Question regarding LAN to WAN setup.....

chadtastic · ‎01-31-2015

Hi everyone,

I'm pretty new at routing and don't have much experience in it other than what I've learned in CCNA. I'm going for my CCNP now and am starting to study for ROUTE. As such, I need to lab, lab, lab.

Please bear with me as I'm pretty much new at a lot of this stuff.

I have a 2600 and currently, it only has one Ethernet port. I'd like to get a WAN card/WIC for it but I'm not exactly sure which one I should get (or if one even exists.)

I do have an extra T1 CSU/DSU card but I don't think I can use that to connect to anything but a T1 line, which I don't have. (Note this is going to connect to one of my home Linksys Smart router's ports so as to have a LAN to WAN setup. The Linksys provides Internet access throughout the house.)

I did try to connect the T1 card to one of the Linksys's LAN ports but I'm not getting any activity at all. (This leads me to believe this card is SOLELY to connect to a T1.)

Basically, I'd like to have the Linksys on one network and the Cisco on a completely different network and have the two networks communicate with each other after configuring the appropriate routing protocol. I've already tried this using ROAS utilizing VLANs and it worked perfectly but I now want to try it with completely different networks. For example, my Linksys will be on 192.168.x.x and the Cisco will be on say, 10.1.x.x.

Does Cisco offer a WAN card for my 2600 that isn't T1 and that will work with one of the Linksys's ports to accomplish this?

I think I've read there is the NM-1E module that would give me an extra port. But is that used as a LAN port or a WAN port? Can an extra LAN card act as a WAN card if I simply configure it for the different network?

Thanks!

Aztec_ · ‎01-31-2015

Can an extra LAN card act as a WAN card if I simply configure it for the different network?

Yes, WAN is not limited to T1 module.

You can try GNS3 for alternative solution.

chadtastic · ‎02-01-2015

Thanks, I appreciate the response.

I'd rather use real equipment than gns3.

Can you advise as to which card I can get for this Router for my WAN link to connect to the Linksys?

Joseph W. Doherty · ‎02-02-2015

Disclaimer

The Author of this posting offers the information contained within this posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose. Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of this posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising out of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if Author has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

T1 CSU/DSU is a different physical technology from Ethernet. It's often possible to connect two such interfaces, back-to-back, if two routers have these modules; doubtful your Linksys does.

It's been a long time since I've worked with a 2600, but some models might have various options to add another Ethernet port and/or replace the T1 CSU/DSU module with one. Cisco's main web site should have that information.

BTW, old hardware should be able configure basic routing, but if you're going for a CCNP, you might be unable to try out some newer IOS features you'll be expected to know and understand.

chadtastic · ‎02-02-2015

Thanks for the reply Joseph.

Correct, the Linksys does not have a T1 connection.

I did look on Cisco's site for the 2600 and found the NM-1E as mentioned above, however, I've read mixed things about it working with the 2600 so I was hoping someone would have confirmation that it worked for them/would defintely work for this model.

Lastly, yes, I am aware that this model is likely not going to be able to fufill all of the things I need to do for CCNP. It is all I have right this second though and I'm trying to get as much use out of it as possible.

Thanks

Joseph W. Doherty · ‎02-02-2015

Disclaimer

The Author of this posting offers the information contained within this posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose. Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of this posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising out of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if Author has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

If you dig through Cisco documentation, you should find what specific 2600 series routers support their various NMs. You should also insure, what IOS version and/or feature set supports the specific NM too.

If you find a supported configuration, the extra Ethernet port should work fine, although a 2600 doesn't have the performance to support FE throughtput (which shouldn't be a problem in a lab).

chadtastic · ‎02-02-2015

Yep, I'll defintely take another look at the documentation and just go for whatever it says is useable for this router.

Thanks for the confirmation about the extra Ethernet port and yeah, it's ok if it's not FE; as long as it works for my lab!

Thanks again!