As many of you know – I am NOT the Dynamips guru around here. For advanced questions on GNS3 and or Dynamips, I immediately direct students to our forum on ieoc.com. That is where all the emulating whiz kids hang out. With that said, I like to have a copy running on every computer I own. While I do not do full practice labs on the platform (I use Graded Labs for that), I love to be able to build little mini-scenarios on the fly whenever I quickly need to test a feature.
Last night I purchased Windows 7 Home Premium and set out to eradicate Windows Vista, doing a “clean install” for the upgrade. I thought I would walk you through the installation of GNS3 on this system as I heard that students have been having issues. Well, here we go (fingers crossed!):
Step 1: Download the all-in-one package for Windows from www.gns3.net/download
Step 2: Install all components using a spousal approach (say “yes dear” to every prompt).
Step 3: Launch GNS3 using the Start Menu icon.
Step 4: Click 1 – Configure the test….
Step 5: Click Dynamips, then click the Test button. Dynamips fails to start. I notice the path to dynamips-wxp.exe is incorrect.
Step 6: Click the Browse button for the Executable Path and navigate to Program Files (x86) – GNS3 – Dynamips and select dynamips-wxp.exe and click Open.
Step 7: Click Test and Allow Access through the Windows Firewall.
Step 8: Dynamips starts successfully. Now time to setup the image. Click OK.
Step 9: Click 2 – Add one or more….
Step 10: Use the Browse button to select your image file.
Step 11: Click Save, then Close, then OK.
Step 12: Now time to set the critical Idle PC value. Drag an icon for your platform into the workspace.
Step 13: Right-click the device and choose Start.
Step 14: Use your favorite Telnet application and Telnet to the device.
Step 15: Respond to all prompts and access User Mode.
Step 16: Right-click the device in the workspace and choose Idle-PC.
Step 17: Choose the first Idle-PC value marked with a asterisk.
Happy emulating! Be sure to use the Task Manager to check on CPU usage as you work with the emulator.
About Anthony Sequeira, #15626:
Anthony Sequeira brings decades of teaching, technical writing, and consulting experience to INE. Anthony began his career as an author and lecturer within the IT community, featuring best-selling titles for Microsoft and Cisco Press. Best known as one of the training voices for the revolutionary e-learning company called KnowledgeNet, Anthony now teaches online and in-classroom exclusively for INE. When not helping his students master Cisco networking, Anthony can be found at the poker tables, or flying the Florida skies in a Cessna.
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42 Responses to “GNS3 and Windows 7 (64-bit)”
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If you bought Windows Vista than How did you get this working with Windows 7
thanks Anthony….I’m sure a lot of people are going to love you for this. I was having a problem getting GNS3 to work on 64-bit Windows Server 2003 awhile, and solved it using similiar steps. Glad to see it works on windows 7. (by the way, in your post, you said you bought Vista Home Premium, I think you means Windows 7 Home Premium)
To use Wireshark or another capture file reader, they will need to go under the Capture settings(in Preferences) and change the path for Wireshark(or whatever capture file prgram is installed), as well as the Qemo path, to use Qemo.
Mike
geez i should have checked my spelling before I hit submit on that last post.
Thanks for the blog on this. I will be sure to run this on my windows 7 PC now. I hope you meant Windows 7 instead of Vista Home for your purchase last night.
Thanks Anthony
from my personal experience with dynamips, which is more than 2 years, putting dynamips on any MS OS is wastage of resources, while being said this, xp is the best of all.
If you are serious to do lab on dynamips then any version of Linux will do the magic. My personal choice is Ubuntu for laptops. Core2Duo 2.0 with 4gb of ram i can run 14+ device with full BGP config at max 60% load. while Windows cannot run more than 8 devices on same machine, at above given resources utilization.
Thanks everyone for pointing out my screw-up in the first paragraph. Yes – I replaced Vista Home Premium with Windows 7 Home Premium.
So far so good. Looks like this was the Operating System Microsoft intended a while back.
Shouldn’t those of us that purchased Vista gotten this patch free?
You mean to tell me INE doesnt have an MSDN account?
to Nadeem:
would be useful if you could post the similar step-by-step guide on how to run dynamips in the linux env.
