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Cisco Modeling Labs is a scalable and extensible software platform that enables operators, engineers, network designers, and architects to design Cisco-based networks and run simulations using virtual versions of selected Cisco operating systems. Cisco Modeling Labs comprises the Cisco Modeling Labs server and the Cisco Modeling Labs client. Together, they provide a sandbox environment that facilitates the design, configuration, visualization, and simulation of network topologies quickly and efficiently.
Cisco Modeling Labs supports a maximum of 300 nodes.
Since many customers are building bigger and bigger topologies, the previous 200 node limit has been increased to 300 nodes. Used in conjunction with Cisco Modeling Labs clustering capabilities, the 300 node limit allows Cisco Modeling Labs customers to significantly improve their ability to run large simulations.
Note | However, this expanded capacity is limited by the underlying compute infrastructure. A simulation of 300 nodes may only be achieved when the bulk of the virtual nodes only require single vCPU allocations. The 300 node capacity might not be attained when employing node images requiring multi-vCPU assignments. Refer to the Cisco Modeling Labs resource calculator for further details. |
For further information on the Cisco Modeling Labs client, see Using the Cisco Modeling Labs Client Overview.
See Release Notes for Cisco Modeling Labs 1.3 for more information on Cisco virtual software supported features.
This section details the hardware and software requirements for installing the Cisco Modeling Labs server.
The following table lists hardware requirements that are based on the number of virtual nodes used.
Requirement | Description |
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Disk Space | 500 GB minimum |
Chip Set | Intel® with Intel virtualization technology VT-x and Extended Page Tables (EPT) |
Hypervisor | VMware ESXi 5.1 U2, ESXi 5.5 U1, ESXi 6.0 (Build 2494585), ESXi 6.5 (Build 4564106) |
Server type for OVA package | Any server with Intel virtualization technology VT-x and Extended Page Tables (EPT) |
Server type for ISO package |
Supported only on Cisco UCS® C220 M4 and C460 M4 with local storage |
Server Recommendation | Cisco UCS C-Series |
The recommended servers for Cisco Modeling Labs are the Cisco UCS C220 M4 and Cisco C460 M4 servers.
For more information on UCS servers, see the applicable data sheets at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/servers-unified-computing/ucs-c-series-rack-servers/index.html.
For bare metal installations, Cisco Modeling Labs ISO package is certified only with the Cisco UCS C220 M4 and Cisco C460 M4 servers.
Sizing the Server: Number of Cores and Memory Requirements
The general rule of thumb is three virtual nodes to one physical core CPU for simulation of 49 nodes and below, and two virtual nodes to one physical core CPU for 50 nodes and above.
Note | In order to size the Cisco Modeling Lab Server resources, you must use the Cisco Modeling Labs resource calculator available at http://www.cisco.com/go/cml |
Requirement | Description | ||
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VMware | |||
VMware vSphere | Any of the following:
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Browser | Any of the following:
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Name |
Description |
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Intel Hyper-Threading Technology |
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Intel VT |
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Intel VT-d |
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Cisco Modeling Labs includes numerous features that enable you to create and simulate small and large network designs. This user guide is organized in a task-based format where the main features are grouped into four sections that are referred to as phases.
The following items describe each phase which should help you determine, which section to refer to when using this guide:
In previous releases of Cisco Modeling Labs, the capacity calculation rules were applied on a per-simulation basis. This meant that with a 35-node license, the largest topology that you could theoretically launch would be one with up to 35 Cisco virtual machines (not including 3rd party VMs or containers.) Any topology that exceeded the 35 nodes would be rejected, irrespective of the node’s run state.
Changes introduced in this release mean that the capacity calculation is now performed on a per-node basis. This means that you are now able to launch up to 35 nodes (assuming a 35 node license) of a much larger topology by selecting which nodes would be started. For example, if you have a 40 node topology, you are able to mark 5 out of the 40 as Excluded from launch.
Once started, you are able to stop nodes and start other nodes in the topology, as long as you remain within the total node count capacity of your license.