8 User Manual
8K112A Table of Contents Boson NetSim Overview.............................................................................................................................1 Using NetSim to Prepare for Your Certification.......................................................................................3 Contact Information.................................................................................................................................4 NetSim Technical Support............................
Console Menu................................................................................................................................ 11 Copy......................................................................................................................................... 11 Paste........................................................................................................................................ 11 Load Multi-Device Config......................................................
Window Menu.................................................................................................................................15 Size To Fit................................................................................................................................15 Help Menu......................................................................................................................................15 About............................................................................
Lap Compiler Tab...........................................................................................................................29 Creating the Lab Files..............................................................................................................29 Topology File.....................................................................................................................29 Lab Documentation File................................................................................
Boson NetSim Overview The Boson NetSim® Network Simulator®, which includes the Boson Router Simulator®, is unique compared to all others on the market because of the functionality it supports and its features. NetSim utilizes Boson’s proprietary Network Simulator, Router Simulator®, and EROUTER® software technologies, along with the Boson Virtual Packet Technology® engine, to create individual packets.
After you load and complete an unlocked lab, you can use the grading function in NetSim to grade the lab so that you can determine whether you completed it correctly. As you progress through the labs, you will master the skills needed to pass the simulation questions in the Cisco certification exams. NetSim has the ability to guide and grade, and using it for practice can actually be more helpful than using real routers and switches.
Using NetSim to Prepare for Your Certification By incorporating NetSim as part of your process of achieving a Cisco certification, you can learn and master the skills necessary to help you successfully complete your certification track. The purpose of NetSim is to help you with the practical, hands-on portion of your education and to ensure that you not only understand the concepts of routing but can actually configure and implement routing on Cisco devices.
Contact Information EMAIL: support@boson.com PHONE: 877-333-EXAM (3926) 615-889-0121 FAX: 615-889-0122 ADDRESS: 25 Century Blvd. Ste. 500 Nashville, TN 37214 Copyright © 1996-2012 Boson Software, LLC. All rights reserved. NetSim software and documentation are protected by copyright law. NetSim Technical Support • To review NetSim support topics, go to the NetSim Products Support Topics page (www.boson.com/ support/netsim-support-topics). • To submit a support ticket, go to Boson’s Web site (www.
Getting Started System Requirements • Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP • .NET Framework: Microsoft .NET Framework Version 3.
only the demo lab and a limited set of commands are functional. To purchase the full version of NetSim, visit the About NetSim page (www.boson.com/netsim-cisco-network-simulator) of our Web site. You can open NetSim from the shortcut installed during the download or from the Start menu by clicking Boson Software > Boson NetSim 8.0 > Boson NetSim. If you are a student using NetSim 8 at a learning institution, you should launch NetSim 8 from the Start menu by clicking Boson Software > Boson NetSim 8.
• Click to highlight a lab, then click Lab > Load. • Select a lab from the list of Recent Labs on the Home tab, and click Yes to open the lab. 2. After you have loaded a lab, click the Lab Instructions tab on the Home panel and read through the lab instructions. 3. From the Devices drop-down menu on the Consoles panel, select the device(s) that you need to configure in order to complete the lab and follow the steps in the lab.
When selected, this option will resize the Consoles panel and the NetMap tab to the default size when a lab is loaded if either had been minimized. Tools Menu The options in this menu tree enable you to update NetSim, choose the CLI mode and proxy settings, activate NetSim, and deactivate NetSim. Update NetSim When you click this option, NetSim will check Boson’s update server and determine whether application updates are available.
Proxy Settings If your computer is behind a proxy server, enter your proxy settings into the Proxy Settings dialog box in order to access the Internet for product registration and to download product features. You must have an active Internet connection in order to activate and update NetSim. Deactivate Product CAUTION: This function is used to remove the license from your computer. You should never use this special option unless you are instructed to do so by Boson technical support.
If the activation was unsuccessful, you will be presented with the Product Activation dialog box again. If you have forgotten or lost your product registration key, you can retrieve it from the Purchase History tab of your Boson Online Account page (https://www.boson.com/Account/Default. aspx); if you do not have a product registration key, you can purchase one from the Boson Web site (www.boson.com). If you have difficulty logging in to your Boson online account, please contact us at support@boson.com.
