GNS3 with real hardware

chmorin

This would probably be a good place to talk about implementing a virtual router with real physical hardware.

I am currently trying to implement a CCNA: Voice lab, but am having a hard time getting GNS3 to interact with other networking equipment. So far this is what I want to have done.

3625 CME Router -> 2900XL Switch -> 2620 DHCP Server
                            |               |
                  Cisco 7906        PC-IP Communicator

For the moment, I will be satisfied with:

3625 CME Router -> 2900XL Switch 
                                    |              
                               Cisco 7906 

Now, the 3625 is virtualized inside a laptop. So it really looks like...

3625 CME Router\
                        ->Laptop NIC -> 2900XL Switch 
              Laptop/                            |              
                                               Cisco 7906 

In my theory, the CME Router and Laptop should be sharing a single Ethernet segment. As the router is connected to the same physical interface to the switch (configured in GNS3 with a cloud) as the laptop. That is then connected to the switch.

For whatever reason, I can not get the CME router to communicate with the switch.

Any idea if I am missing something? Is this even possible?

hypnotoad

I replied to this in the CCNA:V forum. It can be done. I would test the virtual-physical connection with pings rather than the phone to start with -- eliminate some variables.

bwbecraft

Yes this can be done. I currently have a physical asa5505, cisco1941 isr, and a juniper ssg5 integrated with 6 virtual cisco 2961 routers(GNS3). The 6 routers are fully integrated into all of my network management and event correlation servers. The physical nic must be running as a virtual bridge, and the physical interface's IP must be within the same subnet as the virtual interface. Hopefully this clears things up a bit.