Hi Anthony,
Many thanks for this!!! I was using the original Dynamips and not GNS3. This one seems a lot more intuitive.
However, I can get as far as loading a couple of Routers up linked with a FastEthernet Interface amd when I telnet to the device say R1:
telnet 127.0.0.1:2000 It connects alright, but doesn’t show the Router’s IOS it just shows:
Connected to Dynamips VM “R1″ (ID 1, type c2600) – Console port
I get the same problem with 7200????
Anyone know what this is??
Thanks again!!
Hi Ian!
I presume you punched Enter (Return) on the keyboard a few times???
Hi Anthony,
Yeah did all that.. However, after a few hours of searching forums and testing etc.. It turned out to be the IOS version I was using.
It actually took me several different IOS Images before they would work, I think it was the 4th IOS I tried finally worked!!
Just FYI: My 2600 is now running with IOS:
c2600-is-mz.122-26c.bin
More modern versions failed though!!!??
Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if we got together a list of the best (latest) IOS versions which seem to work with each device type?? What do you think?
Thanks again for this post Anthony, I now at last have a virtual network running on my Laptop
Cheers,
Ian.
Hi Anthony
I have just spend the last couple of days upgrading my computers from XP and Vista to Windows 7.
So far it looks like a laptop (Dual-core, 4G Ram) can run 13+ routers without problems. That’s the Windows OS we have been waiting for ((c;
I also use Putty connection manager, it’s gives a perfect screen where I can jump between the different telnet sessions.
My only problem is to make your 13-router topology implemented in GNS3…. the file system makes problems.
…. Could you make a COD on that issue … Last time I fiddled with it, it took couple of days, suddenly it ran….and I kept my hands off(I never found out how I made it work) ((c;
Hmm… Perhaps there is more to it, I tried another 13 router topology. It chrashed )c; GNS3 do run in a emulated XP SP2 mode in Windows 7…
Guys a quick note for those of us who love using CRT!! This is a nice function that will allow you to right click on any device and select “Console”. This will open up a new “Tab” for each device in CRT automatically connected to the Console port…
Point GNS Preference Terminal Client to:
start C:\progra~1\SecureCRT\SecureCRT.EXE /script C:\CRTvb\securecrt.vbs /arg %d /T /telnet %h %p
(modify your paths)..
Here is the .vbs save it as securecrt.vbs
——————————————
#$Language=”VBScript”
#$Interface=”1.0″
Sub main
crt.window.caption = crt.arguments(0)
End Sub
——————————————–
Rgds,
Ian.
Sorry just an additional note to the point above.. In GNS make sure you have the check box for “Launch this command using the system default shell” option checked!!
just to add to Ian’s great post
C:\PROGRA~1\VANDYK~1\SecureCRT\SecureCRT.exe /COLOR_SCHEME traditional /script c:\GNS3\temp\securecrt.vbs /arg %d /T /telnet %h %p & sleep 1
will allow secure crt to open each tab with black background/green text….helps stop your eyes from bleeding
i’d also like to recommend this image.
c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T5
it has performed very well for me, havent had any issues running any technology so far with the r&s track
Great idea. i will be soon sending a blog for this purpose.
Hi Nadeem,
What ios image did you use for this coz i tried a the ver 5.0 topology on a laptop with same specs as you have mentioned using a 3640 image and with 6 or 7 routers, the CPU starts maxing out.Even with any IGP on it. Have played around with the idle-PCs too.
Hi All,
My first post but been following this blog for past 6 months now.
I am running gns3 on windows 7 64 bit with no problems at all.
I am running a 2691 image which i find works great with my studying for the CCIE RS vol 1 as i can match all interfaces as per the track.
Image i am running is c2691-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T11.bin and once the idle value is set i have so far run 5 routers with cpu not going higher then 5% on a quad core AMD cpu.
Also what i do is run gns3 on my main quad core pc and then just telnet from anywhere in my house, i tend to use my netbook using putty and puttycm so i can run multiple tabs within a single application. Create a database with puttycm and create telnet sessions to your home pc ie 192.168.1.6:2001=r1, 192.168.1.6:2002=r2 etc.
You can take this further and use the hypervisor to distrubute the load which i have doing using Windows XP/ Windows 7 which works great still need to find the limits before it breaks.
Keep up the good work!
