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Welcome to Virtual Networks over linuX (VNX) web site

VNX Latest News

• Follow VNX news in twitter: https://twitter.com/vnx_upm
• See also the latest features implemented

Ago 30th, 2017 - Added support for VyOS network operating system. Now VNX supports the creation of virtual scenarios including VyOS based virtual machines (either KVM or LXC). See more details here.

Dec 29th, 2016 -- New KVM root filesystems based on Kali 2016.2 distribution (https://www.kali.org/). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs -p kali" command. Note: use the <video>vmvga</video> tag in the virtual machine. See the simple_kali64_inet.xml example scenario in latest VNX version.

Dec 11th, 2016 -- New paper published about the experience of using VNX in networking laboratories:

• D. Fernández, F. J. Ruiz, L. Bellido, E. Pastor, O. Walid and V. Mateos, Enhancing Learning Experience in Computer Networking through a Virtualization-Based Laboratory Model, International Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 2569–2584, 2016.

Nov 28th, 2016 -- New KVM root filesystems based on Metasploitable2 distribution (http://r-7.co/Metasploitable2). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs -p metasploitable" command.

Nov 2nd, 2016 -- New KVM root filesystems based on Fedora 24 server available (only 64 bits version). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

Oct 23th, 2016 -- Openstack Mitaka test scenario released. See more details here.

May 25th, 2016 -- VPLS test scenario based on OpenBSD published. See more details here.

May 16th, 2016 -- Support for virtio drivers in libvirt virtual machines implemented to improve performance. See more details here.

May 7th, 2016 -- New KVM and LXC root filesystems based on Ubuntu 16.04 available (have a look at the new Xubuntu version distributed). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

May 2nd, 2016 -- OpenBSD support: VNX now supports OpenBSD virtual machines thanks to Francisco Javier Ruiz contribution.

March 21th, 2016 -- See some very interesting SDN virtual scenarios prepared by Carlos Martín-Cleto for his Master's Thesis: https://github.com/cletomcj/vnx-sdn.

February 21th, 2016 -- New vagrant and virtualbox (OVA) VNX demo virtual machines available for easily test LXC based virtual scenarios (see instructions for Vagrant and VirtualBox).

February 15th, 2016 -- New KVM root filesystems based on Ubuntu 15.10 available (server and lubuntu in 32 and 64 bits versions). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

February 14th, 2016 -- New recipe to install VNX on Fedora. Tested on a fresh copy of Fedora 23 workstation.

July 24th, 2015 -- New Openstack-Opendaylight laboratory scenarios available: https://goo.gl/JpxCnB. Designed to explore an OpenStack environment running OpenDaylight as the network management provider. Prepared by Raúl Álvarez Pinilla as a result of his Master's Thesis.

June 16th, 2015 -- New LXC root filesystems based on Ubuntu 15.04 available (32 and 64 bits). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

June 10th, 2015 -- New root filesystems based on REMnux: A Linux Toolkit for Reverse-Engineering and Analyzing Malware. Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command. Use simple_remnux.xml example scenario to test it.

June 6th, 2015 -- New interesting VNX scenario available: a security lab designed to allow 16 student groups to work together configuring firewalls and using security related tools and distributions.

April 25th, 2015 -- New root filesystems based on Ubuntu 15.04 available (server and lubuntu in 32 and 64 bits versions). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

March 16th, 2015 -- Latest VNX versions include bash completion capabilities. Just use tab key to see the command line options available and help completiting option values.

March 6th, 2015 -- New root filesystems based on Kali 1.1.0 available (32 and 64 bits versions). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command. Update VNX version with 'vnx_update' command before using it.

October 24th, 2014 -- New root filesystems based on Ubuntu 14.10 available (server and lubuntu in 32 and 64 bits versions). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command.

August 27th, 2014 -- New functionality implemented to specify the position, size and desktop number where the VM console windows are shown by using .cvnx files. See more information here.

August 25th, 2014 -- VNX now supports LXC virtual machines. See the VNX tutorial for LXC here. Additionally, see how to create or modify a LXC root filesystem.

June 27th, 2014 -- Jorge Somavilla wins the Asociación de Telemática prize from COIT-AEIT to his Final Degree Project about VNX. See on twitter.

June 21th, 2014 -- New root filesystem based on Kali Linux (old Backtrack) available (32 and 64 bits versions). Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command. Use simple_kali.xml and simple_kali64.xml examples to test them (now the examples include direct Internet connection). Update VNX to latest version to use them.

June 14th, 2014 -- Follow VNX news in twitter: https://twitter.com/vnx_upm

June 14th, 2014 -- A Vagrant virtual machine to easily test VNX has been created. See how to use it and how it has been created

October 17th, 2012 -- New root filesystem added based on CAINE (Computer Aided INvestigative Environment) Ubuntu distribution. Download it from here or using "vnx_download_rootfs" command. A new simple_caine.xml example has been added to latest VNX distribution to easy testing it.

June 19th, 2012 -- A new updated Debian root filesystem has been created, as well as a new UML kernel (ver 3.3.8) to work with it. See how to download and install them and the recipes followed for their creation: rootfs and kernel. To create the kernel, the traditional UML exec extension kernel patch has been updated to work with kernel 3.3.8. You can find the new kernel patch here

May 31th, 2012 -- New beta version of VNX (2.0b.2243) released including distributed deployment capabilities (EDIV). See the documentation for more information.

May 24th, 2012 -- Jorge Somavilla wins the TNC2012 student poster competition. Read the full story here, here or here

About VNX

VNX is a general purpose open-source virtualization tool designed to help building virtual network testbeds automatically. It allows the definition and automatic deployment of network scenarios made of virtual machines of different types (Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, Olive or Dynamips routers, etc) interconnected following a user-defined topology, possibly connected to external networks.

VNX has been developed by the Telematics Engineering Department (DIT) of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM).

VNX is a useful tool for testing network applications/services over complex testbeds made of virtual nodes and networks, as well as for creating complex network laboratories to allow students to interact with realistic network scenarios. As other similar tools aimed to create virtual network scenarios (like GNS3, NetKit, MLN or Marionnet), VNX provides a way to manage testbeds avoiding the investment and management complexity needed to create them using real equipment.

VNX is made of two main parts:

• an XML language that allows describing the virtual network scenario (VNX specification language)
• the VNX program, that parses the scenario description and builds and manages the virtual scenario over a Linux machine

VNX comes with a distributed version (EDIV) that allows the deployment of virtual scenarios over clusters of Linux servers, improving the scalability to scenarios made of tenths or even hundreds of virtual machines.

VNX is built over the long experience of a previous tool named VNUML (Virtual Networks over User Mode Linux) and brings important new functionalities that overcome the most important limitations VNUML tool had:

• Integration of new virtualization platforms to allow virtual machines running other operating systems (Windows, FreeBSD, etc) apart from Linux. In this sense:
  • VNX uses libvirt to interact with the virtualization capabilities of the host, allowing the use of most of the virtualization platforms available for Linux (KVM, Xen, etc)
  • Integrates Dynamips and Olive router virtualization platforms to allow limited emulation of CISCO and Juniper routers
  • Integrates also Linux Containers (LXC) support
• Individual management of virtual machines
• Autoconfiguration and command execution capabilities for several operating systems: Linux, FreeBSD and Windows (XP and 7)
• Integration of Openvswitch with support for VLAN configuration, inter-switches connections and SDN parameter configuration (controller ip address, mode, Openflow version, etc.).

VNX has been developed with the help and support of several people and companies. See the VNX team page for details.