Hello,
Let me begin by apologizing for not really looking at other threads on the topic as i feel everyone's homelab is something a custom and personalized for them and what they are doin` ^_^.
I am a junior VMware admin looking to build a homelab to practice some VMware skills (deploying VMs, moving them around, have specific traffic bound to specific VLANs) but any half decent lab setup also has a networking component to it (something i also need to get more acquainted with if i wanna be any good..like using CLI to create a vlan, setup a subnet, a trunk, a port-channel etc etc etc.
And since i want to build this thing properly, i want my networking to be Cisco because i feel in the enterprise space Cisco is still king of the hill through sheer volume if not features or innovation.
But because Cisco has about a billion models (depending on use case) i could really use some help and guidance on purchasing said hardware.
For what i`m doing i figure imma need :
1x Cisco Router - I would need it to be capable of GIG WAN and have at least 2 LAN ports to connect switches down-steam. 1 other capability that is a must is that it needs to be capable to establish a PPPoE connection.
2x Cisco Switches - I would need them to be managed switches with at least 16 ports but preferably 24 and to support VLANs.
Could anyone around here suggest some models for both router & switch i could look for ? Pweeety please ?
Since this is a lab based on what ya'll suggest imma try looking up second hand gear but im also willing to spend some bucks on new hardware if it does not break the bank.
For example on switches i was looking at Cisco CBS220-24T-4G 24x RJ45 1000Mbps but i swear from the techsheet of this device i cannot tell whether it would be a good fit ? or if it would simply be overkill for what i need ?
