Connect IOS-XRv Virtual Machine Console Via Named TCP Pipe in VMware Workstation

Connect IOS-XRv Virtual Console Via Named TCP Pipe in VMware Workstation

Sometimes you might want to access a virtual machine through it’s console port. In real life, you just get your serial cable and plug it to the server / router / switch and you’re good to go, but what about VMs?

Let’s see how we can do this in VMware Workstation

The test done here will be using an IOS-XRv which is a virtual image that simulated Cisco’s IOS-XR routers operating system, unfortunately, this VM doesn’t have a virtual console like Juniper’s firefly VM which allows you to interact with the VM directly through VMware Workstation

1- Step one is to add a Serial port in your VM, first go to the VM Settings

2- Click Add in the Hardware TAB

3- Choose Serial Port in the Hardware Type

4- Choose output to named pipe

5- Now you have to choose a name for the named pipe, the format is pretty easy

the "." or the dot represents the local machine which is equivalent to 127.0.0.1, then pipe then any name you would like that represents the console port on your VM, notice that it must be unique

\\.\pipe\"any unique name you would like"

6- Now, make sure you download the named TCP pipe program from this link http://shvechkov.tripod.com/nptp.html

run the program and hit the male plug icon to create a new connection

7- now in the pipe name you're going to add the exact name you gave in your VM and you'll have a to choose a TCP port that will be mapped to that name. presonally i like choosing TCP ports in the 3000 and 4000 and 5000 ranges, but you can use pretty much any ports after the 1024 well known range comfortably

8- when the status is ready, it means that the port isn't conflicting with anything and you're good to go connecting to the VM

9- Use any telnet program to connect to you local machine IP address with port 3000 as we previously configured

10 - Notice that the status of the pipe is conncted. