NAME
dynamips - Cisco router 7200/3600 simulator
SYNOPSIS
dynamips [options] ios_image
DESCRIPTION
emulates Cisco 7200 and 3600 Routers on a traditional PC. You can use
dynamips to create labs. It uses real Cisco IOS Images (which are not
part of this package). Of course, this emulator cannot replace a real
router. It is simply a complementary tool to real labs for
administrators of Cisco networks or people wanting to pass their
CCNA/CCNP/CCIE exams.
The emulator currently supports Cisco 7200 and Cisco 3600 series. By
default, a Cisco 7206VXR with NPE-200 (256 Mb of DRAM) is emulated.
To emulate a Cisco 3600, use the "-P 3600" command line option.
For the 3600, a 3640 with 128 Mb is emulated by default. You can change
this with the "-t" option and by specifying "3620" or "3660". Don’t
forget to set the chassis type depending on your IOS image, a c3660
image will not run on c3640 hardware and vice-versa.
OPTIONS
A summary of options is included below.
-H <tcp_port>
Enable hypervisor mode.
The hypervisor mode of dynamips allows you to run simultaneously
many virtual router instances, and to simulate ATM, Ethernet or
Frame-Relay networks.
You can connect directly to the TCP control port with telnet, or
use dynagen(1), dynagui(1) that will pass commands
transparently. The second method is highly recommended.
-l <log_file>
Set logging file (default is dynamips_log.txt)
-j Disable the JIT compiler, very slow
--exec-area <size>
Set the exec area size (default: 64 Mb)
The exec area is a pool of host memory used to store pages
translated by the JIT (they contain the native code
corresponding to MIPS code pages).
--idle-pc <pc>
Set the idle PC (default: disabled)
The "idle PC" feature allows you to run a router instance
without having a 100% CPU load. This implies that you can run a
larger number of instances per real machine.
To determine the "idle PC", start normally the emulator with
your Cisco IOS image, and a totally IOS empty configuration
(although not mandatory, this will give better results). When
the image is fully booted, wait for the "Press RETURN to get
started!" message prompt, but do not press Enter key. Wait
about 5 seconds, then press "Ctrl-] + i". Some statistics will
be gathered during 10 seconds. At the end, the emulator will
display a list of possible values to pass to the "--idle-pc"
option. You may have to try some values before finding the good
one. To check if the idle PC value is good, just boot the Cisco
IOS image, and check your CPU load when the console prompt is
available. If it is low, you have found a good value, keep it
preciously.
Important remarks:
* An "idle PC" value is *specific* to a Cisco IOS image. You
cannot boot a different IOS image without proceeding as
described above.
* Do not run the process while having the "autoconfiguration"
prompt.
--timer-itv <val>
Timer IRQ interval check (default: 1000)
-i <instance>
Set instance ID
-r <ram_size>
Set the virtual RAM size (default: 256 Mb)
-o <rom_size>
Set the virtual ROM size (default: 4 Mb)
-n <nvram_size>
Set the NVRAM size (default: 128 Kb)
-c <conf_reg>
Set the configuration register (default: 0x2102)
-m <mac_addr>
Set the MAC address of the chassis (default: automatically
generated)
-C <cfg_file>
Import an IOS configuration file into NVRAM
-X Do not use a file to simulate RAM (faster)
-R <rom_file>
Load an alternate ROM (default: embedded)
-k <clock_div>
Set the clock divisor (default: 4)
Specify the clock divider (integer) based on the host clock.
Alter the value to match the CISCO clock with the real time.
The command "show clock" at the IOS’ CLI will help you set this
value.
-T <port>
Console is on TCP <port>
-U <si_desc>
Console in on serial interface <si_desc> (default is on the
terminal)
-A <port>
AUX is on TCP <port>
-B <si_desc>
AUX is on serial interface <si_desc> (default is no AUX port)
--disk0 <size>
Set PCMCIA ATA disk0: size (default: 64 Mb)
--disk1 <size>
Set PCMCIA ATA disk1: size (default: 0 Mb)
-a <cfg_file>
Virtual ATM switch configuration file.
-f <cfg_file>
Virtual Frame-Relay switch configuration file.
-E <cfg_file>
Virtual Ethernet switch configuration file.
-e Show network device list of the host machine.
OPTIONS specific to the Cisco 7200 series
-t <npe_type>
Select NPE type (default: "npe-200")
-M <midplane>
Select Midplane ("std" or "vxr")
-p <pa_desc>
Define a Port Adapter
-s <pa_nio>
Bind a Network IO interface to a Port Adapter
OPTIONS specific to the Cisco 3600 series
-t <chassis_type>
Select Chassis type (default: "3640")
-p <nm_desc>
Define a Network Module
-s <nm_nio>
Bind a Network IO interface to a Network Module
Cisco 7200 Port Adapter Description <pa_desc>
Format slot:pa_driver
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
pa_driver
the name of a Port Adapter driver in:
C7200-IO-FE
(FastEthernet, slot 0 only)
PA-FE-TX
(FastEthernet, slots 1 to 6)
PA-4E (Ethernet, 4 ports)
PA-8E (Ethernet, 8 ports)
PA-4T+ (Serial, 4 ports)
PA-8T (Serial, 8 ports)
PA-A1 (ATM)
Cisco 3600 Network Module Description <nm_desc>
Format slot:nm_driver
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
nm_driver
the name of a Network Module driver in:
NM-1E (Ethernet, 1 port)
NM-4E (Ethernet, 4 ports)
NM-1FE-TX
(FastEthernet, 1 port)
NM-4T (Serial, 4 ports)
Leopard-2FE
(Cisco 3660 FastEthernet in slot 0, automatically used)
NIO binding to Port Adapter <pa_nio> and Network Modules <nm_nio> :
Format slot:port:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
port the port in the specified slot (starts from 0)
netio_type
host interface for communication
unix:<local_sock>:<remote_sock>
Use unix sockets for local communication. <local_sock>
is created and represents the local NIC. <remote_sock>
is the file used by the other interface. (ex.
"/tmp/local:/tmp/remote")
vde:<control_sock>:<local_sock>
For use with UML (User-Mode-Linux) or VDE switches. VDE
stands for "Virtual Distributed Ethernet". Please refer
to : http://sourceforge.net/projects/vde/
tap:<tap_name>
Use a virtual ethernet device for communication.
<tap_name> is the name of the tap device (ex. "tap0")
gen_eth:<dev_name>
Use a real ethernet device for communication, using
libpcap 0.9 or WinPcap. Works on Windows and Unix
systems.
<dev_name> is the name of the Ethernet device (ex.
"eth0")
The device list can be found using the "-e" option.
linux_eth:<dev_name>
Use a real ethernet device for communication (Linux
specific). <dev_name> is the name of the Ethernet device
(ex. "eth0")
udp:<local_port>:<remote_host>:<remote_port>
Use an UDP socket for connection between remote
instances. <local_port> is the port we listen to.
<remote_host> is the host listening the port you want to
connect to. <remote_port> is the port you want to
connect to. (ex. "1000:somehost:2000" and
"2000:otherhost:1000" on the other side)
tcp_cli:<host>:<port>
Client side of a tcp connection. <host> is the ip
address of the server. <port> is the port to connect to.
tcp_ser:<port>
Server side of a tcp connection. <port> is the port to
listen to.
null Dummy netio (used for testing/debugging), no parameters
needed.
VTTY binding to real serial port device <si_desc>
Format <device>{:baudrate{:databits{:parity{:stopbits{:hwflow}}}}}}
device character device name, e.g. /dev/ttyS0
baudrate
baudrate
databits
number of databits
parity data parity: N=none, O=odd, E=even
stopbits
number of stop bits
hwflow hardware flow control (0=disable, 1=enable)
Note that the device field is mandatory, however other
fields are optional. (dynamips will default to 9600, 8,
N, 1, no hardware flow control)
Note that access to the escape commands (described below)
through a serial port are deliberately prevented, as the
escape commands interfere with serial encapsulation
protocols.
Escape commands
You can press ^] (Ctrl + ]) at any time, followed by one of these
characters:
o Show the VM object list
d Show the device list
r Dump MIPS CPU registers
t Dump MIPS TLB entries
m Dump the latest memory accesses
s Suspend CPU emulation
u Resume CPU emulation
q Quit the emulator
b Dump the instruction block tree
h JIT hash table statistics
l MTS64 cache statistics
c Write IOS configuration to disk (ios_cfg.txt)
j Non-JIT mode statistics
x Experimentations (can crash the box!)
^] Send ^]
If you press an unrecognized key, help will be shown. Note: on
Windows, it may be the "Ctrl + $" sequence.
Virtual Bridge
The virtual bridge is used to emulate a shared network between emulator
instances. Any emulator instance can act as a virtual bridge.
The configuration file (specified by the "-b" option) contains a list
of NetIO descriptors, with the following syntax:
interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
Example:
# Connection to instance "I0"
I0:udp:10000:127.0.0.1:10001
# Connection to instance "I1"
I1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
# Connection to instance "I2"
I2:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10005
The "I0" instance would be launched with the following parameters:
dynamips ios.bin -p 1:PA-FE-TX -s 1:0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
Virtual Ethernet switch
The virtual ethernet switch is used to emulate an Ethernet network
between emulator instances. This switch supports access and trunk ports
(802.1Q). ISL will be available in a future release.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual ethernet switch.
