Cuatro Router Pod - Quick Reference Page

This quick reference page provides a summary of the specifications of this topology. For a complete reference including installation details, please refer to the Cuatro Router Pod Planning and Installation Guide pdf

Topology	Maximum Per System¹	Supports	Documentation
	8	CCNA Security CCNA Exploration 2 CCNA Exploration 4 CCNA Discovery 2 CCNA Discovery 3 CCNA Discovery 4 CCNP BSCI CCNP ISCW CCNP ONT	Planning and Installation Guide

¹This value indicates the maximum number of pods of this pod type. A single NETLAB_AE system can host up to 12 equipment pods, total.

Lab Topology

Lab Device Requirements

Lab devices are part of the topology and users can interact with them either directly through the console or network.

Hardware compatibility with NETLAB_AE does not guarantee the compatibility of labs. Please check the Academy curriculum, NDG pod guides, and lab support pages for specific hardware and IOS requirements.

The Cuatro Router Pod includes four (4) routers. The table below shows the recommended routers based on the official CCNP 5.0 equipment list (available on Academy Connection). Other equipment may work if it is supported by NETLAB_AE and can meet the minimum requirements for feature sets, interfaces, IOS, RAM, and Flash.

Router / Switch	Recommended Model(s)^1,2	Ethernet Ports	Serial Ports	Recommended Serial Modules
R1,R2,R4	Cisco 2811 Cisco 2801 Cisco 1841	2	2	1 x WIC-2T
R3	Cisco 2811 Cisco 2801 Cisco 1841	2	4³	2 x WIC-2T

¹Other routers and switches models may be used. Please consult your Cisco NetAcad support contact for more information.

²At least one Cisco 2811 router is recommended for CCNP 5.0. To complete the Cisco Call Manager Express (CCME) labs in the CCNP ONT course, router R1 should be either a Cisco 2801 or Cisco 2811; the Cisco 1841 does not support CCME.

³Interface name translation is only supported on two of the four serial interfaces.

Router Interfaces

The NETLAB_AE interface name translation feature is supported on this pod type. This may influence the selection of modular interface cards and slot placement within the router. Please review the expected interface names for each router.

Router R3 requires four (4) serial interfaces. Interface name translation is only supported on two of the four R3 serial interfaces. If you are deploying more than one Cuatro Router Pod, please use the same router model and module slots for each R3 router to avoid configuration loading problems between pods.

Serial interfaces may be built-in, or provided by modular interface cards such as the WIC-2T. Serial connections between routers require the appropriate serial cables. You can use DTE and DCE cables back-to-back, or special cables that provide both DTE and DCE in one cable (available from SIGMAnet).

Virtual PC Support

Remote PCs are implemented by integrating with 3rd party virtualization products. The NETLAB_AE documentation library includes several guides with extensive detail on the implementation of virtualization with your NETLAB+ system.

The following operating system choices are typical based on the curriculum. These choices are not mandatory; you can make substitutions provided that:

Your choice of NETLAB+ supported virtualization product supports the operating system (as a guest).
Your choices are compatible with the curriculum.

Only virtual machines are supported on this topology. Standalone PCs are not supported.

The Cuatro Router Pod supports five (5) virtual machines.

Virtual Machine	Recommended O/S	Functions	VLAN Offset¹
PC1a	Windows XP	Student PC, client activities	+0
PC1b	Windows XP	Student PC, client activities	+0
PC2	Windows Server 2003	Server/TACAS (future labs)	+2
PC3	Windows XP	Student PC, client activities	+4
PC4	Windows XP	Student PC, client activities	+6

¹See the planning and installation guide for detaiils

Control Device Requirements

Control devices provide internal connectivity, console access, and managed power. Control devices are dynamically managed by NETLAB_AE and are not accessible or configurable by end users.

Control switches provide connectivity between devices in the pod.
Access server lines provide console connections to lab equipment.
Switched outlets provide managed electrical power, allowing NETLAB_AE and users to turn lab equipment on and off.

Control Device Requirements for the Cuatro Router Pod

Control Device Resource	Quantity Required
Control Switch	8 Consecutive Ports
Access Server	4 Lines
Switched Outlet Devices	4 Outlets

The Cuatro Router Pod requires 8 consecutive ports on a control switch.

The Cuatro Router Pod requires 4 async ports on an access server.

The Cuatro Router Pod requires 4 outlets on a switched outlet device.

For More Information

Please refer to the Cuatro Router Pod Planning and Installation Guide pdf