Question about a network architecture in Cisco Packet Tracer

[MattLemonade]

Dear community

I am trying to create a redundant network in Cisco Packet Tracer. This works quite well, but I'm having a hard time with one part.

I have connected the hardware redundant for both sites (only connected, no OSPF, RSTP, HSRP configured yet). Only one site should be connected to the Internet (i.e. have an ISP connection) but both sites should be connected to each other via WAN lines. Now here comes the problem that I do not know how to solve.

For the ISP connection I have taken a cable modem and for the WAN connection the cloud PT. But now here is the question how to connect them together. Attached is my current architecture. In theory, both routers from site A must be connected to the Cloud-PT as well as both routers from site B. But now I don't have a free port for the routers and I don't know which port to use for the Cloud-PT.

Thank you very much for your ideas and inputs!

Best,
Matt

[Flavio Miranda]

Hi @MattLemonade 

 You can use serial connection to connect to the cable modem. But, if I were you I would use a router to represent the ISP.  The cable mode is used to connect small sites or a home. 

The router allows you to install more interface in case you dont have more.

[MattLemonade]

Hi @Flavio Miranda 

Already a big thank you for the quick reply and input!

Alright, i will take a router to representing the ISP. But how am i able to connect both sites together over WAN-Connections? In the planning instructions it says "The two sites are connected via WAN lines. The connection to the Internet is provided for both sites at a single location.". So for my understanding is that only one location has a connection to a ISP-router.

Best,
MattLemonade

[Flavio Miranda]

The Cloud in PT use Fram relay to interconnect sites.

You can refer to this video in order to properly setup the cloud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edD2jVFbos

[MattLemonade]

Hi again!

Thanks a lot! I will have a look at this video and come back if i got questions! Already a big thanks from my side! 

Best,
Matt

[MattLemonade]

Hey @Flavio Miranda 

Thanks again for your inputs! I tried to configure the stuff right now. Like i mentioned before, there are two core-router on each side.

I have added the IP addresses on the series interfaces as well as the subnet mask as well as connected to the cloud PT.

The configuration looks like this:

LocationA-Core1 via SE 0/1/0 with Cloud-PT SE0
LocationA-Core2 via SE 0/1/0 with Cloud-PT SE1
LocationB-Core1 via SE 0/1/0 with Cloud-PT SE2
LocationB-Core2 via SE 0/1/0 with Cloud-PT SE3

Now I have configured the DLCI on the Cloud-PT on the respective serial interfaces.

Serial 0 - DLCI 101 - NAME: 101_LocationA_Core1_to_LocationB_Core1
Serial 0 - DLCI 201 - NAME: 201_LocationB_Core1_to_LocationA_Core1

Serial 1 - DLIC 102 - NAME: 102_LocationA_Core1_to_LocationB_Core2
Serial 1 - DLIC 202 - NAME: 202_LocationB_Core2_to_LocationA_Core1

Serial 3 - DLIC 103 - NAME: 103_LocationA_Core2_to_LocationB_Core1
Serial 3 - DLIC 203 - NAME: 203_LocationB_Core1_to_LocationA_Core2

Serial 4 - DLIC 104 - NAME: 104_LocationA_Core2_to_LocationB_Core2
Serial 4 - DLIC 204 - NAME: 204_LocationB_Core1_to_LocationA_Core2

Now I run into the problem that I can only select Serial0 once in the frame Relay as an example. In the video, however, the user was able to do this several times. Where is the problem here? Of course, it could be that I have a thinking error here, but the goal is simply that the routers can communicate with each other, support OSPF and Location A Internet forwarded to Location B.

Thanks a lot!!

Best,
Matt

[Flavio Miranda]

Attach your PacketTracer project here and let me take a look on it.  You need to zip the file in order to add here.

[MattLemonade1]

@Flavio Miranda 

Hi, i don't know what happend but i had the readd a display name and my displayname i have choosen before is not more avaiable? So i choose "MattLemonade1"...So weird....

