How to Install EVE-NG in 5 Easy Steps: A Beginner’s Guide

New to EVE-NG? Don’t worry about it! This tutorial is specially created for beginners and aims to guide you through the process of installing and configuring EVE-NG on your computer. Regardless of whether you have prior experience or not, this tutorial will provide you with the essential steps to ensure a successful installation and setup.

We’ll be with you every step of the way, providing clear instructions to help you successfully install EVE-Ng. Starting from the installation of VMware Player and creating your very first lab, we’ll make sure you have everything you need. We’ll even guide you on how to configure your first EVE-NG lab.

So don’t worry, by the end of this tutorial, you’ll feel confident and accomplished in setting up your EVE-Ng environment. Ready? Let’s go!

(NOTE: The Ultimate Free EVE-NG Course – Master network simulation with our step-by-step guide and elevate your skills from beginner to pro. Start your free course now!)

What is EVE-NG?

EVE-NG is a popular network emulation software that provides a platform for individuals and organizations to design, configure, and test various network scenarios. It’s designed for both educational purposes and real-world network testing and development. EVE-NG provides a flexible and scalable environment for emulating complex network topologies, including routers, switches, firewalls, and more, all within a virtualized environment. There are three versions of EVE-NG licenses. The community version is free, the pro version is a paid version, and the learning center is ideal for IT learning centers or universities.

Getting Started with EVE-NG

You might be wondering, Which version of EVE-NG should I install? Great question! If you’re unsure about which version of EVE-NG to install, don’t worry, I’ll help you out! We’ll go through each version step by step to ensure you choose the right one for your needs. Let’s examine each version of EVE-NG and see what sets them apart.

Exploring the Three Versions of EVE-NG Licenses

When it comes to licensing options, EVE-NG offers three main choices: the Free Community Edition, the Paid Pro Version, and the Ideal Learning Center Option.

1. EVE-NG Community: The Free Community Edition of EVE-NG gives users the opportunity to explore and experiment with the software without any financial commitment. This version provides basic functionalities and features that allow users to set up and manage virtual networks. While it may have certain limitations, such as restricted access to some advanced features or restricted usage of commercial images, the Free Community Version still proves to be a valuable resource for network enthusiasts, students, or professionals on a budget.
2. EVE-NG Professional or Pro: On the other hand, the Paid Pro Version of EVE-NG offers an enhanced experience with additional features and advanced functionalities. By subscribing to the Pro Version, users gain access to a wider range of network appliances and images, allowing for more comprehensive network simulations. This license also provides priority support from the EVE-NG team, ensuring prompt assistance whenever needed. The Paid Pro Version caters to individuals and organizations requiring a more extensive network environment for their testing, research, or training purposes, and are willing to invest in a premium experience.
3. EVE-NG Learning Center: Lastly, the Ideal Learning Center Option is designed specifically for educational institutions or training centers that aim to incorporate EVE-NG into their networking curriculum. This option provides extensive benefits for instructors and students alike. It offers seamless integration with learning management systems (LMS), thereby simplifying the setup and management of virtual labs for large-scale deployments. Furthermore, the Ideal Learning Center Option includes dedicated technical support and ongoing updates to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted learning experience. By choosing this option, educational institutions can optimize their network training programs and empower their students with practical hands-on experience.

 

In conclusion, EVE-NG offers a range of licensing options tailored to different needs and requirements. Whether you are an individual looking to learn and experiment with network configurations, a professional in need of advanced functionalities, or an educational institution or training center seeking an ideal platform for networking education, there is a suitable EVE-NG license available. So go ahead and explore the licensing options to find the perfect fit for your networking endeavors.

Before You Begin, Here’s What You Need

Before diving into installing your EVE-NG, there are a few essential things you’ll need to have in place. Let’s break down each of these, so you know exactly what to look for and how to get started.

Minimum System Requirements

To ensure a smooth installation process, it is important to know the minimum system requirements. According to the EVE-NG team, you will need at least a 64-bit operating system, 8GB of RAM,10 GB free space, and a quad-core CPU. It is also recommended to have a SSD for better performance. By meeting these requirements, you can enjoy a seamless experience while exploring various networking scenarios on EVE-NG.

VMware Workstation Player

VMware Workstation Player is a really handy program that offers a great solution for running a virtual computer right on your own physical computer. It’s completely free and serves as a necessary tool for installing EVE-NG. To get, simply click on the link provided below and download the free version of VMware Workstation Player.

