Provided by: dynamips_0.2.14-1build1_amd64 
NAME
dynamips - Cisco router simulator
SYNOPSIS
dynamips [options] ios_image
DESCRIPTION
Emulates Cisco routers on a traditional PC. You can use dynamips to create labs. It uses real Cisco IOS
Images, which are not included in this package. Of course, this emulator cannot replace a real router.
It is simply a complementary tool to real labs for administrators of Cisco networks or people wanting to
pass their CCNA/CCNP/CCIE exams.
The emulator currently supports Cisco 7200, Cisco 3745, Cisco 3725, Cisco 3600, Cisco 2691, Cisco 2600,
and Cisco 1700 series.
By default, a Cisco 7206VXR with NPE-200 (256 Mb of DRAM) is emulated.
To emulate another platform, like the Cisco 3600 series, use the "-P" command line option. You can
change the chassis type with "-t". Don't forget to set it depending on your IOS image, a c3660 image will
not run on c3640 hardware and vice-versa.
OPTIONS
A summary of options is included below.
-H <tcp_port>
Enable hypervisor mode.
The hypervisor mode of dynamips allows you to run simultaneously many virtual router instances,
and to simulate ATM, Ethernet or Frame‐Relay networks.
You can connect directly to the TCP control port with telnet, or use dynagen(1), dynagui(1) that
will pass commands transparently. The second method is highly recommended.
-l <log_file>
Set logging file (default is dynamips_log.txt)
-j Disable the JIT compiler, very slow
--exec-area <size>
Set the exec area size (default: 64 Mb)
The exec area is a pool of host memory used to store pages translated by the JIT (they contain the
native code corresponding to MIPS code pages).
--idle-pc <pc>
Set the idle PC (default: disabled)
The "idle PC" feature allows you to run a router instance without having a 100% CPU load. This
implies that you can run a larger number of instances per real machine.
To determine the "idle PC", start normally the emulator with your Cisco IOS image, and a totally
IOS empty configuration (although not mandatory, this will give better results). When the image is
fully booted, wait for the "Press RETURN to get started!" message prompt, but do not press Enter
key. Wait about 5 seconds, then press "Ctrl‐] + i". Some statistics will be gathered during 10
seconds. At the end, the emulator will display a list of possible values to pass to the
"--idle-pc" option. You may have to try some values before finding the good one. To check if the
idle PC value is good, just boot the Cisco IOS image, and check your CPU load when the console
prompt is available. If it is low, you have found a good value, keep it preciously.
Important remarks:
* An "idle PC" value is *specific* to a Cisco IOS image. You cannot boot a different IOS image
without proceeding as described above.
* Do not run the process while having the "autoconfiguration" prompt.
--timer-itv <val>
Timer IRQ interval check (default: 1000)
-i <instance>
Set instance ID
-r <ram_size>
Set the virtual RAM size (default: 256 Mb)
-o <rom_size>
Set the virtual ROM size (default: 4 Mb)
-n <nvram_size>
Set the NVRAM size (default: 128 Kb)
-c <conf_reg>
Set the configuration register (default: 0x2102)
-m <mac_addr>
Set the MAC address of the chassis (default: automatically generated)
-C, --startup-config <file>
Import IOS configuration file into NVRAM
--private-config <file>
Import IOS configuration file into NVRAM
-X Do not use a file to simulate RAM (faster)
-R <rom_file>
Load an alternate ROM (default: embedded)
-k <clock_div>
Set the clock divisor (default: 4)
Specify the clock divider (integer) based on the host clock. Alter the value to match the CISCO
clock with the real time. The command "show clock" at the IOS' CLI will help you set this value.
-T <port>
Console is on TCP <port>
-U <si_desc>
Console in on serial interface <si_desc> (default is on the terminal)
-A <port>
AUX is on TCP <port>
-B <si_desc>
AUX is on serial interface <si_desc> (default is no AUX port)
--disk0 <size>
Set PCMCIA ATA disk0: size (default: 64 Mb)
--disk1 <size>
Set PCMCIA ATA disk1: size (default: 0 Mb)
-a <cfg_file>
Virtual ATM switch configuration file.
-f <cfg_file>
Virtual Frame‐Relay switch configuration file.
-E <cfg_file>
Virtual Ethernet switch configuration file.
-e Show network device list of the host machine.