@obi
I am using 3725 advance ip services 124-15.T6 ios image. with following IDLE PC
0×6271c1a0
according to my personal experience idlepc values are unique to each computer, but above combination has been tested by some other friends of mine with great satisfaction.
Give it a try…
Hi Anthony,
thanks for the great job,can you please post a step by step guide like you did above for how to use ASA on GNS3 0.7 on Windows 7, I can run pix on it but not ASA ,any help given will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks. Expecting
when tried to start the router gets the error :
209-unable to start VM instance ‘ghost–localhost.ghost’
Tried all possible thiings.
using windows 7 64bit OS any idea y getting this message.
Hi Shivanand,
use a diferent IOS version, would solve the problem.
Asak Zabeel Musa,
keep in mind 2961 IOS does not have all the feature set as required for CCIEv4.
Better use 3725 124.(15)T11 for all the features.
Thanks
Arif
with GNS3 use – Battle Encoder shirase 1.3.8 software to control cpu usage
it is a free software that controls per-process CPU usage ( windows xp & 2000 )
for those that can’t run more than 10 devices with GNS3!
copy the below to a text file then change the .txt extention to .net then save it under the folder ..\sample_labs\internetworkexpert\
double click and happy emulating
———————————————
autostart = False
[localhost:7200]
workingdir = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/working
[[3725]]
image = /Applications/Dynagen/images/c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T10.extracted.bin
ram = 128
ghostios = True
idlepc = 0×614ac21c
[[ROUTER R1]]
model = 3725
console = 2001
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R1.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = FR0 1
s0/1 = R3 s1/2
f0/0 = SW1 f1/1
x = -288.0
y = -53.0
[[ROUTER R2]]
model = 3725
console = 2002
idlepc = 0×614ac27c
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R2.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = FR0 2
s0/1 = R3 s1/3
f0/0 = SW2 f1/2
x = -648.0
y = -62.0
[[ROUTER R3]]
model = 3725
console = 2003
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R3.initial.config.gns3.cfg
f0/0 = SW1 f1/3
f0/1 = SW3 f1/3
slot1 = NM-4T
s1/0 = FR0 3
s1/1 = FR0 4
s1/2 = R1 s0/1
s1/3 = R2 s0/1
x = -462.0
y = -102.0
[[ROUTER R4]]
model = 3725
console = 2004
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R4.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = FR0 5
s0/1 = R5 s0/1
f0/0 = SW2 f1/4
f0/1 = SW4 f1/4
x = -685.0
y = 90.0
[[ROUTER R5]]
model = 3725
console = 2005
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R5.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = FR0 6
s0/1 = R4 s0/1
f0/0 = SW1 f1/5
f0/1 = SW3 f1/5
x = -503.0
y = 256.0
[[ROUTER R6]]
model = 3725
console = 2006
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R6.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = BB1 s0/0
f0/0 = SW2 f1/6
f0/1 = SW4 f1/6
x = -336.0
y = 180.0
[localhost:7201]
workingdir = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/working
[[3725]]
image = /Applications/Dynagen/images/c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T10.extracted.bin
ram = 128
ghostios = True
idlepc = 0×614ac21c
[[ROUTER SW1]]
model = 3725
console = 2007
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/SW1.initial.config.gns3.cfg
slot1 = NM-16ESW
f1/1 = R1 f0/0
f1/3 = R3 f0/0
f1/5 = R5 f0/0
f1/7 = SW2 f1/7
f1/8 = SW2 f1/8
f1/9 = SW2 f1/9
f1/10 = SW3 f1/7
f1/11 = SW3 f1/8
f1/12 = SW3 f1/9
f1/13 = SW4 f1/7
f1/14 = SW4 f1/8
f1/15 = SW4 f1/9
x = -602.0
