[c-nsp] Cisco lab using open-source routing dameons(quagga, zebra, ..)

[Jason Ackley]

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005, Kim Onnel wrote:

> Has anyone built a lab with PCs running quagga or zebra, in order to
> get hands-on experience with BGP, OSPF, MPLS if possible?

 If you are trying to get hands-on with Cisco BGP/OSPF/MPLS, you should 
 run Cisco equipment otherwise the time spent in the lab will only make 
 you an expert at what you run in the lab :)

> I have a bunch of PCs that i would like to run as a lab, is it feasible

 For things like education of core concepts you can use anything, but keep 
 in mind the implementation differences between vendors and 
 open-source projects.

 While there are RFCs that govern how the protocols interact with each 
 other, there is nothing about how to configure them.

 
And more importantly.. If you are using the lab to pre-stage or test out
new ideas that you want to move to your production network, it (the lab)  
should mirror the production network.  

No sense in proving something will work in the lab on quagga if you are
going to be implementing it on something else in the production network.

Perhaps I am just crazy, but I have seen too many lab-to-production 
migrations fail due to the lab/staging area not being in sync with the 
production network equipment-wise.



cheers,
--
jason