What do we do First with this Switch thingy?

So I’ve got a switch wired up ready to go.  Wired up? What do you mean by wired up? Well lets have a look.

The back of a Catalyst switch has an RJ45 socket labeled “console” and into this I’ve plugged in a “Cisco Console Cable”. One end is had an RJ45, the other end has a DB-9 Female plug that can be plugged into the serial port of a PC or laptop.

I use a product called “putty” as a client on my laptop. You can also use Microsoft’s “Hyper terminal”. I prefer putty as it supports ssh for secure access and will run on either windows or linux.

Accessing the switch via the console port requires the following settings in your comms software

Speed: 9600 bits per second

Data bits: 8

Parity: none

Stop bit: 1

Flow control: none

Just out of interest, the Catalyst 2950 switch doesn’t have a power switch, just plug it in and away it goes.

If the switch is set to the factory defaults, then it will enter the initial configuration setup mode. The following will appear on your terminal screen (It could be mixed in with all the boot up stuff)

% Please answer 'yes' or 'no'. Would you like to enter the initial configuration dialog? [yes/no]:

Answer no, as we will do it the real man’s way (or woman’s depending on your gender preference) in Lab 1.

So how do I get my switch back to the factory defaults I hear you ask?
Well, on the Catalyst 2950 all you need to do is turn the switch on, wait for it to boot, then press and hold the Mode button for eight seconds. Power the switch off, then on again. It will start up with its factory defaults.

Now we’re ready to hit Lab 1 – Basic Switch Configuration.

CCNA – the Grumpy old Geek way

I’m currently what some would call “between contracts”, that is retrenched and not found another job yet. I really enjoyed my previous job as a trainer, so it required some thought about what I would do next to generate an income. Something an old guy could do.

I’ve always had a bit of an  interest in network security, so I’m going to go down that track.

Where to start?

I noticed that Box Hill Institute was offering an Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (Network Security), however, to enroll in an advanced diploma I needed to have a diploma – poo! So first I need a diploma.

I’ve got plenty of certifications from my previous job, so how can I use these to get a diploma with a minimum amount of fuss? First I need to find a diploma that will allow me the maximum number of exemptions via the RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) process. It appears that a Diploma of Information Technology (Systems Administration) will do the trick. What’s all this got to do with CCNA study I hear you ask? Well bare with me, its a bit of a Grandpa Simpson monologue.

I decided to start out on the path to become a “Cisco Certified Network Associate Security” while I’m studying for my diploma, and to do that I first have to become a CCNA.

So how to become a CCNA as cheaply as possible – remember no job, no income, lots of time. The path I’ve taken involves buying the “Authorized Self-Study Guide CCNA Preparation Library, Seventh Edition”. I have also heard that the CBT Nuggets “Cisco CCNA Certification Package” by Jeremy Cioara is rather good, however there is only so much money to go around.

Next some gear to run labs on. The choices are to use virtualization or to buy some hardware. Given that I hadn’t played with Cisco hardware before, I decided to buy the hardware – no not new! I picked up some second hand from iptrading, they have some well priced CCNA bundles. Have a look at http://www.iptrading.com.au/parent_product_list/CCNA-104.aspx I bought the “CCNA Intermediate Bundle 5″ from iptrading for around $830AUD delivered. For this princely sum I received the following

2 x Cisco 1721 Router- 10/100BaseT Modular Router w/2 WAN slots – 16MB Flash Memory

2 x Cisco WIC-2T Module- 2-Port Serial WAN Interface Card

2 x WS-C2950T-24- 24 Catalyst 2950Tswitch with 24 10/100 ports and two fixed 100BaseT Uplink ports

4 x Cisco Consol Cable- Cisco Consol Cable RJ45 – DB-9 Female

2 x CAB-SS-2626-3FT- Smart Serial (WIC-2T) to Smart Serial (WIC-2T) back to back Crossover Cable, 3 Feet

So now to play!