45 per slot.

Another rack provider is CCBootcamp (http://www.ccbootcamp.com), which provide five racks for rental online. All five racks can be used for the Routing and Switching CCIE with two labs also containing the equipment needed for the Security CCIE. Four of the racks cost $75 per day, and one rack that does not contain ATM is available for $50 for a day.

Again, there are other providers with a variety of technologies and costs available. If you’re interested in this method of study, once again I recomment searching Google to uncover the full range of options available.

Work Study Lab
If you are lucky, your employer may have a few pieces of spare equipment that would enable you to put together a study lab. However, in the real world, it’s uncommon for all but the largest companies to have the type of equipment required to pass the CCIE lab. However, you might be able to get access to a few routers and switches -- more than adequate for the CCNA and just about right for the CCNP.

If any Cisco equipment is available, it may have to be shared with other employees or you may only have limited access to it. Your employer may not be happy with your spending time during the working day studying, and I am presuming that the study lab would be based at your place of work. These factors can prove difficult, unless you want to spend your nights and weekends in the office studying instead of doing it from the comfort of your own home.
This makes the work-based study lab an adequate solution that should never be turned down, but the next type of lab we are going to cover, the home lab, is in my opinion the best way to study.

Home Study Lab
One way of getting around the problems of using a shared work study lab is to simply build your own!

The benefits of having a home lab are obvious: This is a lab that you own and are free to use whenever you choose. You can build the topology of your choice and really come to understand the way the network hangs together.

One obvious barrier to this method is the cost. It can become expensive, although there are deals to be found (more on this in future installments).

One point to consider when designing a home based study lab is remote access to the lab. For instance, it would be good for you to be able to practice on your home study lab from your place of work, during breaks etc. The way to accomplish this is by connecting a terminal server of some sort to the Internet, thus making the lab available to you when you’re at work. This is quite easy to achieve and can be looked at as a little study lab, especially if you have DSL or cable at home with a Cisco device on the end of it.

Another good investment is a remote power device. This allows you to power up, down, and power cycle the lab equipment as you desire. You don’t have to leave the lab equipment turned on all day, and you can also reboot the equipment in the case of a hardware crash. We will cover all of this type of equipment in future articles from this series.

The rest of these articles are going to focus on how to outfit your labs in order to prepare and pass the exams on your path to Cisco certification. Stay tuned!