CAT 9000v

Note: The Catalyst 9000 virtual switch is a beta VM image. The node definitions and VM image are distributed as-is in beta form with no formal or official support.

The Catalyst 9000 Virtual Switch is an IOS-XE-based layer2/layer3 switch that provides software-based dataplane emulation for UADP and Q200 chipsets. Nodes that are running the chipset can be managed in Cisco Catalyst Center.

Using Catalyst 9000v Nodes in CML

Starting with CML 2.5, the ISO with reference platforms for CML includes the CAT 9000v IOS-XE VM image.

There are two different node definitions for the Catalyst 9000v VM image. The UADP node definition aligns to Catalyst 9300 and 9500 switches and requires 4 vCPUs and 18 GB of RAM per instance. The Q200 node definition aligns to the Catalyst 9500X switches and requires 4 vCPUs and 12 GB of RAM per instance.

Limitations

Given that the switch is distributed in a BETA form, you may experience crashes, especially if you try to push too much traffic through the node. The dataplane throughput is limited to ~250 Kbps.

You can modify the serial number for the Catalyst 9000v VM on a per node basis by changing the node's vswitch.xml configuration file. See Node Configuration Files.

The day 0 config does apply, but it takes a long time to load. If you see the autoinstall menu, do not press any key until you see the message about trying DHCP on Gi0/0. Also note that if you do not have an enable secret configured, you will be prompted to configure one after answering, "no", to the initial config dialog.

Tested Features

The CAT 9000v is a beta VM image, but basic feature testing shows the following features to be working:

• Basic L2 switching
• OSPFv2 routing
• SVIs
• Loopback
• L2 VLANs
• External connectivity via the Gi0/0 management interface