OPTIONS specific to the Cisco 7200 series
-t <npe_type>
Select NPE type (default: "npe‐200")
-M <midplane>
Select Midplane ("std" or "vxr")
-p <pa_desc>
Define a Port Adapter
-s <pa_nio>
Bind a Network IO interface to a Port Adapter
OPTIONS specific to the Cisco 3600 series
-t <chassis_type>
Select Chassis type (default: "3640")
-p <nm_desc>
Define a Network Module
-s <nm_nio>
Bind a Network IO interface to a Network Module
Cisco 7200 Port Adapter Description <pa_desc>
Format slot:pa_driver
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
pa_driver
the name of a Port Adapter driver in:
C7200‐IO‐FE
(FastEthernet, slot 0 only)
PA‐FE‐TX
(FastEthernet, slots 1 to 6)
PA‐4E (Ethernet, 4 ports)
PA‐8E (Ethernet, 8 ports)
PA‐4T+ (Serial, 4 ports)
PA‐8T (Serial, 8 ports)
PA‐A1 (ATM)
Cisco 3600 Network Module Description <nm_desc>
Format slot:nm_driver
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
nm_driver
the name of a Network Module driver in:
NM‐1E (Ethernet, 1 port)
NM‐4E (Ethernet, 4 ports)
NM‐1FE‐TX
(FastEthernet, 1 port)
NM‐4T (Serial, 4 ports)
Leopard‐2FE
(Cisco 3660 FastEthernet in slot 0, automatically used)
NIO binding to Port Adapter <pa_nio> and Network Modules <nm_nio> :
Format slot:port:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
slot the number of the physical slot (starts from 0)
port the port in the specified slot (starts from 0)
netio_type
host interface for communication
unix:<local_sock>:<remote_sock>
Use unix sockets for local communication. <local_sock> is created and represents the local
NIC. <remote_sock> is the file used by the other interface. (ex.
"/tmp/local:/tmp/remote")
vde:<control_sock>:<local_sock>
For use with UML (User‐Mode‐Linux) or VDE switches. VDE stands for "Virtual Distributed
Ethernet". Please refer to : http://sourceforge.net/projects/vde/
tap:<tap_name>
Use a virtual ethernet device for communication. <tap_name> is the name of the tap device
(ex. "tap0")
gen_eth:<dev_name>
Use a real ethernet device for communication, using libpcap 0.9 or WinPcap. Works on
Windows and Unix systems.
<dev_name> is the name of the Ethernet device (ex. "eth0")
The device list can be found using the "-e" option.
linux_eth:<dev_name>
Use a real ethernet device for communication (Linux specific). <dev_name> is the name of
the Ethernet device (ex. "eth0")
udp:<local_port>:<remote_host>:<remote_port>
Use an UDP socket for connection between remote instances. <local_port> is the port we
listen to. <remote_host> is the host listening the port you want to connect to.
<remote_port> is the port you want to connect to. (ex. "1000:somehost:2000" and
"2000:otherhost:1000" on the other side)
tcp_cli:<host>:<port>
Client side of a tcp connection. <host> is the ip address of the server. <port> is the
port to connect to.
tcp_ser:<port>
Server side of a tcp connection. <port> is the port to listen to.
null Dummy netio (used for testing/debugging), no parameters needed.
VTTY binding to real serial port device <si_desc>
Format <device>{:baudrate{:databits{:parity{:stopbits{:hwflow}}}}}}
device character device name, e.g. /dev/ttyS0
baudrate
baudrate
databits
number of databits
parity data parity: N=none, O=odd, E=even
stopbits
number of stop bits
hwflow hardware flow control (0=disable, 1=enable)
Note that the device field is mandatory, however other fields are optional. (dynamips will
default to 9600, 8, N, 1, no hardware flow control)
Note that access to the escape commands (described below) through a serial port are
deliberately prevented, as the escape commands interfere with serial encapsulation
protocols.
Escape commands
You can press ^] (Ctrl + ]) at any time, followed by one of these characters:
o Show the VM object list
d Show the device list
r Dump MIPS CPU registers
t Dump MIPS TLB entries
m Dump the latest memory accesses
s Suspend CPU emulation
u Resume CPU emulation
q Quit the emulator
b Dump the instruction block tree
h JIT hash table statistics
l MTS64 cache statistics
c Write IOS configuration to disk (ios_cfg.txt)
j Non‐JIT mode statistics
x Experimentations (can crash the box!)
^] Send ^]
If you press an unrecognized key, help will be shown. Note: on Windows, it may be the "Ctrl + $"
sequence.
Virtual Bridge
The virtual bridge is used to emulate a shared network between emulator instances. Any emulator instance
can act as a virtual bridge.
The configuration file (specified by the "-b" option) contains a list of NetIO descriptors, with the
following syntax:
interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
Example:
# Connection to instance "I0"
I0:udp:10000:127.0.0.1:10001
# Connection to instance "I1"
I1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
# Connection to instance "I2"
I2:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10005
The "I0" instance would be launched with the following parameters:
dynamips ios.bin -p 1:PA-FE-TX -s 1:0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
Virtual Ethernet switch
The virtual ethernet switch is used to emulate an Ethernet network between emulator instances. This
switch supports access and trunk ports (802.1Q). ISL will be available in a future release.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual ethernet switch.