→ Get your free copy of VMware Workstation Player

EVE-NG Community Edition

In this tutorial, we will be using the EVE-NG Community Edition, which is absolutely free of cost. This makes it a perfect choice for beginners looking to gain hands-on experience or for individuals who want to practice specifically for the Cisco exam. Later in the tutorial, we will cover the installation process of EVE-NG.

WinSCP

WinSCP, which stands for Windows Secure Copy, is a file management software specifically designed for the Windows operating system. It provides a secure and reliable way to transfer files through the use of SSH (Secure Shell) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol). If we want to use image files in eve-ng, it is necessary to upload and install them. We need images to upload the file.

→ Get your free copy of WinSCP

EVE-NG Windows Client Side

The EVE-NG Windows Client Side is a handy tool that enables us to conveniently connect to network nodes within EVE-NG labs. By using the EVE-NG Client pack, we can seamlessly interact with network nodes and carry out various tasks with ease. This tool supports telnet/ssh and vnc protocols, which provide secure and efficient connectivity options.

vIOS Router Image (I will provide you the download link )

IOSv is a virtual version of Cisco IOS that operates as a complete virtual machine on a hypervisor. This allows users to simulate the functionality and features of Cisco IOS without having to physically install it on hardware. By running as a virtual machine, it offers greater flexibility, scalability, and convenience for network administrators and professionals. It is a valuable tool for testing, learning, and experimentation in a virtual environment.

Step 1. VMware Workstation Player Installation

For EVE-NG installation, the easiest way is to install it over VMware Player or Workstation. As VMware Player is the free version and there is no need to pay for a license, we will install EVE-NG over VMware Player, making it easy for you to elaborate on the installation.

1. Once you download the Setup file, you should see the downloaded file like the below screenshot.

2. Then it would be best if you doubled click on the VMware Player Setup file to install it on you’re PC.

3. Once the wizard is ready for installation, you need to click on → Next to initiate the installation.

4. We need to accept the license agreements.

5. In this stage, we can select the Enhance Keyword Driver option or leave it unchecked.

Click on → Next.

6. Next, you need to decide whether to get a new product update or join the VMware Customers Experience Improvement Program, which we are leaving to the default and will click → Next.

7. We can choose to create an icon on Desktop or Start Menu and will click → Next.

8. Now is the time to install a VMware workstation on your Windows PC. click → Install.

9. Please Wait!…

10. Great, the VMware Workstation Player is ready. To install EVE-NG in our system Click on and will click → Finish.

11. On the desktop, you can see the VMware Player icon. It would be best if you double-click on the icon.

12. We have two choices. We can select the free non-commercial version by clicking the option below and then Clicking on and will click → Continue.

13. Lastly will click on →Finish.

14. Now, the VMware Workstation Player is ready for you.

Step 2. How to Download and Install EVE-NG

Now is the time to download EVE-NG ovf file from eve-ng.net website. Alternatively, You can click on this link and download it from here. (Mega-like is always up)

(NOTE: The Ultimate Free EVE-NG Course – Master network simulation with our step-by-step guide and elevate your skills from beginner to pro. Start your free course now!)

Now is the time to download the eve-ng ovf file like the screenshot below.

Then you should see the downloaded file like this.

The downloaded file is a zip file you need to extract it to be able to get the ovf format to be able to install it on your VMware Player. To do that, right click on the downloaded file and select “Extract All” option

Then, you need to click on the extract option.

Now you need to go on the extracted folder to be able to see the Ovf format of eve-ng.

In the extracted folder you can see the ovf file. At this stage you need to double click on the file and install the eve-ng ovf file in Vmware Player.

Then, you need to give the VM a name, specify the storage path of the VM, and click on import.

Like the screenshot below.

You can see the installation process at this stage, which might take 5 to 10 minutes.

When the installation is finished, the eve-ng VM will start booting automatically. It would be best to wait to see if the installation is completed, and you should see the eve-ng VM IP.

Now is the time to connect to the EVE-NG web console. The default credentials for the web are admin/eve, and for cli, they are root/eve. And make sure you have selected the native console option.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed EVE-NG on VMware Player.

Step 3. Creating Your First Lab in EVE-NG

Creating your first lab in EVE-NG is quite simple. To begin, open the EVE-NG web interface and login to your account.

After logging in, you will be greeted by a screen that resembles the image below.

