How to use GNS3

GNS3 (Graphical Network Simulator) is a great free ware to practice especially CCNA, CCNP or CCIE labs, without purchasing expensive hardware. All you need a PC with OS e.g., windows first go to http://www.gns3.net/download and download the software that is GNS3 v0.6.1 all-in-one for windows users and its tutorial from this url http://www2.gns3.net/trac/chrome/site/tutorial_gns3_draft_060407.pdf


1- Install gns3
2- Go to Edit > Preference > Click the TEST button and answer should be (Dynamips successfully started)
3- Go to Edit > IOS images and hypervisors and in front of IOS images browse and select the ios image of router which you want to use in lab, IOS images of routers are not provided by dynamips due to legal issues, you have to purchase or find it on web like torrents.
4- After that drag your router on topology window and right click on that router and START it
5- After starting again right click on router and select CONSOLE
6- When the IOS is uncompressed and you are in user privilege mode
7- You will observe System utilization will reach upto 100%
8- So come back to topology window where you added router and right click on it and select IDLE PC.
9- It will take some time to calculate the idle pc value and after that a window appear click its drop down and select the value which has astrick(*) in the start.
10- As soon as you apply this the processor utilization will come back to normal.
now practice and read the tutorial for illustrated help.

Author
Waqas Rafi