We will use the Linux Core network host 6.3 x86-64 appliance to create the Host device.We choose to use the two appliances that are based on the Core Linux 6.3 distribution:
GNS3 VM INSTALL REMOTE DOWNLOAD
In this example, we will use appliances based on CORE Linux that were created by a GNS3 community member named Radovan Brezula and are available on his Brezular blog download page.
GNS3 VM INSTALL REMOTE SOFTWARE
Download appliancesĪn easy way to add routers and hosts based on open source software to your GNS3 simulations is to use appliances prepared by the GNS3 community. In the example below, we create two virtual machines names Router and Host that will be the base virtual machines used later in our tutorial. To demonstrate how linked clones are set up and used in a GNS3 simulation, we must first create the base virtual machines. Linked clone virtual machines are linked to a base virtual machine. How to create base VirtualBox virtual machines When a user saves a project, the configuration of each linked clone VM is saved with the project and will not be written over by another project. The filesystems of VirtualBox linked clones created by GNS3 1.3 are saved in the GNS3 project’s folder. This can cause a lot of confusion if the VM needs to be configured diffently in each project. Nothing prevents more than one GNS3 project from accidentally using the same VirtualBox VM. Normally, VirtualBox VM filesystems - or virtual disks - are saved in VirtualBox, not in the GNS3 project folder. Linked clones prevent overwriting filesystems This greatly reduces the number of virtual machines managed in the GNS3 Devices dock. GNS3 integration with VirtualBox linked clones allow users to treat VirtualBox VMs in the GNS3 Devices dock as a “device type” that may be used multiple times, instead of as a unique device that may only be used once. If users are working a large project, or on more than one project, the number of VMs they create may grow to the point that they become hard to manage in the GNS3 devices dock. Most GNS3 users will create many virtual machines in VirtualBox to create multiple instances of each type of node that they plan to use in their simulation. Linked clones simplify GNS3 device management Let’s review the benefits of using VirtualBox linked clones in GNS3. I found that using linked clones works well, provided one avoids the terrible Save As bug ( see below). In this post, we show how using VirtualBox linked clones simplifies using VirtualBox virtual machines in GNS3. GNS3 will save the clone’s filesystem in the GNS3 project folder. Once it is properly configured, GNS3 will do the work of creating a new VirtualBox linked clone from a base VM every time a node is dragged onto the GNS3 network topology panel. GNS3 integrates with VirtualBox to management of linked clone VMs. In the next window, select the Linked clone radio button and click Clone. Give the clone a name, then click the Next button. To create a linked clone in the VirtualBox Manager, right-click on a VM and select Clone from the menu that appears. This base VM is a normal virtual machine managed by VirtualBox. To create a linked clone, you must have a base virtual machine that will be cloned. This saves disk space on the host computer.įor more information about the technology used to create linked clones, research Copy on Write (COW) filesystems.
GNS3 VM INSTALL REMOTE HOW TO
In this post, I will show how to set up and use VirtualBox linked clones in your GNS3 simulation scenarios and work through a detailed tutorial.Ī VirtualBox linked clone is a virtual machine whose virtual disk links to another virtual machine’s virtual disk and saves only the differences in files and data compared to the linked virtual machine. This simplifies the process of setting up VirtualBox virtual machines in GNS3, which makes GNS3 easier to use for studying the operation of open-source routers, switches, and hosts in network simulation scenarios. GNS3 1.3 will create and manage VirtualBox virtual machine linked clones from within the GNS3 user interface.