09-18-2008, 01:39 PM
A 1700 series with SDM capabilities or an 800 series with SDM capabilities would be best for a lab these days, as exams include SDM now. Three switches and three routers are best for a lab, as OSPF/EIGRP elections can be seen with 3 routers with debugging, and STP elections (root bridge) can be seen but you need at least 3 switches for this, and 3 routers for elections on routing protocols and such. One of the routers can be a 2503, and you can config it as a frame relay switch, as you could see OSPF behavior across frame links.
Tim
Tim