Supports complex routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP) essential for testing enterprise campus topologies. System Requirements for Deployment
: SSH into your EVE-NG server and create a directory named exactly cat9kv-17.12.01-prd9 under /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/ .
: By default, it often boots with basic Layer 2 features. To unlock advanced capabilities like , you must manually set the license level in the CLI: cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2
: Native support for open-source virtualization.
However, being a virtual switch, it has limitations in throughput (typically 1–10 Gbps depending on CPU) and does not support hardware-specific features like UADP ASIC offload. To unlock advanced capabilities like , you must
| Property | Details | |----------|---------| | Format | QEMU copy-on-write v2 | | Virtual size | Typically 8–16 GB (logical) | | Actual size | Smaller (sparse) – grows as used | | Compression | Optional, not typical for Cisco images | | Backing file support | Yes (for snapshots) | | Guest OS | Linux-based IOS XE | | Filesystem inside | Usually ext4 or squashfs + flash partitions |
sudo mv cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 /var/lib/libvirt/images/ sudo chown qemu:qemu /var/lib/libvirt/images/cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 Use code with caution. Step 2: Provision the Virtual Machine Step 2: Provision the Virtual Machine The 17
The 17.12 train enhances . The prd9 image fixes known cadence issues where CPU spikes would cause dropped telemetry messages. You can reliably stream CPU, memory, and interface counters to a collector like Prometheus or Splunk.
Before running this image, it is crucial to understand that the Catalyst 9000v is resource-intensive compared to traditional IOL or IOSv images. Requirement 16 GB minimum (strongly recommended to avoid instability) CPU 2+ vCPUs (4+ recommended for faster boot times) Disk Space ~10-20 GB per instance (QCOW2 format) Hypervisor KVM (via EVE-NG, GNS3, or CML)
If you are trying to or troubleshoot this image, I can help with: Basic bootup configuration VLAN/Switchport setups Routing configurations Let me know what you'd like to do next! Cisco CAT IOS-XE 9000v - GNS3