TO Simulate WAN Environment with VMWARE and Dynamips

Dynamips, also known as “Cisco 7200 Simulator”, achieves simulation by simulating hardware, which is similar to VMware. It also supports NIC bridging mode, thus realize communication with Ethernet cards of the host. With OmniPeek you can see the protocol data packet. Based on this, the idea of using VMware + Dynamips to simulate WAN experimental environment germinated. In this way, Cisco engineers can also carry through 7 layer experiments on single pc, such as QoS, 7 layer security experiments.

Next we’ll briefly introduce the experimental environment: Windows XP+ SP2 (English version VMware Server + 1.0)
This is the latest version (download from Internet, the version with built-up batch). The following is its topology:

In my computer, there is a newly built Microsoft Loopback Adapter, with the address 72.72.67.1/24, which bridges to F2/0 of R6, R7. Bridging is in fact very simple: add the following parameter in R6, R7 batch to realize it:
-p 2:PA-FE-TX -s 2:0:gen_eth:”\Device\NPF_{837A2CE9-4880-4CF0-934A-331E174058DF}”

The meaning of this parameter is very simple: to define that F2/0 interface bridge to real NIC on the local router. The following \Device\NPF_ (………… ..) is the logo of the NIC. According to this principle, we can easily conclude that Ethernet interface of any router can be bridged, but how? Here is batch of R1:

dynamips-wxp.exe -i 0 -c 0×2142 -t npe-400 -T 30001 -b bridge_conf.txt -p 0:C7200-IO-FE -s
0:0:udp:10011:127.0.0.1:10001 -p 1:PA-4T+ -s 1:1:udp:10102:127.0.0.1:10201 -s
1:2:udp:10107:127.0.0.1:10701 c7200-adventerprisek9.124-9.T.bin –idle-pc=0×608049e8

The batch is like this when I download it from the Internet. My telnet port, as well as idle-pc parameter, has been changed. The others should be the same. Now let’s look at the key line:

-p 0:C7200-IO-FE -s 0:0:udp:10011:127.0.0.1:10001

It is obvious that f0/0 has not carried out bridging, but we can modify its parameter to bridge it to some NIC. Since it is going to communicate with virtual machine, we thus bridge it to VMnet Virtual Adapter. There is a batch file to capture NIC NBF_{……………..} parameters in the downloaded software package. As the batch file displays only two VMware virtual card parameters (no distinction between them, thus we don’t know which one is for VMnet8 and which one for VMnet1) and we need VWnet1 NIC to bridge in this experiment, we have to find it manually. Open the Registry, positioning to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-
08002bE10318}

Then you’ll see a series of sub-keys: 0000, 0001, 0002, and so on. Open them one by one until you find the sub-key with VWnet1. In NetCfgInstanceId strings, you can find the parameter of VMnet1 card, record it on a Notepad and then change R1 batch files to:

dynamips-wxp.exe -i 0 -c 0×2142 -t npe-400 -T 30001 -b bridge_conf.txt -p 0:C7200-IO-FE -s
0:0:gen_eth:”\Device\NPF_{4F2043B2-69F3-4397-9AFC-A0028DE74F30}” -p 1:PA-4T+ -s
1:1:udp:10102:127.0.0.1:10201 -s 1:2:udp:10107:127.0.0.1:10701
c7200-adventerprisek9.124-9.T.bin –idle-pc=0×608049e8

Here, I’ve bridged f0/0 of R1 to my VWnet1 card. Your NIC parameter may be different from mine, but command format is the same. Finish? Then the first step is over.

Then you have to set the virtual machine, but before that, let’s see the network topology of this experiment

As you see, f0/0 of R1 is bridged together with virtual machine, which means the above VMware Guest（VMware Guest Windows XP，hereinafter Windows XP）network belongs to VMnet1, or Host-Only. Someone may ask “why we have to use VMnet1”. The reason is very simple: VMnet1 has no NAT service, thus with interference. Of course, you can stop VMware NAT Service before using VMnet8. This will also work.

Next, set the following VMware Guest (VMware Guest, Windows 2003, hereinafter referred to as Windows 2003). As you can see, it needs to bridge to F2/0 of R6 and R7, however, as I have mentioned earlier, F2/0 of R6 and R7 are bridged to my Microsoft Loopback Adapter, which has been defined in batch. Well! This can be easily settled. You just need to bridge this NIC of Windows 2003 to Microsoft Loopback Adapter. Open “Virtual Network Settings…”and you’ll see “Virtual NetworkVMware”, click menu “Host”, “Editor”, choose “Automatic Bridging”, select” Automatically choose an available physical network adapter to bridge to VMnet0 “, and press “Add” button. Select all the cards except” Microsoft Loopback Adapter” as follows:

After pressing “add”, there appeared two choices for selection, one is Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller, and the other is Microsoft Loopback Adapter (actually Microsoft Loopback Adapter is also virtual NIC, only that VMware don’t know). The purpose of this setup is to force-bridge bridged virtual machine of VMware to Microsoft Loopback Adapter. Thus realize requirements.

OK! Now you can run three routers. As you can see in the above topology, you only need to run R1, R6 and R7, and then allot IP address for corresponding interface according to the topology. Then operate router protocol separately, such as EIGRP.
simple configuration of the three routers:

Rack7200R1#sh run
interface Loopback0
ip address 72.72.1.1 255.255.255.0
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 72.72.100.1 255.255.255.0
duplex half interface Serial1/2
ip address 72.72.17.1 255.255.255.0
serial restart-delay 0
router eigrp 100
network 72.72.1.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.17.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.100.0 0.0.0.255 no auto-summary
Rack7200R6#sh run hostname Rack7200R6 interface Loopback0
ip address 72.72.6.6 255.255.255.0
interface Serial1/2
ip address 72.72.200.6 255.255.255.0
serial restart-delay 0
interface FastEthernet2/0
ip address 72.72.67.6 255.255.255.0
duplex half router eigrp 100
network 72.72.6.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.67.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.200.0 0.0.0.255 no auto-summary
Rack7200R7#sh run hostname Rack7200R7 interface Loopback0
ip address 72.72.7.7 255.255.255.0
interface Serial1/0
ip address 72.72.17.7 255.255.255.0
serial restart-delay 0
interface Serial1/5
ip address 72.72.200.7 255.255.255.0
serial restart-delay 0
interface FastEthernet2/0
ip address 72.72.67.7 255.255.255.0
shutdown

duplex half router eigrp 100
network 72.72.7.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.17.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.67.0 0.0.0.255 network 72.72.200.0 0.0.0.255 no auto-summary

After the operation, in terms R6 whether it is normal for the routing table, and then open the Windows XP virtual machine, the card will be set to VMnet1 network, and then manually specified IP addresses, masking, Gateway:

After operation, check whether the routing table is in normal operation on R6. Start Windows XP virtual machine, set its NIC as VM net1, and then manually specify IP address, masking and gateway.