The Cisco DevNet Sandbox is a free and fantastic resource provided by Cisco allowing engineers to practice and develop their networking and network automation skills in a safe, on-demand environment. Better yet, the sandbox is available without the need of purchasing expensive equipment to set up at home.
Many of the tutorials and guides on Tekyy use the different instances on the sandbox to demonstrate the different content. It’s important to practice new skills as well, so including the Sandbox information enables readers to use the same tools as demonstrated in the examples.
Using The Cisco DevNet Sandbox
The only requirement to get started with using the sandbox is to create an account on the Cisco DevNet site. This will enable you to view, reserve, and connect to the different labs available.
Reserved vs. Always-On
Cisco Sandbox has two different types of labs: Reserved and Always-On.
Reserved labs are only accessible with a valid reservation and VPN connection. The primary advantage of reserved labs is they are private environments only accessible by the person who made the reservation. Additionally, device configurations are normalized so every reservation begins in the same configuration state.
Reserved labs are ideal for practicing more complex actions where you do not want other users interrupting your work.
Always-on labs can be accessed at any time without a reservation, but are shared with other users. This means the configuration state is unreliable at any given moment. One advantage is these labs do not require a VPN to connect to. However, their configuration state is often unreliable if you are practicing anything which requires a specific config state to start.
Cisco AnyConnect VPN
As mentioned above, Reserved instances require you to connect using the Cisco AnyConnect Mobility Client. Once your sandbox lab is provisioned, you’ll receive an email with credentials to connect to the VPN.
You can download Cisco AnyConnect on your own, however the reservation email you receive for reserved labs includes the download link and credentials.
The Cisco DevNet Sandbox is an invaluable tool provided by Cisco to help engineers practice and learn the Cisco product line for free. It’s an essential resource to prepare for just about any Cisco certification.
What ways have you found the DevNet Sandbox to be helpful in your professional or educational journeys?