creating a production type lab

[fsck]

looks fine, but you'll never do redistribution like that.  I'd also recommend to include your core devices in the routing instances.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by including my core devices in the routing instance. Can you please explain?

So the big square boxy things in the middle needs to help the little rectangular things at the bottom, get their packets to the roundy things at the top.

You would want to populate the routing tables in the network core, hosts at the access layer need to know how to get places.   if you just populate the routing tables in the WAN distro block,  routes will never get to the core, and hosts in the access layer will not know how to get places.   you could use static routes, but with 2 connections going to 2 different providers, this will be confusing and a better plan is needed. sending the wan block IGP routes into the core will help.

I got it thank you for explaining.

[fortworthtechs]

For creating production type lab you have to follow some simple steps:

1. Have separate internet and WAN routers at first.

2. Same WAN routing protocol is to be run and then it is to be switched, after that start playing around redistribution.

3. Route from the core to WAN segments. At first, keep the connections simple using same protocol and then try to make them different.

(Note) : Spoke suite pure EIGRP or OSPF is required if you want EIGRP vs. OSPF WAN. Then move on to different protocols.

[fsck]

I'm trying to connect the access layer to my distribution switches, but I must be missing something.

Here's what I did so far, on both switches.  I'm still just working on the left side of the topology.

I created both interfaces as a trunk

Code Select Expand

switchport trunk encapsulation dot1q
switchport mode trunk

I haven't created any VLANs, otherwise I would of added switchport trunk allowed vlan x so I thought maybe that's why I can't router traffic.  I'm still not telling the traffic how to move.  I'm a little confused on what to do next.  Is this where I would need something like ip-route to direct the traffic, but not use ip-default gateway?  If I connect a host to the core switch I can ping the ISP router, so I got that working but I want to bring that host down to the access layer and have it ping up to the ISP.

[wintermute000]

a trunk config without defining vlans = allow all vlans
what vlan is your router connected to.
just make sure on the access switch, its the same vlan.
also make sure your trunk is not blocked in STP or otherwise disabled in any other way (errdisabled etc.)

[fsck]

Got it! thank you I will continue the setup and see how far I get.

[fsck]

I was reading a bit about common Access-Distribution block designs.  I'm currently working on building up the core switches in this lab network.  How do you determine which of the 3 configurations.  Layer 2 loop free, Layer 2 looped, Layer 3 routed.  I know each will have its good and bad but when you guys design your networks what are you keeping in mind?

[icecream-guy]

I was reading a bit about common Access-Distribution block designs.  I'm currently working on building up the core switches in this lab network.  How do you determine which of the 3 configurations.  Layer 2 loop free, Layer 2 looped, Layer 3 routed.  I know each will have its good and bad but when you guys design your networks what are you keeping in mind?

I think we consider services that the customers need, then that defines the network architecture for deployment.

[fsck]

Got it.  That makes sense.  I will just try all the scenarios and see how they work and recover from failure tests and such.