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Virtual CCNA Lab

Graphical Network Simulator 3 (GNS3) is an emulator for many
network and security appliances. It uses the official operating systems
and firmware of devices and creates a virtualized environment. This
allows you to run the real operating systems of vendor devices on your
laptop or desktop computer without having to purchase physical
devices. Additionally, you can have a portable, software-based
networking lab environment on the go.
Why is GNS3 better than Cisco Packet Tracer or physical equipment?
It's convenient to have virtualization networks and security devices right
on your desktop computer. The benefit of using GNS3 is that it allows
you to install the official Cisco operating systems into its application,
which means you will be able to access the full functionality of the
virtual Cisco router, switch, and firewall devices.
The only downside to using virtualization technologies is you'll need to
have a good CPU that supports virtualization and a sufficient amount
of RAM. When you start a virtual machine, in our case, it'll be a virtual
appliance or device. They use the same amount of RAM as a physical
device. This means that if a Cisco IOS router uses 1 GB of RAM, a
virtual Cisco router within GNS3 will most likely be the same.
Another downside of using GNS3 is that you will need to use official
Cisco IOS images within GNS3. Unlike Cisco Packet Tracer, which is a
simulated environment, GNS3 creates an emulated working
environment for official operating systems.
Important note
Cisco IOS images can be obtained from Cisco's website if you have a
service contract that allows image downloads, you have a valid license
agreement from Cisco Systems, or you purchase them directly from
Cisco.
However, the benefit of using GNS3 is that you get very close to the
real-world experience of the actual Cisco IOS devices. This includes the
time it takes to converge the network and how all the Cisco commands
work with operating systems (the switch, routers, firewalls, and so on).
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To set up a GNS3 environment, use the following instructions:

1. To download GNS3 client and GNS VM, go to www.gns3.com
and click on Sign Up to create a user account on the website.
2. After creating your user account, log into the website.
3. Click on Download.
You will see a Download button on the left-hand side of the
screen. Click it to download the GNS3 standalone client.
Additionally, download the GNS3 VM (virtual machine) by
clicking the Download VM for GNS3 hyperlink, as shown in the
following image:

Figure 2.9 – GNS3 download links

The GNS3 VM is recommended with the GNS3 client as it improves
performance.
When you click Download VM for GNS3, you'll be provided with
multiple options to download a virtual image specific to your
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hypervisor of choice: VirtualBox, VMware Workstation and Fusion,

VMware ESXi, and Microsoft Hyper-V platforms. I would recommend
Oracle VirtualBox as it's a really good hypervisor and it's free.
However, I'll demonstrate how to set up the environment using both
Oracle VirtualBox and VMware Workstation.
4. Download Oracle VirtualBox by going to www.virtualbox.org
and clicking on Downloads. Choose the VirtualBox package for
your operating system. Once the file has been successfully
downloaded onto your computer, install it using all the default
settings.
5. This step is optional as VMware Workstation is a commercial
(paid) product. To get VMware Workstation Pro, go to
https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-pro.html to
make an official purchase of the product.
6. Install the GNS3 standalone client on your computer using all the
default settings within the installation wizard.
7. Right-click on GNS3 VM, select Open with, and choose
VirtualBox or VMware Workstation to import the virtual
machines into the hypervisor, as shown in the following image:

Figure 2.10 – GNS3 VM import options

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8. If you are using VMware Workstation, the Import Virtual

Machine wizard will open. Click Import to begin the process.
The following screenshot shows the import window on VMware
Workstation:

Figure 2.11 – VMware Workstation import window

9. When the importing process has been completed on VMware
Workstation Pro, click the Edit virtual machine setting link to
adjust the CPU and RAM on GNS3 VM, as shown in the following
image:
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Figure 2.12 – VMware Workstation overview

I would recommend using the following settings on the GNS3 VM:
--Memory (RAM): 8 GB,
CPU:
--Number of processors = 1,
--Number of cores per processors = 2.
Enable any additional virtualization features found on the CPU
tab.
When you're finished, click on OK to save the setting on VMware
Workstation Pro.
10. If you are using Oracle VirtualBox to import GNS3 VM,
you will see the following window; click on Import:
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Figure 2.13 – VirtualBox Import Virtual Appliance window

