hi
i am trying to set up a home lab and i have been trying to get used routers
but i am no sure about what to get
i just saw one in the local classifieds
all the info they give is that is a Cisco router 2500 and they want $150 for it
is that a good price?and if i go to check it out, what kind of questions should i ask before buying it?,what can i expect to come with it to make the purchase worth
i am sorry to sound clueless but i am just trying to set up a lab from scratch so i can get hands on

thanks guys

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juan carlos
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win2k MCP
Man I have become a discussion board addict - somebody stop me !!! When will I get some study done ?

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Sounds like a good price to me - but compare it to ebay prices for a proper comparison - I believe they are pretty much rock bottom now.

Find out it's exact model number, what interfaces does it have?? What do you want?? For CCNA you'll get away with Ethernet and Serial.

Check the IOS feature set, can you get a more up to date one?? Does it have enough memory??? Check these with a show ver command. Have a look at the Cisco web site for details of what it should come with and what you'll need for upgraded IOS's.
I believe you'll need at least IP plus for features such as ISL/Dot1q, maybe enterprise will suit you better for the future.

Watch the boot up sequence for errors, maybe take a hub along to check out you can get link lights lit. Check you have all the cables you need etc etc.

However I've never bought one, others may know the tricks people try to pull on you, Good luck.

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I'm actually buying a router this weekend. I'm getting a 2500 series, the prices are considerably cheaper these days than they used to be from what I hear. For $150 you're probably gettign a 2524 or something without any modules. Meaning all you get is the router with RAM 16MB max Vram 16MB max, an ethernet port, a console port and aux port. I'm thinking of getting that with another ethernet mod and an isdn mod. the mods range in price @ $50 - $150. Check ebay like he said.

-=Slaine=-

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That is an excellent price assuming it works. I don't know if you'll be able to test it or not when you take a look @ it but @ the very least do the "humm test"(turning it on and listen)If you have a laptop I would bring it as well and hyperterminal into that puppy to see what you may be buying. Let me know if you have any questions.

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I agree that's a pretty good price (the 2501's on ebay were about 200 a few weeks ago)
with it you should get at least a serial cable or 2 and a transceiver for the ethernet port (pretty cheap if you don't get em though) bring a rollover cable and com port adapter with you to check it out either on his pc, or if you have a laptop like jeff said (if he won't let you get into it then I wouldn't buy it)

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Ebay is the way to go ...

assumming that the $150 router is working fine then that's a cheap price but i'm pretty sure it has a 11.x ios and maybe 4mb of ram and nvram you need to uprade your memory if you're gonna uprade to 12.x ios which will cause you $50+ for the ios and the memory on ebay.

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Dude $150 is a great deal even if it hasnt been upgraded.
To upgrade it you will only need the memory,(You can probably find a E-Bay store and cut a deal for ~$32), the IOS image (about $25), and a new Boot Eprom chip ($9)
Total it cost about $100 to upgrade a router at the most.
If you need any help upgrading it let me know I just upgraded a 2514 from the Stone Age (1996) to the present

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thanks guys
i'll let you know how it goes

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juan carlos
CNA
win2k MCP
Man I have become a discussion board addict - somebody stop me !!! When will I get some study done ?

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