FreeNAS Emulator and network simulator

[tomekadascientiam]

With a simulator you just do not get the whole picture, there is almost always something missing. What I would like is a FreeNAS emulator actually running FreeNAS These emulators should be able to accept actual FreeNAS configurations, and one day perhaps FreeNAS Running Configs. I would love to be able to test my changes on a FreeNAS emulator before I commit them. Then load them in a network simulator. There is no need to reinvent the wheel perhaps we could get one of the big name router companies to cooperate with us, and we could use theirs simulators and emulators.

 

[tomekadascientiam]

Feature #3300 FreeNAS Emulator and network simulator

 

[jgreco]

Pretty sure this already exists. We call them "virtual machines" though. You can load up a bunch of gear under a hypervisor like ESXi. There's a fairly comprehensive Cisco sim out there somewhere, or you could just use pfSense which offers the added bonus of being a usable product.

 

[cyberjock]

Tome-

I'd encourage you to slow down and start looking at things before you quickly make a ticket. Some of these features have been around since the beginning.

 

[tomekadascientiam]

My apologies I need to be more specific when I make a feature request. I know about esxi and hypervisor, and virtual box.

http://doc.freenas.org/index.php/FreeNAS®_in_a_Virtual_Environment

I was just hoping there was something a little better .

 

[cyberjock]

My apologies I need to be more specific when I make a feature request. I know about esxi and hypervisor, and virtual box.

http://doc.freenas.org/index.php/FreeNAS®_in_a_Virtual_Environment

I was just hoping there was something a little better .

I wouldn't hold my breath on it. You need to emulate hard drive space for emulation, so you are looking at a full fledged system emulator and not some small knock-off.

 

[jgreco]

What exactly is "something a little better"?

With ESXi, you can load up a FreeNAS VM and also a client-of-your-choice VM, and actually test stuff in small scale prior to doing it in production. You can attach the VM's to an actual network or test them on a private network. You can throw moderately complicated configurations on it (for example, networks with vlans). If you want "something a little better", what you probably have to do is to go out and actually get yourself some physical gear.

One of the reasons that the guidance I've provided for running FreeNAS in a VM should exactly mirror the network configuration of the underlying host is that it actually makes it easier to go back and forth between a physical and virtualized configuration.

There is always going to be a certain amount of work involved, but you can do what you suggest, TODAY, with the tools available. I cannot imagine what would be "something a little better" than actually being able to test most of the functionality of FreeNAS. There are some things, such as SMART tests, which might not be available in a virtualized test environment.

 

[cyberjock]

I'm thinking he wants an .exe he can just double click and go to town. What I don't think we are adequately explaining is that there is no other way to effectively emulate things such as routers since they are custom hardware. But FreeNAS runs on x86 hardware, so those "emulators" are called "virtualization".

It doesn't really matter as I really don't see that ticket going very far. The resources needed to design what he wants doesn't make it very likely to happen, especially when virtualization can do the job just as well with no further development required.

 

[jgreco]

I'm thinking he wants an .exe he can just double click and go to town.

I guess there'd be some convenience in being able to host it on your PC.

But FreeNAS runs on x86 hardware, so those "emulators" are called "virtualization".

And that is "done!" ... it's called VirtualBox (or VMware Workstation).

 

[pirateghost]

I assume he is referring to GNS3, with regards to a network simulator. This tool is indeed great for simulating a network configuration, but it still relies on utilizing a virtualization technology.
http://www.gns3.net/

Having used this software for years, I understand the desire for something similar, but I have found setting up a VM is just as easy as a one-click solution. Once the VM software is installed on your machine (vbox, vmware, etc) and you have a base install configured, you can clone it and literally have a VM going in seconds. This simulator doesnt seem feasible at all for the amount of effort required to go into it when a VM works wonderfully.