vagrant

A lab server is a cornerstone of learning and experimentation. Whether you’re spinning up a simple virtual networking lab or deploying a complex, multi-cluster Kubernetes topology via Vagrant, a dedicated server provides the power and flexibility that local environments often lack. You might wonder why we’re choosing Arch for this build. Arch Linux is prized for its minimal footprint, ensuring that your computing resources are dedicated to your workloads rather than the operating system. Furthermore, it offers the distinct advantage of streamlined access to the latest software, keeping your lab on the cutting edge without the bloat found in other distributions. ...

The primary network interface of a Vagrant (VMware) machine typically obtains a dynamic IP address from the vmnet-dhcpd process bound to the vmnet8 network. In a multi-machine Vagrant environment, it is preferable to reserve a static IP address for this interface to simplify connectivity with the Mac host for automation purposes. Prerequisites macOS VMware Fusion Pro Vagrant Vagrant VMware Utility vagrant-vmware-desktop Steps Quit the VMware Fusion application. ...

I extensively use Vagrant along with the vagrant-libvirt plugin on my Arch Linux hosts to quickly set up development and lab environments. The plugin is mature and generally feature-complete; however, the latest release was published on June 24, 2023. Since then, multiple commits have been made to the main branch of the project repository. I use the following process rather than the standard installation sourced from RubyGems . Prerequisites Verify these Arch packages are installed: ...

Vagrant supports three types of networks: public, private, and port-forwarding. The private network type has the option to use a UDP tunnel for a point-to-point link when using the vagrant-libvirt plugin. This connection type is ideal for links between virtual network devices. Refer to the following resources if you need more information: Pseudo-wires With Vagrant and Libvirt vagrant-libvirt Networks Vagrant Private Networks The only drawback with this type of connection is concerning packet sniffing. Since the connection uses a tunnel for encapsulation, we need a method to view the relevant data within the tunnel somehow. ...

Why not add the CSR 1000v to round out our collection of Cisco virtual appliances? Similar to the Cisco Nexus 9000v, each instance of the Cisco CSR 1000v requires a considerable amount of hardware resources to run. Again, I recommend a Mac with at least 16GB of memory and a dual-core CPU if you plan to run more than a single instance. Ingredients used in this guide: macOS Mojave (10.14) VMware Fusion 11 Pro Vagrant 2.2.3 VMware provider for Vagrant Cisco Cloud Services Router 1000V Series A valid service contract is required for the download. ...

The Cisco Nexus 9000v shares the same software image as its hardware counterpart, so it provides a terrific solution for feature testing and/or network automation. The only caveat is the hardware resources required to run it. I recommend a Mac with at least 16GB of memory and a dual-core CPU. Ingredients used in this guide: macOS Mojave (10.14) VMware Fusion 11 Pro Vagrant 2.2.3 VMware provider for Vagrant Cisco Nexus 9000v Switch Steps 1. Sign in to your Cisco account to download the Nexus 9000v Switch software. The software is available here Select the Download Options link Select the version from the menu on the left. For my example, I will be using the Release 7.0(3)I7(5a) Click the Download button for Cisco Nexus 9000/3000 Virtual Switch for ESXi or Fusion Save the nxosv-final.7.0.3.I7.5a.ova file to the Downloads folder 2. Create the Cisco Nexus 9000v template. Open the VMware Fusion application Menu: File → Import… Click the Choose File… button Navigate to and select the nxosv-final.7.0.3.I7.5a.ova file in the Downloads folder Click the Open button Click the Continue button Click the Continue button to use the Default profile Save As: Nexus Click the Save button Click the Customize Settings button to modify the virtual appliance settings Set Processors to 2 processor cores Set Memory to 6144 MB Set Network Adapter to Share with my Mac Remove CD/DVD (IDE) Upgrade the VM hardware version to 16 (Compatibility → Upgrade) Close the Settings window Quit the VMware Fusion application 3. Remove additional network interfaces from the virtual appliance configuration file. From a macOS terminal, remove Network Adapter 2 to Network Adapter 10. ...

And yet another virtual network appliance to Vagrantize… Ingredients used in this guide: macOS Mojave (10.14) VMware Fusion 11 Pro Vagrant 2.2.3 VMware provider for Vagrant Cisco IOS XRv Router v6.1.3 The Cisco IOS XRV Router image is available as part of your Cisco VIRL subscription. Steps 1. Convert the disk image format type. The Cisco IOS XRv Router is provided in the qcow2 (QEMU) disk image format. The QEMU disk image utility (qemu-img) is required to convert the disk image to the vmdk (VMware) format. The utility is included with the qemu package. Use either MacPorts or Homebrew to install. ...

Continuing my journey to Vagrantize more virtual network appliances… Ingredients used in this guide: macOS Mojave (10.14) VMware Fusion 11 Pro Vagrant 2.2.2 VMware provider for Vagrant FortiGate-VM The FortiGate VM includes a limited embedded 15-day trial license that supports: 1 CPU maximum 1 GB RAM maximum Low encryption only (no HTTPS administrative access) All features except FortiGuard updates Steps 1. Download and unzip the FortiGate VM deployment package for VMware. FortiGate VM deployment packages are included with FortiGate firmware images on the Customer Service & Support site. I will be using FortiGate VM v6.0.2 for my example. ...