Install EVE-NG

Introduction

EVE-NG (Enterprise Virtual Environment - Next Generation) is a network emulation platform used for creating and testing complex network topologies in a virtualized environment. It allows users to simulate networks of various sizes and configurations, enabling them to test and troubleshoot networking setups without the need for physical hardware.

Description

Multi-Vendor Support: EVE-NG supports a wide range of virtualized network devices from different vendors, including Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, and more.

Complex Network Scenarios: Users can create intricate network setups involving multiple devices, different network protocols, and complex routing configurations.

Snapshots and Cloning: EVE-NG allows users to take snapshots of their virtualized networks at different points in time, enabling them to revert to previous states or clone setups for testing variations.

Resource Management: Users can allocate CPU, memory, and network resources to different virtual devices, simulating real-world conditions and limitations.

Collaboration: EVE-NG provides options for sharing virtual labs with others, making it useful for teaching and collaborative troubleshooting.

Integration: It can be integrated with real-world networks using technologies like Cisco VIRL, allowing for a mix of physical and virtual components.

Community and Add-ons: EVE-NG has an active user community that contributes add-ons, labs, and resources to enhance its functionality and usability.

Installation

The steps below show how to get EVE-NG running with VMware Workstation Player and how to load "qemu" images into the lab environment with WinSCP. The images need to be obtained from the software/hardware vendors and may be necessary to be purchased.

Description

1. Download & install VMware Workstation Player

2. Download & Install WinSCP

3. Download EVE-NG

4. Download network device images

5. Open the EVE-NG virtual machine with VMware Workstation Player

6. RAM, CPU & network settings can be changed if necessary

7. Open the EVE-NG WEB-UI

8. Create a folder and a new LAB

9. Open WinSCP and copy the images to EVE-NG

10. Add a new node to the EVE-NG LAB

Download & install VMware Workstation Player. This is the free version and can be downloaded from the official website: Click here to open the VMware website.

Use the default values and click next until the installation finishes.

Download & install WinSCP. It is free as well and can also be downloaded from the official website: Click here to open the WinSCP website.

Download the free “EVE Community Edition Version” and download the “OVA” image package. Click here to open the EVE-NG website.

The network device images need to be obtained from the specific vendors directly. Some vendors offer their images for free or for a fee.

Open WMware Workstation Player and open an existing virtual machine.

Seach for the EVE-NG folder and open the “OVF” file.

The virtual machine can be named and the location of the VM can be changed if necessary.

The VM settings can be changed before starting EVE-NG. Depending on the available hardware more resources can be provided to the VM.

The local system is a workstation with enough RAM & CPU power. Therefore, 16GB RAM, & 8 CPU cores are allocated in this example. Furthermore, the network settings have been changed to “NAT” here. More information about configuration settings can be found here at the official page.

After that the VM can be started.

After booting the EVE-NG VM will show the IP address to reach the WEB UI.

Open a WEB browser and use the IP address to open the WEB UI. The default credentials are “admin” & “eve” to login to the system.

Use the “Html5 console” to open the CLI interfaces of the network devices easier later.

The main window will appear. A new folder and a new project can be created.

Create a new folder.

Create a new LAB with the second icon below the folder name.

Define a name for the LAB. Additional information can be written into the fields below and on the side. Click on “Save” to close the window and to open the LAB.

The “+” sign can be used to add devices to the LAB, but there are no images imported yet. The next chapter will show how to import “qemu” images to EVE-NG.

QEMU Images

QEMU (Quick Emulator) is an open-source software that provides hardware virtualization. It allows you to create and run virtual machines on a host system, effectively emulating different hardware platforms. In the context of networking, QEMU can be used to run virtualized versions of network devices such as routers, switches, and firewalls.

Description

Locating QEMU Images: QEMU images are essentially pre-configured virtual machine images of various network devices, often provided by vendors or the community. These images contain the operating system and software that the network device would typically run. For example, you might find QEMU images for Cisco routers, Juniper switches, and other network equipment.

Importing QEMU Images into EVE-NG: EVE-NG allows you to import these QEMU images into its platform. This involves uploading the image file to your EVE-NG instance and configuring certain settings to define the virtual hardware characteristics (such as CPU, memory, interfaces) that the imported image should use.

Creating a Virtual Lab: Once the QEMU image is imported, you can use EVE-NG's GUI to create a virtual lab. This involves dragging and dropping the imported QEMU image onto the lab canvas and connecting it to other virtual devices as needed. You can create complex network topologies by connecting routers, switches, and other devices together just like you would in a physical network.

Configuring and Testing: Once your virtual lab is set up, you can log into the QEMU-based network devices and configure them just as you would in a real-world scenario. You can test routing protocols, firewall rules, VLAN configurations, and more, all within the virtual environment.

Saving and Reverting: EVE-NG often provides features like snapshotting and cloning. This allows you to save the state of your virtual lab at a certain point, and if needed, revert back to that state. This is incredibly useful for experimenting with different configurations without the fear of breaking something irreversibly.

Interoperability: EVE-NG can often interoperate with other virtualization solutions, such as Cisco VIRL, to bring in even more virtual device options.

Open WinSCP and start a SFTP session with the running EVE-NG VM. The picture below shows how the settings are used to start a connection.

Trust the host to establish a connection.

After that, open your local folder with the images on the lefthand side. Navigate to /opt/unetlab/addons/quemu on the EVE-NG VM side of the WinSCP window. Create folders and name them the same way as the “qcow2” images.

Copy the “qcow2” images into the new folders with the corresponding names.

Rename the images as explained in the official EVE-NG documentaction. Click here to view the official documentation.

After that, rename all the folders as explained in the official documentation. The picture below shows how the image folders need to be named to work in EVE-NG. Click here to view the official documentation.

Every folder needs to be named as shown in the picture above, and after every hyphen symbol the software version of the image needs to be written into the folder name. Every folder contains the actual image, that need to be renamed as explained in the EVE-NG image name documentation. Only then EVE-NG is able to show and work with the images.

If there are problems with permissions log into the EVE-NG VM and use the command “/opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions”. The default credentials for the EVE-NG CLI are “root” & “eve”.

After importing the images to EVE-NG, open the LAB and use the “+” symbol to add a new node and try to start a new device.

The number of CPUs, RAM, Ethernet ports and number of nodes can be used to create multiple and faster nodes to work with in the LAB environment. These settings can be used depending on the resources of the local system.