This GNS3 course will walk through installing, configuring and setting up a basic network in GNS3. We will look at the limitations of it and discuss a few other options for setting up labs for your ICND1 and ICND2 Cisco Exams.
What is GSN3?
The Graphical Network Simulator-3 is an open source, free network software emulator that is used by over one million network engineers, students, and architects all over the world to simulate, configure, test, and troubleshoot virtual and real networks. The software allows users to simulate a wide range of networks, from running a small topology that consists of only a few devices on your laptop, to those that consist of many devices hosted on multiple servers or in the cloud. Originally, GNS3 was developed to emulate Cisco devices over ten years ago. Currently, GNS3 supports many devices from various network vendors including Cisco virtual switches, Cumulus Linux switches, Cisco ASAs, Brocade vRouters, HPE VSRs, Docker instances, multiple Linux appliances and many others. We will walk through installing, configuring and setting up a basic network in GNS3. We will look at the limitations of it and discuss a few other options for setting up labs for your ICND1 and ICND2 Cisco Exams.
What Does the Graphical Network Simulator 3 Course Entail?
In this free, short online course, you will learn GNS3, what it is and how it works. The course entails an introduction to the software and its capabilities and moves through to configuring a router. By the time you finish the training, you will have a fundamental understanding of GNS3 and be able to simulate Cisco IOS and other complex networks. There are no prerequisites for this course, but it is recommended that students have general computer knowledge or a networking certification. This GNS3 training is self-paced and contains one hour of clock time for the included lessons. Upon finishing the course, you will have earned an hour of CEU/CPE and you will receive a Certificate of Completion.
Who Should Take this GNS3 Course?
This GNS3 training class is perfect for anyone who is working in the IT networking field. It's also ideal for professionals who are planning to take various certification exams like Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE), and others.
Why Use GNS3 as a Network Similator?
There are many reasons that the GNS3 network simulator has been downloaded over ten million times and used by companies worldwide including many Fortune 500 companies. While GNS3 was originally created to help students prepare for certification exams, it's also used to help test and verify real world deployments. The following are some of the reasons you should learn and use GNS3:
- Open source – GNS3 is open source and completely free to download, even in commercial environments.
- Multivendor – GNS3 supports many different networking vendors including Cisco, Aruba, Arista, Cumulus, Juniper, and others. It also allows users to add virtual devices of almost any type to GNS3 topologies. For example, if you plan on trying network penetration testing, you can simply add a Kali Linux device to your topologies. Or, if you want to study for a CCIE, CCNP, or CCNA exam, you can build a topology with Cisco devices to begin your studies.
- Supports switching – Contrary to a common misconception about GNS3, it does support switching. In fact, many devices and vendors are supported including Cisco switches, Cumulus switches, Arista switches, and others.
- Scalable – Unlike other emulator solutions that may cap the number of devices you can run in a topology, GNS3 doesn't have any limitations on how many devices you include. Your only limitation is how many hardware devices are available to you. You can use GNS3 on your local computer, on a server, or in the cloud. This means that GNS3 is totally scalable for whatever topologies you are running.
- Community – With GNS3, you are able to join a community of over 1.3 million users who offer help, tips, and tricks, and provide support for lab issues.
- Real world – GNS3 is great for studying for certifications, but it's also extremely useful in real world situations where networks require testing before they go live. Many organizations around the world test their networks on GNS3 before deployment. This course introduces you to GNS3 and some of its capabilities. In this course, we will start off with an explanation of what GNS3 is and then move into configuring your first router.