The configuration file (specified by the "-E" option) contains a list of NetIO descriptors (representing
interfaces) and a list of interface properties (access/trunk port, VLAN info...)
The interface definition is similar to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
Access Port
ACCESS:interface_name:vlan_id
802.1Q Trunk Port
DOT1Q:interface_name:native_vlan
The native VLAN is not tagged. On Cisco devices, by default the native VLAN is VLAN 1.
Example of configuration file:
IF:E0:udp:10000:127.0.0.1:10001
IF:E1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
IF:E2:gen_eth:eth0
DOT1Q:E0:1
ACCESS:E1:4
DOT1Q:E2:1
Virtual ATM switch
The virtual ATM switch fabric is used to emulate an ATM backbone between emulator instances. The use of
this virtual switch is not mandatory, you can directly connect emulator instances for point‐to‐point ATM
connections. Please note that only basic VP/VC switching is supported, there is no support for
ILMI/QSAAL/... or other specific ATM protocols.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual ATM switch.
Example of configuration file (specified by the "-a" option):
# Virtual Interface List
IF:A0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
IF:A1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
IF:A2:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10005
# VP connection between I0 and I1
VP:A0:10:A1:20
VP:A1:20:A0:10
# VP connection between I0 and I2
VP:A0:11:A2:30
VP:A2:30:A0:11
# VC connection between I1 and I2
VC:A1:5:2:A2:7:3
VC:A2:7:3:A1:5:2
In this example, we have 3 virtual interfaces, A0, A1 and A2. The syntax for interface definition is
similar to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
You can do VP switching or VC switching:
VP switching
VP:input_if:input_vpi:output_if:output_vpi
VC switching
VC:input_if:input_vpi:input_vci:output_if:output_vpi:output_vci
Testing the Virtual ATM switch with one dynamips instance
Virtual ATM switch configuration file ("atm.cfg"):
IF:A0:udp:10003:127.0.0.1:10001
IF:A1:udp:10004:127.0.0.1:10002
# a0/vpi=1/vci=100 connects to a1/vpi=2/vci=200
VC:A0:1:100:A1:2:200
VC:A1:2:200:A0:1:100
Invoking dynamips:
./dynamips -p 1:PA-A1 -s 1:0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10003 -p 2:PA-A1 -s 2:0:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10004
-a atm.cfg IOS.BIN
(note input ports of IOS interfaces are output ports of ATM switch interfaces, and vice versa).
IOS Configuration:
ip cef
ip vrf test
rd 1:1
route-target both 1:1
int a1/0
no shut
int a1/0.2 p
ip addr 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.0
pvc 1/100
interface a2/0
no shut
interface a2/0.2 p
ip vrf forwarding test
ip addr 1.1.1.2 255.255.255.0
pvc 2/200
!
Virtual Frame‐Relay switch
The virtual Frame‐Relay switch fabric is used to emulate a Frame‐Relay backbone between emulator
instances. The use of this virtual switch is not mandatory, you can directly connect emulator instances
with appropriate IOS configuration.
Any emulator instance can act as a virtual Frame‐Relay switch. There is only a basic implementation of
the LMI protocol (ANSI Annex D), which is probably not conforming but works with Cisco IOS. Fortunately,
Cisco IOS is able to detect automatically the LMI protocol.
Example of configuration file (specified by the "-f" option):
# Virtual Interface List
IF:S0:udp:10001:127.0.0.1:10000
IF:S1:udp:10002:127.0.0.1:10003
# DLCI switching between S0 and S1
VC:S0:200:S1:100
VC:S1:100:S0:200
In this example, we have 2 virtual interfaces, S0 and S1. The syntax for interface definition is similar
to Port Adapters:
IF:interface_name:netio_type[:netio_parameters]
DLCI switching syntax:
VC:input_if:input_dlci:output_if:output_dlci
In the example above, the switch is configured to switch packets received on interface S0 with DLCI 200
to interface S1 with DLCI 100, and vice‐versa.
BUGS
See RELEASE-NOTES.
REPORTING BUGS
Please send bug reports to ⟨https://github.com/GNS3/dynamips/issues⟩
SEE ALSO
nvram_export(1), hypervisor_mode(7), dynagen(1), dynagui(1)
⟨http://www.gns3.net/dynamips/⟩
⟨http://forum.gns3.net/⟩
⟨https://github.com/GNS3/dynamips⟩
OLD WEBSITES
⟨http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/index.php/⟩
⟨http://www.ipflow.utc.fr/blog/⟩
⟨http://hacki.at/7200emu/index.php⟩
AUTHOR
dynamips is being maintained by Flávio J. Saraiva <flaviojs2005@gmail.com>. This manual page was
initially written by Erik Wenzel <erik@debian.org> for the Debian GNU/Linux system.
Sep 28, 2013 DYNAMIPS(1)