Execute the following deployment script, adjusting network interfaces ( bridge=br0 ) to match your host topology:
The cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 image is designed for use in several virtualization environments:
This .qcow2 allows network engineers to spin up a topology on a laptop or a CI/CD pipeline server (like GitLab or Jenkins) without buying a $10,000 switch. It allows for testing configurations before they hit the production network. It is the cornerstone of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC).
This specific file is an enabler of modern network architecture. cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2
EVE-NG is a popular platform for running this image. Follow these steps to set it up. 1. Prepare the Image
You can verify the image integrity after downloading from Cisco using:
/opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions This specific file is an enabler of modern
Upload cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 to that directory using an SFTP client and rename it to virtioa.qcow2 .
: Refers to the virtualized Catalyst routing platform architecture running modern Cisco IOS XE.
| Field | Value | Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | cat9kv | Cisco Catalyst 9000v (Virtual). This is the virtualized version of the Catalyst 9000 series switches. | | Build Type | prd | Production build. This is not an early engineering release; it is intended for production-like testing. | | Version | 17.12.01 | The base IOS-XE software version. Version 17.12.x is a long-lived release, typically used for modern hardware (Cat9300, Cat9400, Cat9500). | | Sub-Release | prd9 | The 9th production release candidate or build within the 17.12.01 train. This indicates a mature, refined image post multiple bug fixes. | | Format | .qcow2 | QEMU Copy-On-Write version 2. The standard disk format for KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and OpenStack environments. | typically used for modern hardware (Cat9300
Understanding the naming convention of a Cisco virtual image ensures compatibility across target environments. Let’s break down cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 :
sudo cp cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 /var/lib/libvirt/images/cat9kv-router.qcow2 sudo chmod 644 /var/lib/libvirt/images/cat9kv-router.qcow2 Use code with caution. Step 2: Provision the Virtual Machine using virt-install