Howdy, everyone! I’ve been working on earning my CCNA. Since Cisco has made it screwy to import the Cisco Modeling Lab (CML) images into GNS3, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a license for CML.
Nothing has gone right. I tried to stand up the lab on VMWare Player as Cisco officially supports. The installation goes smoothly, but is unusable because the install keeps de-registering its license and times out when you try to renew the registration. Apparently there is a known issue with the Cisco SmartLicensing, and their own documentation says to submit a ticket if you experience the issue. When I contacted them, the response I received for an unusable product that cost $200 was, to paraphrase, “You’re on your own unless you pay us a lot more, peasant.”
I installed CML baremetal on an old laptop. It licenses without issue, but the Cisco image import during installation is completely broken. The lab is licensed, but I don’t actually have any of the virtualized devices to do lab things with.
As a final gambit, I took the baremetal image and installed it as a KVM/Qemu VM. It licenses correctly, AND the Cisco images/definitions import without issue, but any nodes you add to the lab basically implode and are unusable.
My current feelings are the I wasted $200 and should pursue a different cert because I can’t do the labs. I’ve found that Packet Tracer doesn’t allow for a significant number of functions my labs require, so I’m kind of SOL.
Does anyone have alternative recommendations? I chose CCNA because Network+ doesn’t really have much in terms of practical labs, but now I can’t progress in my CCNA studies because the lab software I paid for is riddled with issues (at least for me). What alternative courses could I pursue to round out my networking knowledge? Preferably something where I can get free images for GNS3 to do the labs, but I’m open to anything at this point. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Honestly mate. If you purchased CML I would jump right into EVE-NG (Community or pro, both work)
Do you just import the .qcow2 images from the refplat file into EVE-NG? Do you have to do much toying around with the node definitions?
Eve has a bunch of pre made templates so you don’t have to set up the qemu stuff.
Pretty much make a folder with a particular name and eve will work the rest out.
https://www.eve-ng.net/index.php/documentation/howtos/howto-add-cisco-vios-from-virl/
pick what you want to add on the left and it will tell you in pretty simple term how to correctly name the folder and file.
I will give this a go! Thanks so much!
The good news is Cisco is going to be held liable for human rights abuses in China. They helped the Chinese government develop tech to hunt down journalists, political prisoners and groups of people who aren’t liked by the Chinese government.
At least they will suffer
CML is one of those things that sound great, until you remember the Cisco money extraction goblins.
Tldr on the following wall of text: what is it you can’t do in packet tracer that’s required for CCNA labs?
I have students in my CCNA classes who are able to handle the added complexity, and I’d like to challenge them. Also I have this underlying feeling that packet tracer is the “Fisher-Price Network Simulator” … especially the new physical mode has that shape sorter toy feeling. Anyway I hope I’ve made it clear that I’m not here shilling for packet tracer.
That was why I approached some netacad reps at a conference, about using tools like CML, GNS3, and EVE-NG for CCNA labs. While they agreed that packet tracer being a simulator, is not really in the same league as the actual emulators, one of the reps asked a very simple question. A question that I couldn’t answer while staying relevant to teaching the first two semesters of the CCNA: “what specifically can’t you do in packet tracer that is needed for the CCNA labs?”
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t look beyond packet tracer, and the other tools are really useful down the road, so learning them is great. BUT! is it really necessary? What functions are missing? I’d be happy to help you go that route instead.
