I’ve been working with network simulators since around 2011 when I decided to pursue my CCIE R&S certification. Around that time, another pivotal event set me on the path of development: Cisco released a binary called IOL (IOS on Linux), which essentially simulated a Cisco IOS router. Unlike other solutions, the resources required to simulate this router were significantly lower.

Back then, GNS3 was the only available option, which used Dynamips to emulate the hardware needed to run official IOS images. However, the emulated platforms were limited, and manual optimization was required to minimize resource usage. I faced two major issues that were deal-breakers for me:

• I was working with two different computers, and synchronizing the environment between them with GNS3 was complicated.
• The combination of GNS3 and Dynamips was unstable.

Continue reading the post on Patreon .