As the old saying goes, if I had a penny for every time I have heard a network engineer yearn for some time on lab network equipment they have learned so much about, I would be a very rich man.
No doubt this an all too familiar scenario/nightmare (delete as appropriate) that many, if not all, network engineers have experienced at some stage in their career. As many can testify to, a major part of a network engineers time is spent begging and pleading to get the invaluable ‘hands on’ experience which often cements the learning that is taking place.
Sure, we all have our own lab full of the high-end routing and switching equipment… right? Wrong!
And we all have time to cable and configure many different network topologies over and over again? Wrong!
The answer to this conundrum is…. Virtual Internet Routing Lab (VIRL)!
So how exactly does the Virtual Internet Routing Lab, or VIRL, address these points? Simply put, VIRL is the comprehensive network design and simulation platform that everyone has been waiting for. From the powerful graphical user interface for network design and simulation control, to the configuration engine that can build complete Cisco configuration at the click of a button, to the Cisco virtual machines that run the same network operating system used in Cisco’s physical routers and switches, it has it all!
VIRL has finally provided the same capabilities that software engineers have had for a long time; the required network resources available at the click of a button, it’s that easy!
Sample screenshot from VIRL
From an educational perspective, Cisco VIRL has truly addressed the needs of many with a product that allows users to design, learn and test with virtual machines running the real Cisco network operating systems including IOS, IOS Layer-2, IOS XE, IOS XR, NX-OS and ASA firewall. VIRL gives network engineers what they have been yearning for. The chance to build highly-accurate models of real-world and future networks, study the behaviour and configuration of all those protocols they have been learning about, have some fun by breaking and fixing the network, and truly understand how to troubleshoot with a powerful integrated platform. And if all that wasn’t enough, you can even integrate network simulations with real network environments!
Personally speaking, I have been using VIRL since it was released, and a form of it for many years. Each update of VIRL brings new features and it continually improves, as it has done since its inception, time and time again. In my mind this is the perfect learning tool for network engineers and can honestly say it has helped me in my current role as a Systems Engineer many times.
And I’m not the only Cisco employee who uses it! VIRL is extensively used by a multitude of engineers within Cisco in the Advanced Services, TAC, and Sales organisations, with many actively participating in the support community.
I can’t wait to see how VIRL improves over the years, and am looking forward to seeing the community grow as more network engineers begin to use the product!
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