When it comes to network simulators and emulators, everyone has their favorite. In this article, I will be discussing the Graphical Network Simulator (GNS3). See how to install GNS3 on macOS. In subsequent articles, I will be discussing other simulators and emulators listed. Packet Tracer, EVE-NG, Boson NetSim, GNS3 and VIRL. GNS3 is an open-source software that helps in emulating networks using the Cisco Internetwork Operating Systems (IOS). GNS3 enables you to run a Cisco IOS in a virtual environment and serves as a graphical user interface to Dynamics. For some articles I have written on GNS3, please see the following guides Error – Failed to open a session for the virtual machine GNS3 VM and How to make a router function as a switch in GNS3.
To connect GNS3 connect with the internet, follow the steps below. For some articles I have written on GNS3, please see the following guides “Error–Failed to open a session for the virtual machine GNS3 VM, how to make a router function as a switch in GNS3, and Graphical Network Simulator: Step 1: You need to set up a loopback adapter.
– Click on the start button,
– Right-click on your computer, click on the device manager, from the dialogue box. Right-click on your Personal Computer name (PC).
Next, you will have to click on add legacy hardware, a welcome wizard appears,
– Select the second tab which says (install the hardware that I manually select from the list (advanced) as shown below.
– Click next.
– From the list, select network adapters as shown in the figure below.
From the dialogue box that appears, select Microsoft
– And on the right pane of the windows select Microsoft Loopback Adapter and
– Click on next, and then finish.
Then restart your computer for the settings to take effect.
Step 2: Open the network and sharing window,
– Click on change adapter settings and
– Select the adapter with an internet connection as shown below.
– Right-click on the adapter.
– Click properties, from the dialog box that appears, click on the sharing tab
Select the network adapter you wish to share your internet with (Microsoft Loopback Adapter) and
– Check both boxes as shown in the figure above and click ok.
Note: Ensure you note down the IP address that is assigned to your loopback adapter as you will need it to configure your router interface connecting to the cloud.
Step 3: Go to GNS3,
– Drag and drop the cloud image,
– Right-click on the cloud and
– Select the NIO Ethernet as shown in the figure below, and from the tab tree
– Select the Loopback adapter you created and
– Click on add and
– Finally, click on ok.
Now GNS3 is fully connected to the internet through the loopback of your network adapter. Next, we will be configuring the router interfaces and their default route.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.