11. After GNS3 VM has been imported into VirtualBox, select
the virtual machine and click on Settings to adjust the CPU and
RAM specifications.
12. Next, open the GNS3 standalone client application. Select
Edit to expand the drop-down menu and click on Preferences, as
shown in the following screenshot:
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Figure 2.14– GNS3 Edit menu

13. Click on the GNS3 VM tab. Then, set the options shown in
the following image to connect GNS3 client to GNS VM:

Figure 2.15 – GNS3 VM configuration

If you are using Oracle VirtualBox, set Virtualization Engine:
VirtualBox.
14. Click Apply and then OK to save these settings.
Now that we have configured the GNS3 VM so that it works with the
GNS3 standalone client, on the GNS3 client user interface, on the
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right-side, under Servers Summary, GNS3 VM should appear, as

shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 2.16 – GNS3 Servers Summary

To add an official Cisco IOS image in GNS3, use the following
instructions:
1. Ensure both the GNS3 client and GNS3 VM are up and running.
To add a Cisco IOSv router appliance, click on the Router icon
and then New template, as shown in the following image:

Figure 2.17 – GNS3 interface

2. Select Install an appliance from the GNS3 server and click
Next, as shown here:
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Figure 2.18 – New template window in GNS3

3. Search for Cisco IOSv to quickly find the template and click
Install, as shown here:

Figure 2.19 – Appliance template window in GNS3

4. Select Install the appliance on the GNS3 VM and click Next, as
shown here:
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Figure 2.20 – Install Cisco IOSv appliance window in GNS3

5. The Qemu binary options will be automatically selected. Click
Next, as shown here:

Figure 2.21 – Qemu setting in GNS3

Set the required IOSv version based on the IOSv image you got from
Cisco and click Import:
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Figure 2.22 – Install Cisco IOSv Appliance window on GNS3

After importing the Cisco IOSv into GNS3 VM, you should see
that the status shows that the image has been found.
6. Next, select IOSv_startup_config.img and click Download to
retrieve the file that's required to complete the installation:
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Figure 2.23 – Install Cisco IOSv missing file status

7. Once both the IOSv and startup-config files have been
uploaded to GNS3 VM, the status of the IOSv router appliance
will change to Ready to install. Click Next, as shown in the
following screenshot:
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Figure 2.24 – Cisco IOSv ready to install window on GNS3

8. When the installation is completed, click OK to accept the
message of a successful installation and click Finish to close the
wizard, as shown in the following screenshot:
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Figure 2.25 – Installation confirmation window in GNS3

To add a Cisco IOSvL2 switch to GNS3 VM, follow the same
procedure mentioned previously. Don't forget that when you have
reached step 3, search for IOSvL2 instead as it's a Cisco switch rather
than a router.
To add and access devices within GNS3, please use the following
instructions:
1. In GNS3, click File to open the drop-down menu and select New
Blank Project.
2. Create a project name and choose a location to save the project
files. Then, click OK.
3. On the left of the GNS3 window, click the Router icon to show all
available devices.
4. Drag the newly created router onto the center of the GNS3
layout.
5. Click the Play icon to start the device in GNS3.
The following image shows the Play, Pause, and Stop icons for
controlling the device:
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Figure 2.26 – GNS3 controls

Now, on the right-hand side of GNS3, under Topology
Summary, you should see that the router icon has now turned
green to indicate it's currently active.
6. To access the command-line interface of a device within GNS3,
simply double-click on the device's icon on the main layout. This
will open PuTTY or the default Terminal program on your
computer.
7. If you add more devices to GNS3, you can click the Cable icon to
use the same method to interconnect devices.
Important note
During the installation of the GNS3 standalone client, Putty was
included during the installation phase.
When you are finished, be sure to click the Stop icon to power
down all the virtual devices within GNS3. Additionally, closing
the GNS3 client will automatically power-off the GNS3 VM as
well.
Now, you know how to create a virtual environment to sharpen your
skills for the CCNA certification. Let's take a dive into understanding
the requirements for acquiring a physical lab.