VMware GNS3 vm creation

[dave0301]

Hello All, i am new to VMware and to creating VMs in general. if i want to create a GNS3 vm, Do i need to have Windows 10 installed first on a VM? i tried to create a GNS3 VM in VMware and i got this error. "Windows 10 x64 in not installed on this virtual machine. Insert the installer disc and click Restart VM",  i am currently running Windows 10 on my desktop and i would like to create GNS3 labs using VMs. i appreciate any help i can get. Dave

[RDPetruska]

What VMware product and version are you using?

What is the host OS and version, if one of the hosted products?

[RBNetEngr1]

I have an older (Intel) MacBook Pro.  I am using VMWare Fusion Player for MacOS, version 13.5.1.

So I run the GNS3 Client (version 2.2.41) on the Mac, and I run a GNS3 VM (version 2.2.41) in VMWare Fusion Player.  The GNS3 VM is a complete virtual machine, built on Linux, and can run as a VM in VMWare Player or Workstation on your Windows 10 PC.  You would not build a Windows VM in VMWare Workstation in order to then run the GS3 VM in it.  The GNS3 VM will just be the VM that you launch, and then use the GNS3 client to connect to it and manage/build your virtualized networks.

In addition, I have a Linux server running on a Dell mini tower and it also runs GNS3 server (2.2.41), in KVM.  It has two 1TB hard drives and a 500GB SSD (where Linux is running).  I loaded it up with 64GB of RAM, so I never run out of RAM, even on large emulated networks with 20 devices (largest so far).

I set up the GNS3 client to have several different startup options:

- Run GNS3 in the client (which is very limited)

- Run GNS3 VM server in VMWare Fusion Player

- Run GNS3 server in Linux.

The GNS3 client can use one, some, or all of the above options to build the network.  The GNS3 server and GNS3 VM support all of the QEMU devices.

[rtripiana]

Hi @dave0301 

If you are talking about the so called “GNS3 VM” that act as server to host and run your simulations, that one is offered in GNS3 website as virtual appliance (no need to install the underneath OS) packaged for different hypervisors: VMware workstation, esxi, virtualbox, etc…pick yours. The appliance runs on Linux OS, but as said… is shipped as part of the image/OVA. The instructions to deploy it will depend on the hypervisor you use.

hth

Ruben