Cisco Packet Tracer 8.x new features
Cisco Packet Tracer 9.0 build 9.0.0.0680 has been released for download as an open beta version expiring on August 1, 2025. This new version is mandatory for students attending the Industrial Network Essential new Networking Academy (Netacad) instructor-led course.
What's new in Cisco Packet Tracer 9.0
Packet Tracer 9.0 open beta is a major update featuring the following new network devices :
- Switching: A new Catalyst IE-3400 (IE-3400-8P2S-A) rugged multilayer switch for industrial environment with 10 gigabit ethernet ports
- Security: A new ISA-3000 (ISA-3000-2C2F-K9) industrial firewall featuring two 1GbE SFP ports, two 10/100/1000Base-T ports, and one management port.
- Servers:
- A new Data Historian server which can store date received from a CIP data collector in local databases.
- A new Cyber Observers server which acts as a device emulating cyber threats and mitigations in the network. The included dashboard shows network vulnerabilities detected in the network by configuring network device firmware versions with a locally configurable threat database.
Cisco Modeling Labs 2.8.0 is the next-generation Cisco network emulation platform, providing advanced network simulation capabilities. Using a WMware virtual environment, it has been designed to run real network devices virtual images (IOS, IOSXE, NX-OS, ASAv) at a fraction of the cost production environments.
Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) is provided for free for labs up to 5 virtual network devices andn unlimited number of unmanaged switches and external connectors. It is suited for CCNA certification training labs.
CML can be installed ina Virtual Machine with VMware ESXI, VMware Workstion, or VMware Player. Despite CML has been reported to work on AMD CPU, an intel CPU is required to be able to run some of the bundeled platform images without issue.
Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2.2 build 0400 has been released for download ! Have a look at Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2.2 new features.
Cisco Packet Tracer 8.1 was released for download at the end of November 2021 on Cisco Netacad. Latest build was Packet Tracer 8.1.0.0722. Thiswas maintenance release of Packet Tracer 8.X family with bug fixing and improvements on accessibility, usability, and security.
Packet Tracer 8.1 was the first Packet Tracer version with official Windows 11 support.
Cisco Packet Tracer is an awesome network simulation tool to help students learn and practice networking concepts. Before we dive into the new features and improvements of Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2, make sure your system meets the minimum requirements. Here are both the minimum and recommended hardware configurations.
Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2.2 and GNS3 v3.0.2 have been released ! GNS3 v3.0.2 features a new option to create templates based on images that are not used by any yet and drop Python 38 support. Check download page !
GNS3 3.0 has been released for download on Decembre 2024 and includes the following major changes :
- Faster GNS3 server/controller based on FastAPI (API v3).
- Swagger UI / Redoc API documentation.
- Streamlined web interface
- User management and experimental RBAC API
- Zstd compression for importing/exporting projects
Introduction
Cisco Packet Tracer 8.2 and GNS3 v3.0 are two major network simulation software used for certification exam training (Cisco CCNA and CCNP for example) or network feature test without having to buy expensive real world equipment. The two software have been designed to address different needs.
Packet Tracer is a network simulator and embeds only limited real equipment features. GNS3 is a network emulator based on Dynamips and QEMU running real IOS images, virtual machines, ... The main limitation of GNS3 is the amount of ressources (CPU / memory) available on the PC for running the lab's emulated IOS images and virtual machines for clients & servers simulation.
In addition to router and switches, GNS3 also supports L4 / L7 devices :
- Cisco security devices : GNS3 network emulator supports new Cisco security appliances to help network and security administrators to prepare security certification exams : Cisco Firepower Next-Generation IPS (NGIPS) threat appliances, Cisco Firepower Threat Defense Virtual NGFW appliances and Firepower Management Center Virtual.
- Citrix ADC VPX load-balancer now available on GNS3 marketplace
- Sophos XG Firewall
- F5 BIG-IP LTM VE
- ...
