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Contents
This chapter covers information about deploying the Cisco IOS XRv Router using VMware ESXi and KVM-QEMU hypervisors, and booting the Cisco IOS XRv Router as the VM.
As an anti-security feature for a demo-locked image, the Cisco IOS XRv Router provides hard-coded username-password combinations (see table below) that can be used to log in to the VM and administer the VM.
Username | Password |
---|---|
lab |
lab |
cisco |
cisco |
root |
root |
admin |
admin |
Note | These hard-coded username-password combinations are available only in the demo-locked image. You cannot configure these user names (even at the initial Admin Setup Dialog). Attempting to do so will be rejected with an error message. If such scenerio occurs, the workaround is to pick a different username (other than those listed above) to configure. |
VMware ESXi is an enterprise-level computer virtualization product offered by VMware. It is VMware's enterprise software hypervisor for guest virtual servers that run directly on the host server hardware without requiring an additional underlying operating system. For more information, refer to VMware documentation.
Before creating a new VM, upload the Cisco IOS XRv Router VMDK to your ESXi server.
The Cisco IOS XRv Router is compatible with ESXi server version 5.0 or later.
For assigning multiple CPUs, the Cisco IOS XRv Router is compatible with ESXi server version 5.1 or later using VM version 9 or later.
The ESXi server supports only E1000 network driver and does not support virtio. Hence, make sure you define all NICs as E1000 before running on ESXi.
The Firewall options on the host server must be enabled to allow the VM serial port to be connected over the network. To enable Firewall option, select Configuration->Security Profile->Firewall Properties->'VM serial port connected over network' on the host server.
To create the Cisco IOS XRv Router Virtual Machine using the VMware VSphere, perform these tasks:
Note | The following procedure provides a general guideline for how to deploy the Cisco IOS XRv Router. However, the exact steps that you need to perform may vary depending on the characteristics of your VMware environment and setup. |
Make sure that:
On the demo locked and production capable image, you will be prompted to configure a root-system username and password, which can be subsequently used to log in. Once configured, you may log in using hard-coded username and password combinations as well.
Interfaces are up and you can ping the default gateway. Now you are ready to configure the Cisco IOS XRv Router.
KVM is a virtualization infrastructure for the Linux kernel. QEMU is a free and open-source software product that performs hardware virtualization. You can run QEMU on a Cisco UCS server with KVM installed. The recommended version of QEMU for the Cisco IOS XRv Router reference platform is version 1.0.
The following table lists the parameters that are supported for the Cisco IOS XRv Router Deployment on KVM-QEMU.
Parameter | Description | ||
---|---|---|---|
-nographic |
Recommended, as Cisco IOS XRv Router does not support VGA. |
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-m memory |
-m 4096 - Minimum memory supported is 3072 (3 GB), maximum is 8192 (8 GB) |
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-hda disk-image |
Required. Minimum and preferred size is 3 GB.
|
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-hdb disk-image-2 |
This is optional for disk1. |
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-serial ... |
Requires at least 1; can use up to 4 (IOS console + 3 ksh consoles) |
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-cdrom ... |
Supported for configuration from CVAC. Since the CD-ROM is read-only, it is safe for multiple VM instances to share a CD-ROM if desired. |
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-net ... -net or -netdev ... -device |
The -netdev ... -device... syntax is preferred.
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The Cisco IOS XRv Router supports a secondary disk as a means to provide files beyond the base operating system.
To create and modify a disk image perform these tasks:
1. Format the disk in MSDOS (FAT32) format.
2. Open the disk image in guestfish.
3. List disk partitions.
4. Mount the desired partition as root filesystem.
5. Add the desired file to the disk.
6. (Optional) Verify the file is present.
Step 1 |
Format the disk in MSDOS (FAT32) format. Example: mkfs.msdos filedisk.vmdk |
Step 2 | Open the disk image in guestfish. Example: guestfish -a filedisk.vmdk run |
Step 3 | List disk partitions. Example: list-filesystems /dev/vda: vfat |
Step 4 | Mount the desired partition as root filesystem. Example: mount /dev/vda/ |
Step 5 | Add the desired file to the disk. Example: upload xrvr-4.3.2.08I.pie /xrvr.pie |
Step 6 | (Optional)
Verify the file is present. Example: ls /xrvr.pie |
To create Cisco IOS XRv Router Virtual Machine using QEMU, perform these tasks:
Make sure you have QEMU emulator version 1.0.
1. Download the iosxrv-5.1.1.tar, or iosxrv-k9-5.1.1.tar software installation image package and extract iosxrv-5.1.1.vmdk or iosxrv-k9-5.1.1.vmdk files. Copy VMDK file to the VM Datastore.
2. (Optional) Create a disk1.
3. Start QEMU with IOS XRv image.
4. QEMU waits for first serial.
5. Start telnet sessions to the configured serial ports in separate windows.
6. The Cisco IOS XRv Router deployment proceeds.
Step 1 | Download the iosxrv-5.1.1.tar, or iosxrv-k9-5.1.1.tar software installation image package and extract iosxrv-5.1.1.vmdk or iosxrv-k9-5.1.1.vmdk files. Copy VMDK file to the VM Datastore. |
Step 2 | (Optional) Create a disk1. Example: qemu-img create -f vmdk blank.vmdk 1G |
Step 3 | Start QEMU with IOS XRv image. Example: qemu-system-x86_64\ -smp cores=1,sockets=8\ -nographic\ -m 8192\ -hda iosxrv-k9-5.1.1.vmdk\ -hdb blank.vmdk\ -serial telnet::13101,server,wait\ -serial telnet::13102,server,nowait\ -serial telnet::13103,server,nowait\ -net nic,model=e1000,vlan=1,macaddr=00:01:00:ff:00:0\ |
Step 4 | QEMU waits for first serial. |
Step 5 | Start telnet sessions to the configured serial ports in separate windows. Example: telnet localhost 13101 (IOS XRv Console Port) telnet localhost 13102 (IOS XRv Auxiliary (AUX) Port) |
Step 6 | The Cisco IOS XRv Router deployment proceeds. |
The following examples show the deployment of the Cisco IOS XRv Router on KVM-QEMU for two VMs, two NICs each, back-to-back, socket transport.
VM 1 | VM 2 |
---|---|
qemu-system-x86_64 \ -nographic \ -m 4096 \ -hda iosxrv-k9-1.vmdk \ -serial telnet::9101,server,nowait \ -serial telnet::9102,server,nowait \ -net socket,listen=localhost:9001,vlan=1 \ -net nic,model=e1000,vlan=1,macaddr=00:01:00:ff:00:00 \ -net socket,listen=localhost:9002,vlan=2 \ -net nic,model=e1000,vlan=2,macaddr=00:01:00:ff:00:01 |
qemu-system-x86_64 \ -nographic \ -m 4096 \ -hda iosxrv-k9-2.vmdk \ -serial telnet::9111,server,nowait \ -serial telnet::9112,server,nowait \ -net socket,connect=localhost:9001,vlan=1 \ -net nic,model=e1000,vlan=1,macaddr=00:01:00:ff:00:10 \ -net socket,connect=localhost:9002,vlan=2 \ -net nic,model=e1000,vlan=2,macaddr=00:01:00:ff:00:11 |