Looking to purchase a used managed Cisco switch...advice please.

[Trusted IT Solutions]

Hello all. I am looking to purchase a used Cisco switch to practice in my lab with (VLAN configuration, etc.). I would like to get one that is not outdated. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[teksquad]

Although the 3550's are end of life they still are decent in the home lab. There is some things they wont do, such as ipv6 routing (and some other things) but for general usage it should be fine. You can pick a used one up between $250.00 and $300.00 US. Look for a 3550 with the EMI image (The EMI has advanced routing - OSPF, BGP, EIGRP). A Layer 3 switch will let you setup your vlans and intervlan routing on the same device. With a layer 2 only switch you would need a router and a "router on a stick" configuration to route between your vlans.

If you can afford it, the 3560 would be the next option. Price wise they run anywhere from $600.00 and up. If you want to go above that, then the 3750's would be great. I have 2 of these in my home lab.


I have purchased alot of stuff from this site. Never had any issues with any of the gear I purchased

http://www.certificationkits.com/index.php

[Trusted IT Solutions]

Thanks for the link Teksquad. I was thinking earlier today that maybe I should look into purchasing a kit. I to begin studying for the CCNA soon anyways. Much appreciated.

[rsarceno]

Originally Posted by Trusted IT Solutions

Hello all. I am looking to purchase a used Cisco switch to practice in my lab with (VLAN configuration, etc.). I would like to get one that is not outdated. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

My guess is that your using Dynamips and your running into limitation on VLAN and other switch command. I also guess this because your not looking for routers. For CCNA the 3550 is sufficient. But if you want to use an emulator, try Cisco IOU's. Still limited but can do more than Dynamips.

You will need at least two switches for CCNA. 4 switches if you want to try all possible switch configuration.

Good luck.

[Trusted IT Solutions]

Originally Posted by rsarceno

My guess is that your using Dynamips and your running into limitation on VLAN and other switch command. For CCNA the 3550 is sufficient. But if you want to use an emulator, try Cisco IOU's. Still limited but can do more than Dynamips.

You will need at least two switches for CCNA. 4 switches if you want to try all possible switch configuration.

Good luck.

At the moment I am not using anything. I would like to begin to study for the CCNA soon though. I will look into your suggestions. Thanks.

[teksquad]

The 3550's are still valuable up to CCIE studies. I have 2 3550's and 2 3750's in my home rack. The 3750's offset what the 3550's can't do. In fact most vendor's racks and lab workbooks still have 3550's in them. If you want to get a kit, with some routers, look at the 2610XM, 2611XM's, 2620XM's, and 2621XM's. The XM series will support 12.4.15.T14 (last official release for the 2600 series) The normal 2600's wont support it. Also the XM's series have enough flash and ram to run Cisco Call Manager express, SDM, etc. If you want a bigger platform then the 3640's, 3700's or any of the Gen1 ISR routers (1800's, 2800's)

Also I tried out IOU for awhile and went back to GNS3. IOU was too buggy when loading a full lab. Neighbors dropping out, no layer 2 connectivity in certain portions etc.