Next, To create a new lab, click on the New lab icon.

This will open a window, you need to give the lab a name, author name, description, and task and click on → Save.

Once you have saved the new lab information, a redirect will take you to a fresh page. This page will provide you with the opportunity to begin crafting your desired scenario.

To begin, all you have to do is simply click on the + icon. This will allow you to add a node and get started with whatever task you have at hand. It’s a straightforward process that doesn’t require much explanation. So, go ahead and click on that + icon to begin your journey!

Or right-clicking on the lab and selecting Node.

As you can see, no image is installed, and you need to install a new image to start your first lab. The only image available is the VPCs node, which is great for a client node. I will install the Cisco IOSv Router as it’s a standard router that we can use to start creating a lab and practice static routing in the lab.

I’m going to install this version of vIOS router vios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.158-3.m2

Note that the image format is in qcow2 format and is compressed with zip format you need first unzip it. like the below screenshot by choosing → Extract here or → Extract all.

Now, right-click the image, and select the Extract Here option in WinRAR or 7zip.

After extraction, you will see the image folder name and qemu image name, which we have prepared for you, and you only need to upload it on your eve-ng.

Now, what we need to do is to download WinSCP or FileZilla to be able to upload this image to the desired directory on your EVE-NG.
Here is the directory path: →/opt/unetlab/addons/qemu

To upload the necessary image in EVE-NG, you will need to install WinSCP. If you are unsure how to install WinSCP, simply refer to the video tutorial provided below. It will guide you through the process with easy-to-follow instructions.

If you’d like to get your hands on WinScp, you can easily download it by visiting their official website at WinScp. Alternatively, you can also download it from right → Get WinScp.

Now we need to connect to EVE-NG with Winscp.

We need EVE-NG ip and CLI username which is root and password is eve and the port is 22. Then will hit login.

Now is the time to connect to EVE-NG VM with IP and credential which is default {root/eve}

At first login we need to accept the below warning.

As it shown in the below screenshot the red area is your EVE-NG server and the blue area is your PC. What we need is to upload the image from your computer to this directory of EVE-NG.

To upload the image from your computer to the EVE-NG directory, you can refer to the video provided below. It will guide you through the process step by step.

After successfully uploading the vIOS router, we can now go back to the eve-ng dashboard and carry on with our work process.

Will click on the router and accept the default settings.

Finish.

Step 4. How to Start Building Your First EVE-NG Lab

Now is the time to build a EVE-NG lab for static routing, one of the crucial majors in Cisco technology. We need to add two more Vios routers to connect them and start practicing static routing. The scenario should be like this (I will upload the lab unl file, too, where you can easily import it and you don’t need to create this lab from scratch)

To create this scenario, we need to give each router a name. Which are R1, R2, and R3.

1. To do that, right-click on the first router and select the Edit option.

2. Then, I will type a name in Name/prefix, which is R1.

3. Then, I will hit save. Now, assign all images a desired name, R2, and R3. Once finished, you must see R1, R2, and R3 in the lab. You should see the plug button by hovering the cursor over the router. What we need here is to connect the routers.

4. Select R1 and connect it to R2; drag the mouse from R1 to R2 by choosing the plug button.

5. Here we will accept the default connections, which are for both routers in the G0/0 interface.

6. And now is the time to connect R2 to R3, like the screenshot below, and will hit → Save.

7. Now we need text notes to be able to understand the topology much better. This will help you to focus while practicing the lab. To do that, click and select text at the top of the R1. Then type LoopBack 0: 1.1.1.1/32 and hit → Save.

8. Then, we need to add the IP range between routers R1 and R2 and then between R2 and R3. Again, we need to right-click the area between R1 and R2 to add a text note.

9. You may need to set the text position in the middle of two routers, R1 and R2.

10. So now I need you to add the rest of the text, like the screenshot below, to finish the lab creation.

Great job. Now, here are the lab details.

(NOTE: The Ultimate Free EVE-NG Course – Master network simulation with our step-by-step guide and elevate your skills from beginner to pro. Start your free course now!)

Step 5. How to Configure Static Routing on Cisco Router

Static route configuration is a fundamental skill. There are several methods to configure static routes on a Cisco router, and each way has its pros and cons. As a Cisco engineer and in the Cisco CCNA exam, you will be expected to know how to configure static routes via any of the methods available in Cisco IOS.

