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An alternative to a hardware solution would be to look at software emulation. This software helped me: <a href="http://www.boson.com/netsim-cisco-network-simulator" rel="ugc">http://www.boson.com/netsi<wbr />m-cisco-ne<wbr />twork-simu<wbr />lator</a>
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An alternative to a hardware solution would be to look at software emulation. This software helped me: http://www.boson.com/netsim-cisco-network-simulator [http://www.boson.com/netsim-cisco-network-simulator]

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Depending on how cheap you want to keep it, I have been able to pick up 1841s for $200 or less on E-Bay, you have to be willing to watch and wait though.
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Depending on how cheap you want to keep it, I have been able to pick up 1841s for $200 or less on E-Bay, you have to be willing to watch and wait though.

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I wanted to ask the Cisco gurus out there, what hardware would I need in order to prepare for the CCNA/CCNP/CCNP security. &nbsp;I would like to keep the price low, if possible.<br />
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Thanks -- all you gurus!
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I wanted to ask the Cisco gurus out there, what hardware would I need in order to prepare for the CCNA/CCNP/CCNP security.  I would like to keep the price low, if possible.

Thanks -- all you gurus!

CCNA/CCNP/ccnp security hardware for home lab

Cisco PIX is a dedicated hardware firewall appliance; the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) is a firewall and anti-malware security appliance that provides unified threat management and protection the PIX does not. Other Cisco devices and systems include routers, switches, storage networking, wireless and the software and hardware for PIX Firewall Manager (PFM), PIX Device Manager (PDM) and Adaptive Security Device Manager (ASDM).

Cisco

A switch is a device that filters and forwards packets of data between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer or the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs. A hub is a connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports; when a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.