⠀Cisco technology has been the primary focus of my studies and interest ever since I got into networking. I remember first buying a physical router to use to implement and test network design in the real world, just like I’d been doing virtually with emulation in Packet Tracer.
⠀This has always been where I configure and test out technologies I’m interested in. Whenever I told my friends about it I’d tell them I was “recreating the entire internet from scratch!” It might have been a bit of a half-truth… but it sounded more impressive that way.
⠀The end goal with the lab was to have a place I could test out new technologies and make cool stuff. I wanted anything I deployed to be accessible from a Wi-Fi network that was anywhere in the house, so I could work on projects easily.
⠀One of the things I love about IT is how there’s (almost!) always a technology that does what you need something to do, and you’re often learning about it at just the right time. It gives you a great opportunity to test something in a real environment. I wanted hosts on the Wi-Fi to have access to projects on the LAN, but not to the greater internet. ACLs were perfect for that. I wanted one computer to host multiple websites on different IP addresses. Docker containers were perfect for that.
⠀Thinking of what you want the server to do and what the host will see, then thinking backwards to find the best way to do it, is a great way to design with the user and your goals in mind. You’ll develop a more tangible, practical problem-solving ability by completing these projects, and use technologies in a realistic, actualized capacity instead of just learning without real experience.
⠀My favorite application layer protocol has to be HTTP. I love how the internet is designed with interoperability in mind- anyone can design a protocol to do anything in any way; however, I believe HTTP is an embodiment of how the internet should work. It allows users to share files and content between each other in a smooth, reliable, seamless way and that’s what the internet is all about. I wanted web services on my network.
⠀I knew I wanted to have networking work first and foremost, so I set up a Cisco 2921 ISR. This is a great model for studying Cisco devices. They’re slow and inefficient with power, but I got one on eBay for 40 dollars and it works well enough to practice configuring Cisco equipment and run basic services.
⠀I also ordered an SG300-10 small business switch. This was a bit more expensive than the router at around 90 dollars. I set up VLANs on the switch for hosts, servers, and management. Using a Router on a Stick configuration, I could use one link between the router and the switch as if there were many more. This allowed me to separate traffic between different subnets and treat them differently.
⠀I loved setting all this up and seeing technology I’d been studying about for months in action, in person!
Learn more about how I set up Docker and Portainer to host websites or added restricted access to the greater internet and wireless.