Lab Objective

This lab exercise aims to configure static routes via Ethernet interfaces between 3 routers. This lab also goes through the validation of the configured static routes.

LAB: Static Route v1.0
Level: CCNA / Basic  
Approximate time: 20 minutes
Preferred image: vios-adventerprisek9-m.SPA.159-3.M6
This LAB will cover topics of 
Chapter 16: Configuring IPv4 Addresses and Static Routes
For more information, we suggest “CCNA 200-301, Volume 1 Official Cert Guide.” 


Commands Guide: 
All commands in this document have this style:
 # Interface gig 0/0
If any option specified with italic letters means that you must replace the keyword with a desired value, for example: 
 # ip address ip_address  subnet_mask  
 # ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0
And finally, if we mention something in {}, it means that you must use one of the options   
 # Show ip route

Router	LoopBack 0	Gi 0/0	Gi 0/1
R1	1.1.1.1/32	192.168.12.1/24	–
R2	2.2.2.2/32	192.168.12.2/24	192.168.23.2/24
R3	3.3.3.3/32	192.168.23.3/24	–

 

In order to be able to access the router on our lab we need Windows integration Client pack to be install on our Windows system. Otherwise, we won’t be able to console any nodes in the lab. Below is how to download and initiate the installation.
You should see the downloaded file like this, and you need to double-click and install it.

Great Job. Now is the time to click on the left menu, select → More actions,

and → Start all nodes.

Now is the time to start the lab configuration. I have added tasks, an IP table, and step-by-step instructions (workbook) to help you understand how to start from scratch and finish your lab successfully.

Task 1

Configure the hostnames on routers R1, R2, R3 as illustrated in the topology. Assign addresses as mentioned in Table 1.

Router	LoopBack 0	Gi 0/0	Gi 0/1
R1	1.1.1.1/32	192.168.12.1/24	–
R2	2.2.2.2/32	192.168.12.2/24	192.168.23.2/24
R3	3.3.3.3/32	192.168.23.3/24	–

Go to R1 and double click on the router and set the basic configuration as this instruction

Router>en
Router#conf ter
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R1
R1(config)#interface gig 0/0
R1(config-if)#ip add 192.168.12.1 255.255.255.0
R1(config-if)#no shut
R1(config-if)#exit
R1(config)#interface loopback 0 
R1(config-if)#ip address 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255
R1(config-if)#end
R1#show ip interface brief
Interface                  IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0         192.168.12.1    YES manual up               up      
GigabitEthernet0/1         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
GigabitEthernet0/2         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
GigabitEthernet0/3         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
Loopback0                  1.1.1.1         YES manual up               up      
R1#

Go to R2 and set the basic configuration as this instruction

Router>en
Router#conf ter 
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R2
R2(config)#interface gi 0/0
R2(config-if)#ip address 192.168.12.2 255.255.255.0
R2(config-if)#no shut
R2(config-if)#exit
R2(config)#interface loopback 0 
R2(config-if)#ip address 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255
R2(config-if)#no shut
R2(config-if)#exit
R2(config)#interface gi 0/1
R2(config-if)#ip address 192.168.23.2 255.255.255.0
R2(config-if)#no shut
R2(config)#end
R2#show ip interface brief
Interface                  IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0         192.168.12.2    YES manual up                    up      
GigabitEthernet0/1         192.168.23.2    YES manual up                    up      
GigabitEthernet0/2         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
GigabitEthernet0/3         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
Loopback0                  2.2.2.2         YES manual up                    up

Go to R3 and set the basic configuration as this instruction

Router>en
Router#conf ter
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
Router(config)#hostname R3
R3(config)#interface gi 0/0
R3(config-if)#ip address 192.168.23.3 255.255.255.0
R3(config-if)#no shut
R3(config-if)#
*Sep 26 13:57:39.161: %LINK-3-UPDOWN: Interface GigabitEthernet0/0, changed state to up
*Sep 26 13:57:40.162: %LINEPROTO-5-UPDOWN: Line protocol on Interface GigabitEthernet0/0, changed state to up
R3(config-if)#exit
R3(config)#interface loopback 0 
R3(config-if)#ip address 3.3.3.3 255.255.255.255
R3(config-if)#no shut
R3(config-if)#exit
R3(config)#exit
R3#
*Sep 26 13:58:15.458: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console

R3#show ip interface brief
Interface                  IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0         192.168.23.3    YES manual up                    up      
GigabitEthernet0/1         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
GigabitEthernet0/2         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
GigabitEthernet0/3         unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down    
Loopback0                  3.3.3.3         YES manual up                    up      
R3#

Task 2

Configure static routes on routers. 

