I have just got my newsletter email from the Cisco Networking Academy. It talks about the upcoming version of Packet Tracer 5.2, which is going to be a huge and major change on a security and QoS line! Packet Tracer 5.2 is going to be a ready to use and an amazing tool that helps you to get ready for the new CCNA Security certification. Oh, btw, the CCNA Security curricula for the Cisco Networking Academy should be released already somewhere around this summer.
Right now (3.3.2009) I don’t have any additional information on this release. After a public beta version of PT5.2 will be released, I will drop some screenshots and a review here.
Check out the List of new IOS commands in PT5.2.
UPDATE (31.6.2009):
So finally I have dropped my hand on the new beta (4) version of PT 5.2. It seems to be pretty stable (so far). Some new features that I’ve just noticed concluded in few screenshots:
There is a kinda updated startup splash screen ;-)
It looks like new extensions are automatically detected and may be enabled with a simple user interaction.
What’s really new, is a new menu option available under Options->Algorithm Settings. It displays a window where you can set up some new security related features.
We can add to the list of the new features also the ability to change the device’s icon. So that we can have customized icons for different devices. I am already thinking about a real life usage of this feature while preparing new PT based assessments for my students.
You can also customize the security related settings even per device. I wonder why would I need per device fine tuning of these settings but hopefully I will find out soon ;-)
How could we talk about security without an AAA infrastructure. As you could have seen, PT was updated with new security related commands. Now you can do for example VTY access authentication against a central Radius server, export logging messages to a Syslog server, etc.
Packet Tracer is getting in this new release a really huge update on new protocols and features. If the development will continue like this, we can start teaching everything on PT ;-) But till then, we have a lot of real gears in our racks.
The new version of PT in version 5.2 should be release during this summer. Please do not ask me for download access. If you are a Cisco Networking Academy user, you will be able to download it from the academy connection website immediately after it will be released. If you are not a Cisco Networking Academy user, but want to access PT, contact the nearest Cisco Networking Academy in your area (or follow some older comments here ;-p).
