Skip to content

Cisco CCNA Lab Options

All the physical and virtual options for your Cisco CCNA Lab explained


Neil Anderson

Summary

Price
£12 inc VAT
Study method
Online, On Demand What's this?
Duration
1 hour · Self-paced
Qualification
No formal qualification
Certificates
  • Reed courses certificate of completion - Free

Add to basket or enquire

Overview

The Cisco Certified Network Associate certification is THE best qualification you can achieve to turbo charge your career in networking. Cisco are far and away the market leader in network infrastructure products, and passing the CCNA proves to employers that you have the necessary skills to design, build and maintain their enterprise networks.

Curriculum

1
section
10
lectures
1h 2m
total
    • 1: Cisco CCNA Lab Options Update 03:27
    • 2: Course Material Download 01:00
    • 3: How to Build Your Physical or Virtual CCNA Lab Intro 02:51
    • 4: Option 1 - Building a Cisco CCNA Physical Lab 11:15
    • 5: CCNA Lab Option 2 - Use an Online Lab Provider 09:22
    • 6: Option 2 - Using an Online Lab Provider 10:01
    • 7: Option 3 - Virtual Lab - GNS3 09:41
    • 8: Option 4 - Virtual Lab - Cisco VIRL 02:42
    • 9: Option 5 - Software Simulator - Cisco Packet Tracer 06:48
    • 10: Option 6 - Software Simulator - Boson NetSim 03:55

Course media

Description

The Cisco Certified Network Associate certification is THE best qualification you can achieve to turbo charge your career in networking. Cisco are far and away the market leader in network infrastructure products, and passing the CCNA proves to employers that you have the necessary skills to design, build and maintain their enterprise networks.

Passing the exam requires you to understand the theory of a wide range of network technologies, and also have the practical skills to configure and troubleshoot them. This is where having a home lab comes in. It's absolutely essential that you have hands on practice on the network devices, not just for passing the exam but also so you develop real world skills you can use in the workplace.

The multitude of possible ways you can build a lab can be very confusing. There are physical labs, virtual labs, software simulators, and they all have their own benefits and drawbacks. Making the right choice is difficult when you don't know the implications of each option.

That's why I'm here to help. I use live demos to explain all the available options, break down the advantages and disadvantages of each, and tell you where you can find further information detailing how to put each one together.

Please note that I don't give step by step instructions about how to build each lab in this course. I do tell you where you can find this information, so there was no need to reinvent the wheel. Rather I explain what the different options are and help you make the decision on which one is best for you.

Who is this course for?

  • Anyone who wants to know the available Cisco CCNA lab options and their pros and cons

Requirements

You should be studying for (or thinking about studying for) the Cisco CCNA certification

Questions and answers

Currently there are no Q&As for this course. Be the first to ask a question.

Certificates

Reed courses certificate of completion

Digital certificate - Included

Will be downloadable when all lectures have been completed

Reviews

Currently there are no reviews for this course. Be the first to leave a review.

FAQs

Study method describes the format in which the course will be delivered. At Reed Courses, courses are delivered in a number of ways, including online courses, where the course content can be accessed online remotely, and classroom courses, where courses are delivered in person at a classroom venue.

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. If you work in certain professions or for certain companies, your employer may require you to complete a number of CPD hours or points, per year. You can find a range of CPD courses on Reed Courses, many of which can be completed online.

A regulated qualification is delivered by a learning institution which is regulated by a government body. In England, the government body which regulates courses is Ofqual. Ofqual regulated qualifications sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), which can help students understand how different qualifications in different fields compare to each other. The framework also helps students to understand what qualifications they need to progress towards a higher learning goal, such as a university degree or equivalent higher education award.

An endorsed course is a skills based course which has been checked over and approved by an independent awarding body. Endorsed courses are not regulated so do not result in a qualification - however, the student can usually purchase a certificate showing the awarding body's logo if they wish. Certain awarding bodies - such as Quality Licence Scheme and TQUK - have developed endorsement schemes as a way to help students select the best skills based courses for them.