y = -344.0
[[ROUTER SW2]]
model = 3725
console = 2008
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/SW2.initial.config.gns3.cfg
slot1 = NM-16ESW
f1/0 = BB2 f0/0
f1/2 = R2 f0/0
f1/4 = R4 f0/0
f1/6 = R6 f0/0
f1/7 = SW1 f1/7
f1/8 = SW1 f1/8
f1/9 = SW1 f1/9
f1/10 = SW3 f1/10
f1/11 = SW3 f1/11
f1/12 = SW3 f1/12
f1/13 = SW4 f1/10
f1/14 = SW4 f1/11
f1/15 = SW4 f1/12
x = -616.0
y = -186.0
[[ROUTER SW3]]
model = 3725
console = 2009
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/SW3.initial.config.gns3.cfg
slot1 = NM-16ESW
f1/0 = BB3 f0/0
f1/3 = R3 f0/1
f1/5 = R5 f0/1
f1/7 = SW1 f1/10
f1/8 = SW1 f1/11
f1/9 = SW1 f1/12
f1/10 = SW2 f1/10
f1/11 = SW2 f1/11
f1/12 = SW2 f1/12
f1/13 = SW4 f1/13
f1/14 = SW4 f1/14
f1/15 = SW4 f1/15
x = -294.0
y = -337.0
[[ROUTER SW4]]
model = 3725
console = 2010
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/SW4.initial.config.gns3.cfg
slot1 = NM-16ESW
f1/4 = R4 f0/1
f1/6 = R6 f0/1
f1/7 = SW1 f1/13
f1/8 = SW1 f1/14
f1/9 = SW1 f1/15
f1/10 = SW2 f1/13
f1/11 = SW2 f1/14
f1/12 = SW2 f1/15
f1/13 = SW3 f1/13
f1/14 = SW3 f1/14
f1/15 = SW3 f1/15
x = -296.0
y = -179.0
[[FRSW FR0]]
1:102 = 2:201
1:103 = 3:301
1:104 = 5:401
1:105 = 6:501
1:113 = 4:311
2:201 = 1:102
2:203 = 3:302
2:204 = 5:402
2:205 = 6:502
2:213 = 4:312
3:301 = 1:103
3:302 = 2:203
3:304 = 5:403
3:305 = 6:503
4:311 = 1:113
4:312 = 2:213
4:314 = 5:413
4:315 = 6:513
5:401 = 1:104
5:402 = 2:204
5:403 = 3:304
5:405 = 6:504
5:413 = 4:314
6:501 = 1:105
6:502 = 2:205
6:503 = 3:305
6:504 = 5:405
6:513 = 4:315
x = -469.5
y = 77.5
[[ROUTER BB1]]
model = 3725
console = 2011
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/BB1.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = R6 s0/0
s0/1 = BB3 s0/0
x = -221.0
y = 100.0
[[ROUTER BB2]]
model = 3725
console = 2012
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/BB2.initial.config.gns3.cfg
f0/0 = SW2 f1/0
x = -777.0
y = -208.0
[[ROUTER BB3]]
model = 3725
console = 2013
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/BB3.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = BB1 s0/1
f0/0 = SW3 f1/0
x = -210.0
y = -94.0
[GNS3-DATA]
configs = initial.configs
m11 = 1.0
m22 = 1.0
To run GNS3 with more than 10 devices!
copy the below to a text file then change the .txt extention to .net
http://ieoc.com/forums/p/8504/101131.aspx#101131
Forget about that post(number 26), it got truncated(need to be indented properly).
Hi all,
sw1 is not loading vlan configuration from initial-config file, but rest all config is loaded fine.
I checked with other initial-config form IE v5, it works but the one I created is not loading vlans.
Thanks
Md Arif Imtiyaz
Dear reader,
It is not a necessity to have a 64-bit OS to use memory more than 4GB. Windows Server 2003 (32-bit) can easily manage up 64GB.
Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778%28VS.85%29.aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_server_2003.
Regards,
Khalid
Hi
I read your Blog but I am facing problem with GNS3, when i right click on router and click on Console tab then console doesn’t opens and because of that I cann’t configure the Router. I am using windows 7. Please suggest………
gracias por el post..! excelente..!
Thanks a lot Anthony, due your instructions I did my first topology in less than an hour.
Hi, I am loading the full CCIE topology with 14 equipments on GNS-3 and I am using 65% to 85% of cpu utilization, and 3 giga of ram of my laptop… is everyone getting this values? Do I have to set up the idle pc value on each equipment or once is set on one, is set on the rest of the topology of 3725 rtrs?
