Nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2 -

The Nexus 9300v is the virtualized counterpart of Cisco’s prominent Nexus 9300 series hardware switches. Specifically, the image file nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2 represents version 9.3(9) of the NX-OS software, packaged in the QEMU Copy On Write (QCOW2) format.

qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -m 8192 -smp 4 \
  -drive file=nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2,if=virtio,format=qcow2 \
  -nographic -serial mon:stdio \
  -netdev user,id=net0,hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22 \
  -device e1000,netdev=net0

2. Primary Use Cases

  • CCIE Data Center / CCNP DC labs – Practice VXLAN, EVPN, FabricPath, OSPF, BGP, etc.
  • SD-Access / ACI simulation (limited – virtual Nexus does not fully replace hardware ACI spine/leaf).
  • Automation testing – Ansible, Python, NETCONF/RESTCONF with NX-OS.

The .qcow2 format is optimized for KVM/QEMU-based hypervisors. nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2

Remember to snapshot your clean base image, allocate enough RAM, and embrace the quirks of virtual ASIC simulation. Happy labbing. The Nexus 9300v is the virtualized counterpart of

Create Directory: Use a folder name following the convention nxosv9k-9300v-9.3.9. CCIE Data Center / CCNP DC labs –

10. Quick boot note

After power-on, you will see:

Resource sizing recommendations

  • Minimum: 4 vCPUs + 4 GB RAM for very small tests.
  • Recommended: 4–8 vCPUs + 8 GB RAM for realistic feature testing (VXLAN/EVPN).
  • Disk: image size plus workspace; ensure enough storage for logs and snapshots.

The Nexus 9300v is the virtual counterpart to the physical Cisco Nexus 9000 series hardware. While physical switches handle massive AI/ML workloads with low latency, the virtual version provides a near-identical Command Line Interface (CLI) and feature set, making it perfect for: Topology Simulation: