INE’s CCIE R&S v5 topology for EVE-NG using CSR1000v

In my previous blog post I’ve adapted the INE’s CCIE Routing and Switching topology to be used with EVE-NG using IOSv (or vIOS) L3 images for routers and L2 images for switches.

Following the promise in that blog post, I’ve adapted the same topology using Cisco CSR1000v images for routers and IOSv L2 images for switches. There isn’t much to say about this topology since mostly is matching the original INE’s one for routers (including the configuration files) and the major difference is the utilization of virtual switches.

Since we’re using virtual switches, the configuration files for switches are still different. I’ve adapted these ones to match the interface names of IOSv-L2:

Real Switches – vIOS-L2

Fa0/1  - Gi0/0 - SW1 only connection to bridge

Fa0/19 - Gi0/2
Fa0/20 - Gi0/3
Fa0/21 - Gi1/0
Fa0/22 - Gi1/1
Fa0/23 - Gi1/2
Fa0/24 - Gi1/3

For convenience, the switches topology looks like this in EVE-NG:

CCIE R&S V5 Switches

For routers, the interfaces stays the same since we’re using CSR1000v images.

Here is how the network topology looks like. No surprise here, just added for convenience:

INE CCIE R&S v5 topology with csr1000v

If you don’t have the CSR1000v image added to your installation of EVE-NG, please download it (Cisco.com is a good starting point) and add it following these How-to:
HowTo add Cisco Cloud Service Router (CSR1000V NG) Denali and Everest
or
HowTo add Cisco Cloud Service Router (CSR1000V) – for pre Denali or Everest images.

If you’re curious I’m using csr1000v-universalk9.03.12.03.S.154-2.S3-std image when testing for this lab.

Before sharing the download links, a word of advice.

It may be that CSR1000v images are more stable and support all features when compared with IOSv-L3, however this comes with a cost in term of resources. Each node has by default 3GB RAM assigned and I wouldn’t recommend trying to decrease it.

Once the nodes boot up, the actual used RAM will be less, but still you need more resources to use CSR1000v.
My recommendation for 10 routers using CSR1000v images would be at least 16GB RAM assigned to the EVE-NG virtual machine. The same if you’re using EVE-NG on a bare metal machine.

Last but not least, somebody asked me when I’m going to provide the same topology with 20 routers.
No need. You can extend the default topology with as many devices as you want. The modified configuration files for labs with 20 routers are already modified and present in the archive you download. Just add the missing R11 until R20 devices.

If you encounter errors that are critical, please let me know and I’ll try to correct them.

Download files:
EVE-NG-INE-CCIEv5-Topology-CSR1000v.zip
INE-CCIEv5-RS-Initial-Configuration-for-EVE-NG-CSR1000v.zip

Happy labbing and let me know if you find these materials useful!

INE’s CCIE R&S v5 topology for EVE-NG

The last days I was working on adapting INE‘s lab topology, most specific the CCIE Routing and Switching v5 one, to be used in EVE-NG.

In my opinion, INE offers some of the best training materials for Cisco and Juniper certifications. Along certification training you can find in their All Access Pass Subscription valuable learning materials for Network Automation, Security and Traffic Analysis (like Wireshark).
By the way I’m not affiliated with nor this post is the result of some sponsorship from INE. I just wanted to have the possibility to use their materials on using the entire topology, including the Switches, in EVE-NG.

I’ve picked Cisco‘s vIOS L3 and L2 images to support the topology in EVE-NG. You can argue that vIOS is a bit unstable and lacks some features, that CSR1000v images are better when combined with real Cisco switches and so on. Yes yes, all these are quite right, but I’m not here to debate about the best way to create a topology, rather a simple and sustainable one which works even for low end devices with less resources (CPU, RAM). Is no secret that vIOS will use less resources than CSR1000v images.

It brings me great happiness to let you know that I’ve succeeded in adapting not only the topology (not that hard honestly), but also the initial configuration files. The challenge lies in the fact that vIOS L2 images are build to support Ethernet ports in group of four, resulting in a slight different naming convention.

If you’ll check INE’s CCIE R&S v5 topology, the Cisco switches are using the Port from 19 to 24 to interconnect. On switch SW1, Port 1 is used to bridge the switching part to the routing one. You cannot replicate this exact port configuration scheme using vIOS L2 images.

I was forced to come with an alternative scheme, to map the original interface to the virtual ones and to adapt the configuration files.

This is what I came with:

INE CCIE R&S v5 switches

The interface mapping is as follows:

Real Switches – vIOS-L2

Fa0/1  - Gi0/0 - SW1 only connection to bridge

Fa0/19 - Gi0/2
Fa0/20 - Gi0/3
Fa0/21 - Gi1/0
Fa0/22 - Gi1/1
Fa0/23 - Gi1/2
Fa0/24 - Gi1/3

For the Routers is easy, since the interfaces are almost the same:

CSR1000v – vIOS-L3

Gi1 - Gi0/1

Here is how the network topology looks like:
INE CCIR R&S v5 Topology

We have 10 Routers using vIOS-L3 and 4 Switches using vIOS-L2. The connections between routers and switches are facilitated by the Net bridge.
10 routers should be sufficient for most of the labs. However if you need more, just add nodes and connect them to the Net bridge using the Gi0/1 interface.

As said previously, the configuration files have been adapted to match the interfaces listed above. I’ve tried my best not to have any errors, I also did some testing, everything looks to be fine. Most probably you’ll notice some errors at the copy / paste, but these are just cosmetic and related mostly to some proprietary CSR1000v commands or management interface which is not needed in EVE-NG. If you encounter errors that are critical, please let me know and I’ll try to correct them.

If somebody from INE’s team reads this post (that would be something :)) and consider inappropriate to share the modified initial configuration files, please let me know and I’ll take them down. They are derived from the public available ones on the CCIE R&S v5 Topology Diagrams & Initial Configurations page and do not contain any workbook information or somehow else related to INE’s training materials.

Download files:
INE-CCIEv5-RS-Topology-for-EVE-NG.zip
INE-CCIEv5-RS-Initial-Configuration-for-EVE-NG.zip

Happy labbing and let me know if you find these materials useful!

INE released GNS3 config for v5 topology

A few days ago one friend on mine announced me that InternetworkExpert released a GNS3 configuration for their v5 topology.

When I had check INE’s website, I could not found the link to GNS3 topology. To be honest I was expecting INE to announce with big letters this new development, but I was quite silent (or I’m not reading carefully enough their website).

To fin GNS3 configuration, there is a small catch. You have to go to INE resources webpage, and from there to Dynamips (there is no GNS3 link). If you ever used the INE’s Dynamips config, that this page is familiar for you. Somewhere in the middle there is a link with “Click here to download the INE Topologies for Dynagen“. You download this archive file and inside you’ll find among other configuration a file called ine.routing.and.switching.topology.5.00.gns3.net:

INE V5 GNS3 topology config

This is the file which you are looking for. Of course you need to edit and adapt it to your local configuration (IOS, path location…).  What is different from Dynamips file? Almost nothing, but you have a graphical view of the topology and if you put your mouse over a link, you’ll see where is the connection pointing too. It can help you spare some time in the configuration, but there is a drawback. Don’t get used too much with this feature, as in the CCIE lab exam you don’t have where to point your mouse to show the connection and you have to figure it by your own from the paper (or lately computer screen).

If you don’t want to follow the steps above, then:

Download the INE’s v5 topology GNS3 configuration


GNS3: OSPF and EIGRP scenario

A ready made GNS3 topology, including 3 interconnected routers in different domains (EIGRP and OSPF) like in the topology below.

Requirements:

– GNS3 or Dynamips install and functional
– Cisco IOS image for 3640 platform with Advanced IP Services

What’s included in the archive:

– routers initial configs
– network diagram
– GNS3 (or Dynamips) config file*
* Check the GNS3 config file for direction

What can you test with this scenario:

– ospf area range command
– ospf summary address command
– advertise loopback interfaces with /24 netmask
– redistribution between OSPF and EIGRP

Load the .net file in GNS3 / Dynamips, apply initial router configuration and you should have working scenario with OSPF and EIGRP routing.

{filelink=1}

GNS3: How-to save multiple topology configurations for good

GNS3 is an extremely useful tool if you are using Dynamips to emulate Cisco devices. It is a graphical environment in which even a newbie can do complex configuration by clicking and dragging routers, switches, connections into a topology that can be saved.

The problem that occurred to me in the past (and maybe to you also) is the following. Let’s assume that we create a configuration with routers named R0 and R1 and you save the topology config and also the routers config (“copy run start”). All the files (GNS3 topology config and Dynamips files created for R0 / R1 saved config) will be put into the default GNS3 project directory (e.g. /tmp in Linux or other directory if you are using Windows system). For now it is perfect. You have everything fine.

Next time when you start a topology, by default GNS3 will start with the same routers R0 and R1, and we you boot them, they will load your ex-saved config files, because GNS3 will look for config files into it’s default project directory, and since the name of the routers are the same, it will think that this have to be loaded. So, what you will do when you have 10 topologies that you save. Give all the time different routers name? Even so you will end with a mess in your default GNS3 project directory.

I have a solution for this issue, that you might like. I’m not saying that I have discovered this solution…for sure there is somewhere out there on the Internet, but I think of it by my own and I said that maybe others will use it.

This how-to assume that you know what Dynamips, GNS3 and Linux (any distribution) are. The same steps can be applied on Windows system also. Please check the tutorial by clicking the image below:
*Note:  As the file is flash and it’s quite big please have patience until it is loaded*

GNS3 topology config save