I am not running any protocols, just the initial configurations.. is there anything else I could do to try to improve the perfomance?
please let me know!! thank you!
ps: my laptop is core 2 duo, 2.13ghz, 4giga ram, running windows 7 – 64 bits
thanks
when I run 10 routers on my own, cpu keeps from 2% to 20%.. but when I load the suggested ine ccie topology, with all the cabling done, cpu keeps around 65% to 85%.
any advice? I tried a lot of things..
Checking the topology out, I found out that my CPU only goes above 40% when I start BB1 , bb2 or bb3. any idea? when I start all them at the same time, the cpu keeps from 65% to 85%, when i stop all them, it drops to 2% to 8%. grrrrr
Hey guys; let’s discuss some things real quick.
The trick is to split up the load between the hypervisors. Edit the .gns3 topology files to do this. Here is an example.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
autostart = False
[localhost:7200] ***First Hypervisor (default)
workingdir = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/working
[[3725]]
image = /Applications/Dynagen/images/c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T10.extracted.bin
ram = 128
ghostios = True
idlepc = 0×614ac21c
[[ROUTER R1]]
model = 3725
console = 2001
cnfg = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/initial.configs/R1.initial.config.gns3.cfg
s0/0 = FR0 1
s0/1 = R3 s1/2
f0/0 = SW1 f1/1
x = -288.0
y = -53.0
…blah blah…
[localhost:7201] ***Look***
workingdir = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/working
[[3725]]
image = /Applications/Dynagen/images/c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T10.extracted.bin
ram = 128
ghostios = True
idlepc = 0×614ac21c
..blah blah..blah..
[localhost:7202] ***Hey, it’s me again
workingdir = /Applications/Dynagen/sample_labs/internetworkexpert/working
[[3725]]
image = /Applications/Dynagen/images/c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T10.extracted.bin
ram = 128
ghostios = True
idlepc = 0×614ac21c
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Basically when you do this you will start multiple “dynamips.exe” processes; which you will see listed in your Task Manager. Be sure to edit your files correctly . “Edit” —> “IOS Images and Hypervisors” ——> “External Hypervisors”. You need to add these and place these values back into the .gns3 file for your topologies. It takes time to edit your topologies correctly and get all the files placed in the right folders but hey ‘no pain, no gain, right’? Just kidding.
But seriously, by doing this; you will spread out the GNS3 process amongst your cpu’s and will be able to run the whole lab. Seriously consider a quad-core machine. I have the whole topology up and running with an AMD quad-core with 4 gigs of RAM on a XP (32-bit) system. I don’t go over 15% cpu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next step is this:
Right click on “My computer” ——–> “Properties” —–> “Advanced” ——–> “Settings” (Performance) ——> “Advanced”——> “Virtual Memory” —–click ‘change’:
Now, change this value to either 4096 or 6144 and click ‘Set’. Then “ok”.
I’m not a guru here; but when I did these steps I was able to not only get the whole topology up and running, I have no performance issues anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I hope I helped some of you.
God bless,
Brandon
i have download gns3 on windows7.its working thx 4 d help.but when im starting gns3 my cpu usage is going on 100% and i have put idlepc also but still its useing 100% cpu usage.can u pls help me how 2 put it..pls help me
please help me im not able to do practice..im useing 7200 series n when im slectd idlepc stil my cpu working on 100%..pleases help me to sort out this problem..
regards;
fahad.
Hello Dearest GNS3 technicians !
I´m running very heavy environments with > 15 routers and I just can´t make GNS3 stable for several minutes ( seems windows randomly kills specific dynamips-xp.exe processes from time to time, killing all routers within that specific process ).
I have a Quad-Core with 8 gig of RAM. Both Windows 2003 and Windows XP have the same behaviour. Only the older versions of GNS3 ( before the 0.7 ) seem more stable.
I want to try running Linux or Windows 7 64 bit. Which do you think would be more stable ? ( I guess Linux, any recommended 64 bit version that would read my 8 gig of RAM ? ).
Thanks a lot !
I installed GNS3 on my Windows 7 64-bit ultimate, it worked fine for several weeks, but suddenly it crashed, with error said cannot communicate to local host, may due to dynamip server crashed. I also tried un-installed, rebooted and re-installed with latest version downloaded from the web, still the same. Anyone know how to fix it ? or I need to format the harddisk and re-install my Windows 7 ?