CCNA practice lab options.
TL;DR. Found some free CCNA videos on YouTube. Need to practice. Tried several options. Final decision: CML-P in DevNet. 1. Cisco packet tracer. PROS: easy to download. easy to start. CONS: some commands are not supported, and some prompt is incorrect. Just don't like it. 2. home lab. PROS: Hands on experience, be real. Plugging, connecting, etc. CONS: Cost money. Tried Facebook/craigslist, not much luck. 3. GNS3 PROS: Plenty of resources online. Works with VIRL/CMP. CONS: A little bit complicated with GNS3 VM. Requires IOS/IOU/IOSv files. 4. VIRL / CML-P (VIRL2) PROS: Official Cisco product. Access to IOSv for Cisco devices. CONS: Cost $200/yr (or FREE, yes, legally!) Cisco DevNet provides free access to CML-P. This YouTube playlist published by David Bombal will walk you through how to set up a lab for practicing.