CCNA Virtual Lab – What Are The Alternatives?

Ever since Cisco introduced simulation type questions into the CCNA exam, having practical hands-on experience in Cisco IOS switch and router configuration has become extremely important. Not everybody can afford to set up a home or office Cisco lab to practice on.

One popular alternative in recent years has been to run CCNA virtual labs on dynamips which is definitely a viable and effective solution. However this requires an IOS image which is not available to anybody who is not a Cisco customer already. In addition, dynamips requires a significant amount of processor power in order to run multiple routers as once and may not be a long term feasible solution.

Features of a CCNA Simulator

Because of this, Cisco router simulators are an essential product for anybody who is serious about passing the CCNA exam and does not have any access to the resources listed above. It is relatively low-cost and most are available for a little over $100 which is much less than what it would cost to set up a real lab. The simulator usually includes support for all the commands you will require to pass the CCNA exam as well as to configure and support a small sized network.

Another very useful aspect of the simulation is that the products usually are aligned with one of the CCNA books used for exam preparation and come with comprehensive scenarios that will enable you to practice the lab material in preparation for the actual exam.

The 2 most popular products are the CCNA 640-802 Network Simulator (Practical Studies) simulator which is the perfect companion to the CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802) (Exam Certification Guide) by Cisco Press and the CCNA Virtual Lab, Titanium Edition 2.0: (Exam 640-802) simulator, which is the perfect companion to the CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802 by Sybex CCNA certification book.

If you are serious about the CCNA education, you need to get one of the above CCNA virtual labs to kick-start your CCNA career.