Graphical Network Simulator-3 (GNS3) is a network software emulator that helps network professionals design and builds better networks, shares ideas, and make connections. GNS3 can be used to configure, test, and troubleshoot virtualized networks to emulate real-world hardware devices. It has helped thousands of network professionals network pass network exams, and can be used in training sessions without purchasing real hardware which may cost a lot. GNS3 works with multiple vendors’ hardware devices including, Cisco virtual switches, Cisco ASAs, Brocade voters, Cumulus Linux switches, Docker instances, HPE VSRs, and others. Instead of purchasing individual hardware devices from these many vendors, GNS3 can be used instead to test interoperability and real-world experiences. To get started with installing GNS3 on Ubuntu, follow the steps below:
Install GNS3 via APT Repository
There are multiple ways to install GNS3 on Ubuntu. The quickest way is to install it from its official PPA repository. To do that, run the commands below to add its PPA. When prompted whether non-root users should be allowed to use Wireshark and ubridge, select ‘Yes’ both times. You should also accept the Yes below:
Install IOU Support
After running the commands above, run the commands below to install IOU support. The commands above allow GNS3 support for IOS on Unix (IOU).
Install Docker CE
By default, GNS3 uses Docker containers when building networking labs. Since Docker isn’t installed in Ubuntu, run follow the steps below to install Docker. First, install the following packages below: Then add the official Docker GPG key. After that run the commands below to add the Docker repository Finally, run the commands below to install Docker CE. You should always add your user account to the Docker group. Add this point, and all is good. However, to properly use GNS3 you must add your user account to the following groups ubridge libvirt KVM Wireshark. Restart your user session by logging out and back in, or restarting the system. GNS3 should be installed, configured, and ready to use. Simply go to the Activities Overview –> Dashboard and search for GNS3, then launch. That’s it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to install GNS3 on Ubuntu 20.04 | 18.04. If you find any error above, please use the form below to report.