First of all, i really appreciate your time, knowledge and help! I uploaded my project file as a zip.

Best,
Matt

[Flavio Miranda]

@MattLemonade1 , sorry for the delay

 I am attaching a file where the Frame relay clould is working. I made some changes on your file but the overall idea is the same.

The Fram relay cloud is a little bit tricky to configure as you need to think on the physical connection and on the logical connection and the logical connections is hard to organize properly.

It is not enough to create the cloud frame relay but you also need to configure all the interfaces on the router to speak frame relay, to have the proper DLCIs and the IP address you need to put in a subinterface and not on the physical interface.

Hope you can understand.

[MattLemonade1]

@Flavio Miranda Please don't be sorry. I really appreciate your time and help so much. 

Thank you so much. I think i got it. I have seen aswell that you configurated 3 DLICS on each serial-interface. 

So do i got it right, that over the cloud-pt and frame relay i can configure OSPF on the core-routers and connect a ISP-Router to the location A (on each core-router) and configure that location b gets internet access from location A, is that correct?

Thank you again! i hope you have a great day/night!!

Best,

Matt

[Flavio Miranda]

Yes, now you have connectivity throught the ISP network. It is like if you were direct connected from location A to location B. 

[MattLemonade1]

Thank you very much for your support. I am watching this right now and trying to understand each step. What are my next steps:

Attach router (2911) which will be ISP router to core routers in location A and configure it. Then through the frame relay Location A should make sure that Location B has internet access. Then I would set up OSPF on the core routers of both locations.

I just tried to do a ping test from LocationA-Core1 to router LocationB-Core1 and it was not successful. I then did some research and saw that I need to create a relay map, is that correct? And I have one more question.

When I move the mouse over the core routers, I see the serial port Seriel 0/1/0.12 and the IP address I defined (10.0.0.1/24, 10.0.0.5/24, 10.0.0.9/24 and 10.0.0.13/24 for the last core router in LocationB). However, when I go to view this via the GUI, I do not see this interface. Is there a reason for this?

[Flavio Miranda]

"I just tried to do a ping test from LocationA-Core1 to router LocationB-Core1 and it was not successful. I then did some research and saw that I need to create a relay map, is that correct? And I have one more question."

How did you setup the core?  Can you share your need version?

"When I move the mouse over the core routers, I see the serial port Seriel 0/1/0.12 and the IP address I defined (10.0.0.1/24, 10.0.0.5/24, 10.0.0.9/24 and 10.0.0.13/24 for the last core router in LocationB). However, when I go to view this via the GUI, I do not see this interface. Is there a reason for this?"

   Subinterfaces is not shown on the gui view, this is normal.  

[MattLemonade1]

@Flavio Miranda 

Hi Flavio,

Sorry for the late response. I was spending a lot of time in the cisco packet tracer and tried some things to learn and at some parts i was successful!

I created a new project and tried something for a lot of hours and right now i'm facing following situation:

I have Location A with one ISP (Router 2911) and two ASA (5506-X) systems. The two ASA systems are connected to two 3650-24PS switches each. One 3650-24PS system represents one location and they are connected together. Connected to each of the switches are 2x core routers, 2x distribution switches (also 3650-24PS) and 4 access switches.

Since each connection switch is connected to a core router (that means, one connection switch is connected with 4 core-router in total), I have two different IP addresses configured on each core router, simply in different subnets. I can ping from core router to core router. Now I have the following problem and question I ask myself.

1) I cannot send a successful ping from the ASA system to the core routers, although I have defined a VLAN on the switches.

2.) How would this look like with OSPF? For OSPF I have to define a router ID, but how would this work if I have configured two interfaces with different IP addresses in different subnets on one core router?

3.) What would the routing look like if I create a VTP on the distribution switches and assign it to the access switches and end systems respectively (the ports)? This aspect is also a big headache for me.

Thanks a lot and best,
MattLemonade1