NISGTC Network+ Pod - Quick Reference Page


This quick reference page provides a summary of the specifications of the NISGTC Network+ Pod.

The NISGTC Network+ Pod is a 100% virtual machine pod consisting of five virtual machines. Linked together through virtual networking, these virtual machines provide the environment for a student or team to perform the Network+ labs.

Topology Supports... Documentation
Network+ Pod

Network+

You may request virtual machine templates for the Network+ Pod from CSSIA.

 

Lab Topology

Network+ Pod

Virtual Machines

The virtual machines in the Network+ Pod are listed below. The Virtual Machine Deployment Names are provided as a suggested naming convention.

Virtual Machine Topology Name Virtual Machine Deployment Name
Windows 2k8 R2 External Network+_WindowsExt_Master
Linux Firewall Network+_LinuxFirewall_Master
Windows 2k8 R2 Internal 1 Network+_WindowsInt1_Master
Windows 2k8 R2 Internal 2 Network+_WindowsInt2_Master
Backtrack 5 Internal Network+_BackTrack_Master

Storage Requirements

The Network+ course will consume 36.6 GB of storage per each user pod instance.

Details of the storage requirements for each of the lab virtual machines in the Network+ Pod are provided in the table below. Some fluctuation in the numbers may occur.

Virtual Machines Initial Master Pod
(thin provisioning) GB
Windows 2k8 R2 External 7
Linux Firewall .2
Windows 2k8 R2 Internal 1 11.2
Windows 2k8 R2 Internal 2 7
Backtrack 5 Internal 11.2
Total Recommended 36.6
 

Virtual Machine Templates

The virtual machines are made available as Open Virtualization Format (OVF) or Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) files. These files are available for download from EPNC (Education Pathway National Center).

To request access to the preconfigured virtual machine templates from EPNC:

  1. Go to the CSSIA Resources page: https://www.caeepnc.org/cssiaresources/
  2. Select CSSIA VM Image Sharing Agreement.
  3. Complete and submit your access request by following the instructions on the request form.
  4. EPNC will provide, via email, password-protected download links. Access to the download links is provided only to customers who are current with their NETLAB+ support contract and are participants in the appropriate partner programs (i.e., Cisco Networking Academy, VMware IT Academy, Red Hat Academy, and/or Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Academy).
  5. Once all virtual machines have been downloaded, they can be deployed following the steps in the appropriate pod installation guide. Each virtual machine is deployed individually.