R1 Configuration: Due to diagram, R1 need to reach 2.2.2.2/32 and 3.3.3.3/32 and also 192.168.23.0/24 networks; all of these networks are reachable via R2. So, we have to configure 3 static routes for R1 to make this possible. Maybe you guessed, in this specific example, we can do that with adding one default route to R2. For now, we prefer to define 3 separate routes. Look at the example:

R1>en
R1#conf ter 
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
R1(config)#ip route 192.168.23.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.12.2
R1(config)#ip route 2.2.2.2 255.255.255.255 192.168.12.2
R1(config)#ip route 3.3.3.3 255.255.255.255 192.168.12.2
R1(config)#

With these commands, R1 can reach, for example, R3, but R3 has no idea where it is, for instance, 1.1.1.1/32 and how it can reach it. So, we need to config R2 and R3, too. 

Go to the R2 router, and for the first step, check the routing table. As you can see, R2 has two connected routes for 192.168.12.0/24 and 192.168.23.0/24. So, we need to configure two routes for 1.1.1.1/32 and 3.3.3.3/32

R2>en
R2 #show ip route 
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area 
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route, H - NHRP, l - LISP
       a - application route
       + - replicated route, % - next hop override, p - overrides from PfR


Gateway of last resort is not set


      2.0.0.0/32 is subnetted, 1 subnets
C        2.2.2.2 is directly connected, Loopback0
      192.168.12.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C        192.168.12.0/24 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
L        192.168.12.2/32 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
      192.168.23.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C        192.168.23.0/24 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/1
L        192.168.23.2/32 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/1 
R2#conf ter 
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
R2(config)#ip route 1.1.1.1 255.255.255.255 192.168.12.1
R2(config)#ip route 3.3.3.3 255.255.255.255 192.168.23.3
R2(config)#

R3 configuration almost is the same with R1. We need 3 routes for 1.1.1.1/32, 2.2.2.2/32 and 192.168.12.0/24. But this time let’s use a default gateway instead them!

R3>en
R3#conf ter 
Enter configuration commands, one per line.  End with CNTL/Z.
R3(config)#ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.23.2
R3(config)#exit

Task 3

After completing our configuration let’s check it with → ping and → traceroute commands. 

We did the test just from R3, but you can do same thing from the others.

R3#ping 1.1.1.1 source 3.3.3.3
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 1.1.1.1, timeout is 2 seconds:
Packet sent with a source address of 3.3.3.3 
!!!!!
Success rate is 100 percent (5/5), round-trip min/avg/max = 4/5/7 ms
R3#traceroute 1.1.1.1 source 3.3.3.3
Type escape sequence to abort.
Tracing the route to 1.1.1.1
VRF info: (vrf in name/id, vrf out name/id)
  1 192.168.23.2 3 msec 3 msec 3 msec
  2 192.168.12.1 8 msec 12 msec * 
R3#

Wrapping Up Your EVE-NG Journey

We’ve come a long way to install EVE-NG from scratch, designed to suit your needs as a beginner. During this journey, you learned what EVE-NG is, what each of its versions does, and what the minimum system requirements are. It has been an enlightening experience, and I am excited to share my newfound knowledge with you. With EVE-NG, you have the opportunity to create virtual labs and practice networking concepts in a virtual environment. So if you’re a beginner looking for a platform to experiment and learn, EVE-NG can be a great choice.

Where to Go From Here

Now that you’ve successfully installed EVE-NG, it’s crucial to understand that the process doesn’t end here. To truly succeed in network technologies and excel in Cisco exams, it’s essential to dedicate yourself to practice and perseverance. Merely installing the software is just the first step towards accomplishing your goals. It is through continuous learning, practical application, and determination that you can effectively answer these exams and successfully execute the required tasks. So, keep pushing forward and never lose sight of your ambitions.

To take your journey forward, we recommend opting for the EVE-NG LABs Full Pack images. With this package, you can access a comprehensive collection of 300 scenarios & labs accompanied by clear step-by-step instructions (workbook). Additionally, you will also have access to 61 useful images that can be effortlessly installed. By obtaining this Full Pack package, you will gain invaluable resources to enhance your experience and further excel in your endeavors.

Good luck!