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.
The recommended
servers for Cisco Modeling Labs are the Cisco UCS C220 M4 and Cisco C460 M4
servers.
Important |
4K sector drives are not supported.
|
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 calculation for
the number of cores and memory requirement is dependent on a number of factors:
-
Type and number
of virtual machines concurrently active
-
Number of routing
protocols
-
Timer sets within
the configurations
-
Amount of traffic
generated
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
|
Table 1. Software
Requirements
Requirement
|
Description
|
VMware
|
|
VMware vSphere
|
Any of the following:
- Release 5.1 U2 (Build 1483097) with VMware ESXi
- Release 5.5 U1 (Build 1623387) with VMware ESXi
- Release 6.0 (Build 2494585) with VMware ESXi
- Release 6.5 (Build 4564106) with VMware ESXi
Note
|
You must verify that you are using vSphere Client v5.5 Update 2 (Build 1993072) or later before deploying Cisco Modeling Labs.
Failure to use the minimum version will result in a failed deployment that will return an error stating that nested virtualization
is not supported.
|
|
Browser
|
Any of the following:
- Google Chrome 33.0 or later
- Internet Explorer 10.0 or later
- Mozilla Firefox 28.0 or later
- Safari 7.0 or later
|
Table 2. Required BIOS
Virtualization Parameters
Name
|
Description
|
Intel Hyper-Threading
Technology
|
Note
|
This
parameter must be
Enabled.
|
The processor
uses Intel Hyper-Threading Technology, which allows multithreaded software
applications to execute threads in parallel within each processor. The
processor can be either of the following:
|
Intel VT
|
Note
|
This
parameter must be
Enabled.
|
Note
|
If you
change this option, you must power-cycle the server before the change takes
effect.
|
The processor
uses Intel Virtualization Technology (VT), which allows a platform to run
multiple operating systems and applications in independent partitions. The
processor can be either of the following:
|
Intel VT-d
|
Note
|
This
parameter must be
Enabled.
|
The
processor uses Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d). The
processor can be either of the following:
|