How To Run Linux Router Vyatta in GNS3

Posted by : Anonymous Tuesday 23 June 2015

How to run Linux Router Vyatta in GNS3

What is the Vyatta ?

Vyatta is bringing innovation and affordability to the networking industry by delivering advanced routing and security in a software-based network OS that scales from the branch office to the service provider edge. Vyatta has decoupled networking software from proprietary hardware allowing users to leverage the price and performance advantages of standard x86-based hardware and components as well as Citrix XenServer and VMWare virtual or cloud environments.

http://www.vyatta.com/

In this tutorial brezular shows us how to install Vyatta 6.1 Core LiveCD on Qemu image and run it from GNS3.

1. Download Vyatta Core 6.1 LiveCD iso (You need to fill short questionnaire for Vyatta download)

Vyatta download http://www.vyatta.com/downloads/index.php

2. Create Qemu qcow2 image

/usr/local/bin/qemu-img create -f qcow2 ./vyatta6.1vc.img 1G

3. Boot Qemu image with Vyatta 6.1 LiveCD

/usr/local/bin/qemu -boot d -hda ./vyatta6.1vc.img -cdrom ./vyatta-livecd_VC6.1-2010.08.20_i386.iso -m 512

4. Install Live CD

To install Live CD to Qemu image enter this command (as user vyatta)

install-system

The tutorial is opened and it walk you through installation process:

Would you like to continue? (Yes/No) [YES]: Enter

Partition (Auto/Union/Parted/Skip) [Auto]: Enter

Install the image on? [sda]: Enter

This will destroy all data on /dev/sda.

Continue? (Yes/No) [No]: Yes

How big of root partition should I create? (1000MB – 1074MB) [1074]MB: Enter

I found the following configuration files

/opt/vyatta/etc/config/config.boot

Which one should I copy to sda? [/opt/vyatta/etc/config/config.boot] Enter

Enter password for administrator account

Enter vyatta password: your_password

Retype vyatta password: your_password

Which drive should GRUB modify the boot partition on? [sda]: Enter

Done!

Now you successfully install Vyatta.

5. Adapt Vyatta NIC behavior to GNS3 Qemuwrapper

GNS3 qemuwrapper always changes MAC address of presented NIC during the boot of Qemu instance. Vyatta is programmed to save MAC address of existing ethernet interfaces. If MAC address of particular NIC is changed (by GNS3 qemuwrapper) Vyatta preserves the interface with old MAC and create new interface with new MAC.

Each time Qemu instace is restarted the number of interfaces doubled.

These are my steps how to solve it (it must be a better solution but I didn’t find any with Google search):

a) Enable root account on Vyatta 6.1

thank to Tim Peerlings blog http://www.timpeerlings.nl/enable-root-account-on-vyatta-6-1/

vyatta$ configure

vyatta#set system login user root authentication plaintext-password test

vayata# commit

vyatta# save

exit

Now you should switch to user root:

Password: test

b) Remove vyatta_net_name script (root account needed)

cd /lib/udev/

mv ./vyatta_net_name ./vyatta_net_name_backup

rm ./vyatta_net_name

6. Setup serial console login

thanks to Petr’s blog http://linux.xvx.cz/2009/08/debian-with-grub2-and-serial-connection/

This configuration redirects output to serial ttyS0 and allows you to use Console in GNS3.

vim /etc/default/grub

Change the lines in configuration file according to these lines

# This file is sourced by update-grub, and its variables are propagated

# to its children in /etc/grub.d/

GRUB_DEFAULT=0

GRUB_TIMEOUT=0

GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR=`lsb_release -i -s 2> /dev/null || echo Debian`

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”console=tty0 console=ttyS0,9600n8″

# Uncomment to disable graphical terminal (grub-pc only)

GRUB_TERMINAL=serial

GRUB_SERIAL_COMMAND=”serial –speed=9600 –unit=0 –word=8 –parity=no –stop=1″

# Uncomment if you don’t want GRUB to pass “root=UUID=xxx” parameter to Linux

#GRUB_DISABLE_LINUX_UUID=true

Now update grub with command:

update-grub

7. Setup GNS3 for Vyatta qemu image

- Start GNS3

- Edit-> Preferences-> Qemu-> Qemu Host

Check Kvm option only if your processor supports hardware virtualization. Check Kqemu option only if it is installed and running. If you are not sure with these options let them unchecked otherwise Qemu will be not started.

You need also set Qemu general settings like path to qemu, qemu-img and qemuwrapper.

- Edit-> Preferences-> Qemu-> General Settings

8. Conclusion

Brezular has made a video to prove functionality of Yvatta Qemu image. In this video three Vyatta Qemu instances run RIP routing protocol.