Hello Stretch

I want to know the benefits of using solutions like Packetlife & other similar approaches ( real network lab accessed remotely ) comparing with simulation & emulation tools ( Dynamips, GNS3, packet tracer, etc )..

can you write an article about this subject? I want to send you some notes that I collect about this subject through searching over internet, could I?

& I want to know your ideas about this issue.

thanks a lot..waiting for your replay.

sama

For routing and switching, service provider, security and voice.

                 ROUTING  SWITCHING   SECURITY   VOICE

Real lab          Full     Full        Full       Full

Gns3              Full     Partial     Full       Full with vmware

packet tracert    Partial  Partial     no         Partial

Thanks Luismg

you said in your reply, service provider, what you mean by this? you didn't put it in the table..

what about OPNET? how it is different?

Can we said, as a final result, that real lab is better than simulation & emulation?

This is the best real lab > emulation > simulation

and OPNET is not for study any vendor.

Luismg's table is spot on, however I wanted to elaborate on some of the pros and cons I have found for each.

Real Lab

pros: does everything, allows for testing of actual processor load

cons: high power consumption (minimized with a ip-enabled PDU), high cost

GNS/Dynagen/Dynamips

pros: can be run on a server for easy remote access. You can suspend IOS devices instead of turning them off.

cons: doesn't emulate the physical layer, and doesn't allow for L3 switching

Packet Tracer

pros: ease of use b/c no IOS images are needed.

cons: only outputs what it thinks the output should be.

My Take

The two GNS3 features allow me to work on a lab 20 minutes at a time, preserving the state of links without the hassle of copying configs.

Hope this adds to the discussion instead of repeating. BTW, is OPNET just a design tool?

Hi systole

Thanks for your information, very helpfull..

but I didn't understand what you wrote in "my take" section.

hope that someone help us in OPNET issue.

another opioin said:

" If we ask Cisco about IOS with GNS and Dynamips - they will not agree to use their software with emulators - it is a piracy according to agreement. "

is this true?

thanks a lot

Yes, it's true to an extent. The Software License Agreement that you are agreeing to by downloading Cisco IOS states that the software is licensed for use "on a single central processing unit owned or leased by Customer or otherwise embedded in equipment provided by Cisco" (emphasis mine). Which to me (and I'm no lawyer) says that if you have purchased the right to download an IOS for a specific device, you cannot use that IOS on any other device (including emulators).

That being said, I think Cisco's biggest concern with emulators like Dynamips is that the majority of users are obtaining illegal and unlicensed copies of the IOS from the Internet. They probably don't care as much if you are using a legitimately licensed version of the IOS, although as I mentioned earlier according to their license agreement using the IOS on an emulator probably still violates the conditions of the agreement.