Note: If you cannot see the file, your account may lack entitlement. Contact your Cisco partner or account manager.
(CCNP, CCIE):
Once you have acquired the .qcow2 file, you can integrate it into your preferred emulator: For EVE-NG
: .qcow2 (QEMU Copy-On-Write), the standard disk image format for the QEMU/KVM hypervisor.
Before proceeding with the download and installation, ensure your environment meets the following pre-requisites: Download Vios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m6.qcow2
Using the 15.9(3)M6 version provides several advantages for students and professionals: : Supports BGP, OSPFv3, EIGRP, and RIP.
| Step | Action | Command / Path | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | to your EVE-NG server as the root user. | ssh root@<your-eve-ng-ip> | | 2 | Create the image directory in the QEMU addons folder. The folder name must start with vios- . | mkdir /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vios-adventerprisek9-m.SPA.159-3.M6 | | 3 | Upload the image using an SCP client like WinSCP or FileZilla to the directory you just created. | Transfer to: /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vios-adventerprisek9-m.SPA.159-3.M6/ | | 4 | Rename the disk image to virtioa.qcow2 (case-sensitive). This is a mandatory naming convention for EVE-NG. | mv vios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m6.qcow2 virtioa.qcow2 | | 5 | Fix file permissions to ensure EVE-NG can access the image. | /opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions | | 6 | Add the node by creating a new lab in the EVE-NG web UI. The new router should appear in the node list. | |
Fix the permissions using the command: /opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions. Important Legal and Security Considerations
(if available) or Manual setup :
The adventerprisek9 feature set provides an exhaustive suite of networking protocols. This makes it the ideal image for CCNP and CCIE lab preparation.
: If your organization has a valid service contract (SmartNet) for physical routers, you can often download these images directly from the Cisco Software Central .
Unlike older simulation tools like Dynamips (which emulated physical hardware chips and ran older IOS 12.4 images), VIOS is a modern port of Cisco's code designed specifically to run natively inside a hypervisor. Key Capabilities of the Advanced Enterprise Image
: vios refers to the virtualized "L3" (Layer 3) router image. Usage in Network Simulators Note: If you cannot see the file, your
Last updated: June 2025. Information subject to change per Cisco licensing policies.
The filename contains specific details about the software's type, feature set, architecture, and version. Breaking down the name reveals exactly what this image contains:
Rename the file to virtioa.qcow2 so the platform recognizes it.