Cisco created all sorts of different magic inside their boxes that optimize forwarding processing of packets.
Main router function is fairly self-explanatory. Router performs IP forwarding more often called IP routing. IP routing is process of deciding where to send the packet after it was received.
IP Routing explained in detail
Logic behind IP forwarding is listed in steps here with the assumption it will be an IPv4 packet that was received. This is process switching explained in 11 steps:
Cisco finally released long-awaited personal network simulator VIRL. VIRL is a simulator like Cisco CML – Cisco Modelling Lab released few moths ago which is made available for business network simulations and testing in engineering normal day job. With VIRL we got a personal version of CML with drastically lower price tag aimed to help students preparing for Cisco CCNP and more than that for those preparing CCIE lab exam. VIRL will surely help the engineers managing small business network to proof their configuration change before applying it to real network.
This solution give us a more stable and “official” GNS3 which will save all the time spent troubleshooting lab issues that were really GNS3 issues.
Few days ago I added an article with Config GNS3 topology for newly published INE Routing and Switching Workbook v5 Full-Scale LAB1. Here’s now the topology with starting config of TS section for LAB1.
I will not insert here any of my stories today as the same article was published before but with other topology files so if you would like more info, just go to previous post INE R&Sv5 Workbook Full-Scale Practice Lab1 made in GNS3
It was a real pleasure to have Jeff Carell joining in with a comment about an updated version of “HP Networking and Cisco CLI Reference Guide”. Jeff is the author of “Guide to TCP/IP 4th Ed”, a great network fellow and IPv6 enthusiast whose work on informing the community about networking technology is greatly appreciated by the author of this blog. Link is added to the end of the post. Thanks Jeff.
HP is aware that most of networking engineers start their learning process in Cisco Networking Academy. Is is a normal course of events if you want to learn networking. Cisco has the very best study materials and best, carefully developed syllabus that is both high quality and most detailed in the world of networking. Not to mention the high reputation that engineers get with Cisco certificates standing by their names.
On the other hand, when you take an average mid-size business customer today you will probably see that he is mostly concerned about the price and not so much about the feature-set and robustness of IT equipment. And there you have your situation in which customer decides to go with HP rather than Cisco gear in their communication closet.
This post was updated in order to include Tom’s reply in the comments mentioning opening errors with GNS3 for MAC
UPDATE on 21 Jul 2015:
This post was updated on 21th of July 2015 with GNS3 version 1.3.7 INE Full-Scale Practice Lab1 download. Just scroll to the bottom for download link..
Yesterday INE finally added a Full-Scale LAB in their new CCIE Route and Switching blueprint 5 workbook.
I realized this morning that you maybe don’t want to spend half of your day (like me) configuring this topology in GNS3. Better to just take it from here and start your lab right away.
In my study process for the last year I made almost all my labs from INE on GNS3. In that way I was able to run the labs for more days in a row and not think about the money I would spent on rack rentals. Of course, you will still need some rack rentals particularly for troubleshooting sessions. For troubleshooting you need preconfigured rack because if you configure those topologies by yourself there is a big chance that you will see ticket answers and that will break the point of troubleshooting study process.
All my config sessions were done on GNS3 and this one in the next few days will be also done in GNS3. If you want to spare some time and get the topology ready, up and running in few minutes you can download it at the end of this article.
Main router function is fairly self-explanatory. Router performs IP forwarding more often called IP routing. IP routing is process of deciding where to send the packet after it was received.
