If you are ready for the big toys.. the 5K is a good way to go. If and I do mean IF you shop carefully, you can find a Cat5K for under 800 US. Dont pay extra for the pretty ones with all the covers.. Do pay attention to what cards are included. The sups come in several different flavors. The cheapest is a SupI and unless you have fiber converters, make sure it has the 10/100 ports. There is not enough difference between the I and II to justify the difference in price for a lab.. the IIIs are pretty pricy but I can see where an advanced lab would have one. On the Ethernet blades, get at least a 5213A which can do ISL. A better bet is the 5203 which will do Etherchannel(required for CCNP) Again, this will drive up the cost. I bought mine very cheaply and then added a few items as time went on.
Get a 2nd switch.. a 2912 which is cheaper then the 24 port version. This switch can run 10/100 on all ports and run Etherchannel on all ports. Now you can hook the two together and have some fun. Toss in a 2620/21 and you have a router on a stick for the vlans and you have saved over 1500 bucks on the RSM. Just my opinions.. MikeS Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=32811&t=32797 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