Console Menu This menu tree enables you to modify, load, and save configuration files. Note: This menu tree is active only after you have loaded a lab. Copy Select text in the Consoles panel, then click Copy or press the ENTER key to copy the text. Paste Click this option or right-click in the Console window to paste text into the open devices configuration.
Paste Real Router Config(s) This option allows you to paste the running configuration from a real router into a device in NetSim. Selecting this menu option will open a dialog box into which you can paste or type the desired configuration. The configuration will be loaded into the active device in the NetSim interface. Launch SDM This option opens NetSim Router and Security Device Manager. Type the device IP address or host name in the resulting dialog box, and click Launch.
Lab Text Menu This enables you to annotate various parts of the instructions. Note: This menu tree is available only after you have loaded a lab. You must click the Lab Instructions tab to see the options available within the menu. Highlight Select text in the lab instructions, and click this option to highlight that text. This option is also available in the right-click options when text is selected. Add Ink Note Select text in the lab instructions, and click this option to add a note to that text.
Apply Selected Topology This option will apply the topology that has been selected on the NetMap tab to the devices and enable you to configure the devices in the simulator on the Consoles panel. The topology can be one that you created yourself or one from a previously opened lab. To learn more about configuring devices, see the Configure in Simulator section of this menu. Note: Loading a new topology will close your current console session.
Edit Lab Select a lab on the Custom Lab Packs tab, and click this option to edit the lab name, the description, and the files within that lab. Click Save to continue. Delete Lab Select a lab on the Custom Lab Packs tab, and click this option to delete the lab.
Load Multiple Configurations (*.nwc) Click this icon to load multiple device configurations. The supported file extension is *.nwc. If you have not previously loaded a lab or a topology, this option will be unavailable. Save Single Device Configuration (*.rtr) Click this icon to save a single device configuration file. The file will be saved as an *.rtr file. If you have not previously loaded a lab or a topology, this option will be unavailable. Save Multiple Device Configuration (*.
Standard Lab Packs Tab There are three sections on this tab: Search Labs, Available Labs, and Lab Details. Search Labs You can use the Search Labs section to search for a specific term within a lab description. You can search throughout all the available labs, or you can search through the curriculum. For example, if you want to test your Network Address Translation (NAT) skills, you could type nat in the search box and press ENTER.
Available Labs If any labs are available on the Custom Lab Packs tab of the Labs panel, double-click the lab you want to load; custom labs are those you create yourself by using the Lab Compiler or those that have been provided by an instructor. You can also right-click a top-level lab pack to see a menu with four options: Edit Lab Pack, Add New Section, Delete Lab Pack, and Export Lab Pack.
Home Panel On the Home panel, there are four tabs: Home, Lab Instructions, NetMap, and Lab Compiler. From this panel, you can navigate through all the relevant NetSim and lab-specific information. Home Tab There are three sections on this tab: Welcome, Recent Labs, and News. Click the arrow next to Home to minimize or restore the panel.
Welcome In this section, you can learn how to get started with NetSim 8, and you can quickly load a lab, open a new topology, and view the User Manual. Recent Labs This displays the five most recent labs you opened. To load a lab from the Recent Labs section, click the lab and click Yes in the resulting dialog box. If you cannot see this section, click and drag the splitter control between the Home panel and the Consoles panel to expand it or click the arrow next to Consoles to minimize the panel.
NetMap Tab You can view the currently loaded lab’s topology and any other open topologies on this tab. You can also select a device to configure in the Consoles panel by right-clicking the device and clicking Configure in Simulator. Click the arrow next to NetMap to minimize or restore the section. If you cannot see all the information on this panel, click and drag the splitter control between the NetMap panel and the Consoles panel to expand it or click the arrow next to Consoles to minimize the panel.
Create a New Topology If you are creating a custom lab or want to gain extra experience with new topologies, you can use NetSim to create topologies with up to 100 devices. Note, however, that larger topologies might cause slow performance on computers that do not have sufficient processing power and memory. You can use this feature to create a topology file (*.top) that can be used in a custom lab. To learn more, see the Compiling a Lab section of this manual.
Add a Switch 1. On the NetMap tab, expand the Navigation section and click the Add Device button. 2. Choose a switch from the resulting Add Device dialog box. The available devices menus are minimized by default, but you can expand them by clicking the plus sign (+) next to each category. 3. Choose a name for the switch; you can use the default name or type a name in the text box. You can rename a device at any time by clicking the name in the NetMap and modifying it. 4. Click Create Switch. 5.
