Store your original downloaded vendor files on an external drive or cloud storage. If an image gets corrupted during a complex lab simulation, you can easily delete the folder and re-upload it.
The prefix must be followed by a hyphen ( - ), then your custom version naming. Folder names cannot contain spaces.
The virtual hard drive files (usually ending in .qcow2 , .img , or .vmdk ) that contain the operating system of the network device.
This is the most crucial step. If you skip this, your nodes will stay in a continuous reboot loop or fail to start completely. Run the following command from any directory on your EVE-NG CLI: /opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions Use code with caution. Verifying the Image in EVE-NG
echo "Download complete. Add nodes in EVE-NG UI." eve-ng qemu images download
EVE-NG uses a specific folder and file naming system to recognize images. All QEMU images must be stored in /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/ .
If you use EVE-NG Pro, many images have specific naming requirements that differ from the Community Edition.
Simply downloading an image isn't enough. EVE-NG is famously meticulous about directory structures. An image will not boot unless it follows a strict naming convention (e.g., a folder starting with vtmos- for a image). This technical barrier serves as a "rite of passage" for junior engineers, forcing them to understand the underlying Linux file system before they can even ping a gateway. 4. The Ethics of the Lab
Understanding how to source, download, and properly format QEMU images is critical to building a stable, high-performance homelab. Understanding QEMU Images in EVE-NG Store your original downloaded vendor files on an
Raw .iso files won’t work directly. You must install the OS inside a QEMU VM, then copy the resulting disk image.
Now the image appears when adding a QEMU node in EVE-NG.
EVE-NG will fail to launch any node if the file permissions are misaligned. Every time you add, modify, or move an image file, you must run the wrapper script to reset system permissions: /opt/unetlab/wrappers/unl_wrapper -a fixpermissions Use code with caution. Step 4: Verify in the Web UI Open your EVE-NG login page in a web browser. Create a new lab or open an existing one. Right-click on the canvas and select .
Have a favorite QEMU image repository? Share it with the EVE-NG community on their official Slack or Reddit channels. Folder names cannot contain spaces
mkdir vyos-1.4 wget -O vyos-1.4/virtioa.qcow2 https://download.vyos.io/rolling/current/vyos-rolling-amd64.qcow2
For Cisco VIRL/CML (Cisco Modeling Labs) subscribers, you can download .qcow2 images for CSR1000v, ASAv, Catalyst 8000v, and Firepower (FTD) directly from Cisco.
Log into the EVE-NG web interface. Create a new lab, right-click to add a node, and select Linux . In the drop-down menu, you should see your new linux-ubuntu-server-22.04 image listed.
Some paid versions of EVE-NG may include pre-configured Docker containers, but still require external QEMU images for full network appliances. www.eve-ng.net ⚙️ Integration Process
If a specific node runs slowly or crashes, right-click the node before starting it and increase the CPU/RAM allocation slightly past the default template values. To ensure your labs run smoothly, let me know: