How to Build Your Own GNS3 VMware VM

When it comes to practicing network simulations, setting up a separate virtual machine (VM) in your VMware environment can be a convenient way to go about it. However, I wanted to avoid setting up another VM and tried to figure out something different, but it seems a bit more difficult than I expected.

After some experimentation, I decided to create a Debian server with two network adapters - one for WAN and the other for LAN/VMnet2. I also created a Debian client with only one network adapter, connected to the same VMnet2. This setup is similar to what I used when practicing with Debian in the past.

Alternatively, you could set up another VM in VMware Workstation running a lightweight OS with a basic browser, and create a custom network adapter (VMnet2) that connects both this VM and the one running GNS3 and Mikrotik virtual router. This would allow you to isolate your practice environment from your external internet access.

It's also worth noting that Cisco's IOS and VIRL images will be configured and controlled by GNS3 software, but they will actually run on the VMware Workstation VM. So, there is always a risk of locking yourself out without a failsafe mechanism in place.

In my previous setup, I created a virtual machine GNS3 VM on VMware Workstation 15 Pro in preparation for integrating GNS3 with VMware Workstation and Cisco software. This allowed me to practice configuring rules and setups on my Mikrotik virtual device without affecting my external browser internet access and navigation.

One important consideration is that you need to create an IP path between your local PC and the virtual MT in order to access it for configuration services such as webfig or winbox. You could enable WireGuard on the MT and install a wg client on your Windows PC to achieve this.

It's also worth noting that, unlike winbox, webfig does not have a safe mode. Therefore, any rules or setup you practice with on your Mikrotik virtual device will affect your external browser internet access and navigation.

By building your own GNS3 VMware VM using these steps, you can create a dedicated environment for practicing network simulations without affecting your external online activities.

Build own gns3 vmware vm