3. If you have added the WinPC device, select a PC option if desired (you can choose from Traffic generator, TFTP Server, AAA Server, and VPN Client). 4. Choose a name for the workstation; you can use the default name or type a name in the text box. You can rename a device at any time by clicking the name in the NetMap and modifying it. 5. Click Create PC. Add an IP Phone 1. On the NetMap tab, expand the Navigation section and click the Add Device button. 2.
Add Connections To complete the network, right-click each device on the NetMap. You will see a menu with four options: Configure in Simulator, New Connection, Existing Connections, and Delete. Configure in Simulator When the topology is loaded into the simulator, clicking this option opens on the Consoles panel a console session to the selected device. To learn how to load and apply a topology, see the Load and Apply Topology section of this manual.
Frame Relay Connections To create a Frame Relay connection, perform the following steps: 1. Add routers to the topology; the routers that will be included in the Frame Relay connection must have Serial interfaces. 2. Right-click one of the routers to be included in the connection, and select New Connection. 3. Select Serial as the interface type, and select Frame Relay. 4. Click Connect. 5. In the Frame Relay dialog box, type a name for the Frame Relay node in the Name field. 6.
7. For each node, select the associated router and interface next to From: 1st Router and From: interface. Note that the To: DLCI Destination becomes populated with device names. Note: You must select a different router for each node. 8. For each node, assign a DLCI value in each To: DLCI Destination field for the remote routers. For example, for the link from Router1 to Router2, you could use 102. Note: 27 The DLCI value must be a number value.
9. Click Apply Settings. The exhibit below shows a completed Frame Relay connection: Existing Connections In the Existing Connections dialog box, you can see the type of device and the currently connected interfaces. CAUTION: There is no undo and no confirmation dialog box; be sure that you really want to . delete a connection before clicking Delete. To delete a connection, click to highlight the connection. Click Save to save the connection.
Device Statistics You can use your mouse to hover over a device on the NetMap and then click Device Statistics to view statistics that are specific for that device. In the exhibit below, you can see the statistics for Router1: Lap Compiler Tab The Lab Compiler can be used to create, edit, and delete custom lab packs that contain personalized documentation, topologies, and configurations.
Device Configuration Files If you want to include loading and/or grading configuration files, you should perform the following steps: 1. Load the topology into NetSim (NetMap tab > NetMap > Open Topology). 2. Access the console of each device (right-click the device > Configure in Simulator). 3. Create the initial (loading) and/or completed (grading) configurations. 4. Save these configurations as configuration files by clicking Console > Save Multi-Device Config.
5. Right-click the new section you just created, and click Add New Lab. 6. Type a name in the Name field under Lab, and add a description if desired. 7. Click the Add File button to add files to the lab; supported file extensions are *.top (topology; required file), *.xps (instructions; required file), and *.nwc (device configuration; optional files). First add the *.top file, then add the *.xps file. The *.nwc files are optional and can be added next if desired; after adding *.
10. To add additional labs to the lab pack section, repeat steps 5 through 9 until the lab pack section is complete. 11. You can edit, add, delete, import, and export lab packs, sections, and labs by right-clicking a lab pack or section. Consoles Panel After you have opened a lab from the Labs panel, you can view the device consoles on this panel and begin performing the lab steps. You will see the console window, the device tabs, and two available buttons: Settings and SDM.
Settings Button The Settings button at the top of the console window enables you to customize the appearance of the console window. Click the appropriate drop-down list box to select the font family, size, and weight and to change the foreground and background colors. Click Ok to apply the settings or Cancel to cancel the changes. SDM Button The SDM button at the bottom of the console window enables you to access NetSim Router and Security Device Manager (SDM).
Troubleshooting Some of my labs have locks next to them and I can’t work through them The activation key you purchased unlocks the labs and the commands that are included with that level of NetSim 8. If a lab is unavailable with the activation key you purchased, you will see a small lock icon next to that lab. You can purchase higher-level activation keys, which will allow you to work through additional labs plus all labs unlocked by lower-level activation keys.
The Custom Lab Packs tab is empty You will see labs on the Custom Lab Packs tab of the Labs panel only if you have uploaded labs from an instructor or created your own labs. To find out how to extract labs created by your instructor or how to create your own labs, see the Compiling a Lab section of this manual. Clicking the Labs panel does nothing If you try to click anywhere on the Labs panel and nothing happens, check the status bar.
