Lab 19: Configuring Classical IP Using SVCs on Cisco 7XXX Routers, RFC 2225-Part I

Summary

The topic of ISDN is vast and comprehensive, and it is a core topic of the CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Exam. If you don't have a firm grasp of the topics described in this chapter, you have a slim chance of getting your CCIE number. The best way to prepare for the ISDN portion of this rigorous exam is to practice these topics. You cannot possibly retain the knowledge contained in this chapter if you do not have the equipment necessary to practice these topics repeatedly. We cannot stress this enough. If you don't have access to ISDN equipment, you will need to purchase an ISDN simulator and some routers with BRI interfaces. Reading about any topic is one thing. The practical knowledge obtained from actually doing it is something else entirely.

Try to add as many complexities to the ISDN topics as you can. Use different routing protocols, and note how they change the configurations. Add IPX and other routed protocols to the configurations to see how they affect the outcome. After that, try configuring BGP, DLSw, and NAT over the ISDN link. It is relatively easy to configure any single topic on a Cisco router. However, when multiple things are configured and integrated, unexpected issues can arise. The only way to learn about these issues is to practice as many different topics as you can and then integrate them