Many advanced features are broken, and it’s hard to find documentation on them. The other downside to using VIRL is when you get into more advanced technologies. As an aside, about a month ago there was a large update to VIRL, during that time many users reported their node limit temporarily increased to 25! This may have been a bug, but hopefully it was Cisco testing the waters for increasing higher node count as many users have asked for. VIRL is great at building labs with up to 15 devices anything more than that, and you’re forced to start incorporating physical devices.

Another great feature is the ability to connect your virtual devices to physical hardware, extending your virtual lab into real world, without those devices even realizing they’re talking to virtual hardware. AutoNetkit makes IP address configuration a breeze, and it will even set up some basic routing protocols for you. I have even seen some users import Juniper VMs into the mix, so I imagine other vendors could be incorporated as well.

VIRL is a great tool for designing and building complex network topologies including routers, switches, and firewalls. For enterprise users who want TAC support, in-depth documentation, training and more, there is Cisco Modeling Labs (CML), a high-end production quality version of VIRL. While this is designed for students, teachers, or school staff, the rest of us can use the Personal Edition of VIRL which is available for $199 and currently eligible for $50 discount using the **VIRL50** code. Using the VM Maestro GUI, you can easily create complex network topologies and have the basic router and switch configurations built using AutoNetkit.Ĭisco VIRL comes in a couple different flavors, including the Academic version which is currently available for $79. It includes an OpenStack-based platform that runs your IOSv, IOSvL2, IOS XRv, NS-OSv, CSR1000v, and ASAv software images on the built-in hypervisor. Now, Cisco has finally answered our call for a legitimate virtual lab that can be used by both students and experienced networking pros.įor those not in the know, Cisco’s Virtual Internet Routing Lab (VIRL) is a network design and simulation environment that includes a graphical user interface, much like GNS3, to build virtual network topologies. There's the network simulation platform GNS3, which has been around for years, but the legality of sourcing software images has always been worrisome. No one will argue against building a lab for studying, but there are better options than buying an entire rack of physical hardware.

One of the most difficult things when starting out in networking is getting your hands on equipment.

Cisco virl images