The configuration file (specified by the "-E" option) contains a list
of NetIO descriptors (representing interfaces) and a list of interface
properties (access/trunk port, VLAN info...)
The interface definition is similar to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
Access Port
ACCESS:interface_name:vlan_id
802.1Q Trunk Port
DOT1Q:interface_name:native_vlan
The native VLAN is not tagged. On Cisco devices, by default the native
VLAN is VLAN 1.
Example of configuration file:
IF:E0:udp:10000:127.0.0.1:10001
IF:E1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
IF:E2:gen_eth:eth0
DOT1Q:E0:1
ACCESS:E1:4
DOT1Q:E2:1
Virtual ATM switch
The virtual ATM switch fabric is used to emulate an ATM backbone
between emulator instances. The use of this virtual switch is not
mandatory, you can directly connect emulator instances for point-to-
point ATM connections. Please note that only basic VP/VC switching is
supported, there is no support for ILMI/QSAAL/... or other specific ATM
protocols.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual ATM switch.
Example of configuration file (specified by the "-a" option):
# Virtual Interface List
IF:A0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
IF:A1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
IF:A2:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10005
# VP connection between I0 and I1
VP:A0:10:A1:20
VP:A1:20:A0:10
# VP connection between I0 and I2
VP:A0:11:A2:30
VP:A2:30:A0:11
# VC connection between I1 and I2
VC:A1:5:2:A2:7:3
VC:A2:7:3:A1:5:2
In this example, we have 3 virtual interfaces, A0, A1 and A2. The
syntax for interface definition is similar to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
You can do VP switching or VC switching:
VP switching
VP:input_if:input_vpi:output_if:output_vpi
VC switching
VC:input_if:input_vpi:input_vci:output_if:output_vpi:output_vci
Testing the Virtual ATM switch with one dynamips instance
Virtual ATM switch configuration file ("atm.cfg"):
IF:A0:udp:10003:127.0.0.1:10001
IF:A1:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10002
# a0/vpi=1/vci=100 connects to a1/vpi=2/vci=200
VC:A0:1:100:A1:2:200
VC:A1:2:200:A0:1:100
Invoking dynamips:
./dynamips -p 1:PA-A1 -s 1:0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10003 -p
2:PA-A1 -s 2:0:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10004 -a atm.cfg IOS.BIN
(note input ports of IOS interfaces are output ports of ATM
switch interfaces, and vice versa).
IOS Configuration:
ip cef
ip vrf test
rd 1:1
route-target both 1:1
int a1/0
no shut
int a1/0.2 p
ip addr 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.0
pvc 1/100
interface a2/0
no shut
interface a2/0.2 p
ip vrf forwarding test
ip addr 1.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
pvc 2/200
!
Virtual Frame-Relay switch
The virtual Frame-Relay switch fabric is used to emulate a Frame-Relay
backbone between emulator instances. The use of this virtual switch is
not mandatory, you can directly connect emulator instances with
appropriate IOS configuration.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual Frame-Relay switch. There
is only a basic implementation of the LMI protocol (ANSI Annex D),
which is probably not conforming but works with Cisco IOS. Fortunately,
Cisco IOS is able to detect automatically the LMI protocol.
Example of configuration file (specified by the "-f" option):
# Virtual Interface List
IF:S0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
IF:S1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
# DLCI switching between S0 and S1
VC:S0:200:S1:100
VC:S1:100:S0:200
In this example, we have 2 virtual interfaces, S0 and S1. The syntax
for interface definition is similar to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
DLCI switching syntax:
VC:input_if:input_dlci:output_if:output_dlci
In the example above, the switch is configured to switch packets
received on interface S0 with DLCI 200 to interface S1 with DLCI 100,
and vice-versa.
BUGS
The "npe-g1" Port Adapter is not working.
PCMCIA card emulation is not supported yet with Cisco 3600.
REPORTING BUGS
Please send bug reports to http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/bts/
SEE ALSO
nvram_export(1), hypervisor_mode(7), dynagen(1), dynagui(1)
http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/index.php/
http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/blog/
http://hacki.at/7200emu/index.php
AUTHOR
dynamips was written by Fabien Devaux, Christophe Fillot (cf@utc.fr)
and MtvE. This manual page was written by Erik Wenzel <erik@debian.org>
for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).
Sep 07, 2006 DYNAGEN(1)