If you don't already have a Juniper Networks account, create one by visiting the Juniper website and following the registration process.
After boot, the vMX will ask for a license within 60 minutes. In 2021, Juniper changed license server URLs. To get a trial license:
By following this guide, you can successfully deploy Juniper vMX 17.1R1.8 for testing, training, or development. Always verify system requirements and license terms before deployment. For ongoing support, refer to Juniper's vMX documentation and community forums.
To download and use the Juniper vMX bundle version , you generally need an active Juniper support contract or a registered evaluation account. This guide covers how to obtain the official bundle and the typical steps to set it up in a lab environment. 1. Download the vMX Bundle The bundle vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz contains the required images for both the Virtual Control Plane (vCP) Virtual Forwarding Plane (vFP) Official Support Portal : Log in to the Juniper Support Downloads
page. Search for "vMX" and select the "Junos" OS type. If 17.1R1.8 is not in the primary list, it may have been moved to the archives. Evaluation Access
: If you do not have a contract, you can register for a 60-day vMX Trial Download
. This typically provides the latest stable release rather than specific older versions like 17.1. Legacy Access
: For specific older releases no longer on the main page, Juniper recommends opening a JTAC support case if your account has the necessary entitlements. Juniper Elevate Community 2. Extract and Prepare Images Once you have the
file, you must extract it to access the individual virtual disk images. # Uncompress the bundle tar xvf vmx-bundle- R1.8.tgz cd vmx- R1.8/images/ Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Inside the download juniper vmxbundle 171r18tgz work 2021
directory, you will find key files needed for platforms like EVE-NG or KVM: junos-vmx-x86-64-17.1R1.8.qcow2 (The main VCP image) vFPC-20170216.img (The VFP image) vmxhdd.img metadata-usb-re.img (Support files) 3. Lab Requirements (Work 2021)
Running the vMX in 2021-era lab environments (like EVE-NG, GNS3, or native KVM) requires significant resources. Juniper Networks Downloads - Juniper Support
To download and set up Juniper vMX release 17.1R1.8, you must follow specific steps to obtain the official image and then prepare it for your virtual lab environment (such as EVE-NG or GNS3). 1. Download the vMX Bundle
The official source for this software is the Juniper Support Download Portal.
Official Method: Log in to the Juniper Support Site with a valid account. Search for "vMX," select the operating system, and choose version 17.1R1.8 from the dropdown menu.
Evaluation Version: If you do not have a support contract, you can register for a vMX Free Trial to access a 60-day evaluation version.
Target File: Look specifically for the file named vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz. 2. Extract and Prepare the Images
Once downloaded, the bundle must be unpacked to access the virtual disk images for the Control Plane (vCP) and Forwarding Plane (vFP). If you don't already have a Juniper Networks
Upload to your server: Use an FTP/SFTP client like FileZilla to move the .tgz file to your lab server (e.g., in a temporary /root/abc folder). Uncompress the bundle: tar xvf vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz cd vmx-17.1R1.8/images/ Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard
This will reveal key files like junos-vmx-x86-64-17.1R1.8.qcow2 and vmxhdd.img. 3. Lab Environment Setup (EVE-NG Example)
For EVE-NG, you must rename and move these files into the correct directory structure: Create Folders:
VCP: mkdir /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmxvcp-17.1R1.8-domestic-VCP.
VFP: mkdir /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmxvfp-17.1R1.8-domestic-VFP. Map and Copy Files:
Copy the main Junos image to the VCP folder as virtioa.qcow2. Copy vmxhdd.img to the VCP folder as virtiob.qcow2.
Copy metadata-usb-re.img to the VCP folder as virtioc.qcow2.
Fix Permissions: Run /opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions to ensure the images are bootable. 4. Basic Access After booting the vMX in your lab, the default login is: Username: root Password: (None) By following this guide, you can successfully deploy
Pro Tip: If you're using this for a home lab, ensure your host has at least 1024 MB RAM dedicated to the vCP instance.
Are you planning to deploy this on EVE-NG, GNS3, or a standard VMware ESXi hypervisor? Juniper vMX 16.X, 17.X - - EVE-NG
Juniper vMX bundle 17.1R1.8.tgz is a software package used to deploy the virtual MX (vMX) router in laboratory environments, specifically optimized for platforms like . This bundle contains the necessary images for both the Virtual Control Plane (vCP) Virtual Forwarding Plane (vFP) Download and Access Procedures
To legally obtain the vMX software, you must have a registered Juniper account. Official Trial : Access the vMX Trial Download Page to register for a 60-day evaluation. Entitlement : For full versions, log in to the Juniper Support Portal
with a valid service contract or Software Support Reference Number (SSRN). Version Selection
: Once logged in, navigate to the software downloads section and select vMX Software and the specific Installation for Lab Environments (EVE-NG) vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz
file must be uncompressed and reorganized for it to work in EVE-NG. Extract the Bundle Log in as root and use the command: tar xvf vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz Locate Core Images Inside the extracted vmx-17.1R1.8/images/ folder, you will find: junos-vmx-x86-64-17.1R1.8.qcow2 (for the vCP). vFPC-20170216.img (for the vFP). vmxhdd.img and various metadata-usb-*.img Setup Directory Structure Create specific folders in /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/ for both the vCP and vFP (e.g., vmxvcp-17.1R1.8-domestic-VCP Rename and Move Files Images must be renamed to virtioa.qcow2 virtiob.qcow2
, etc., depending on their role in the control or forwarding plane. Minimum Resource Requirements
The vMX is resource-intensive compared to standard virtual routers. Free Virtual Junos OS Download for Labs - Juniper Networks