This may not be the most appropriate place to ask, but I figured a lot of you are using Cisco on your networks.
I am beginning to study for the CCNA and I want to purchase at least one Cisco router and a switch for a home lab. I don't want to spend a lot of money unnecessarily, and have been looking at the 2600 routers. Since I don't know anything about Cisco hardware, I don't know if this is too old, if it still applies in the industry, what I might be lacking in the IOS and the hardware capabilities, etc. What would you guys recommend for a starter lab that will give me what I need to apply to real-world networks?
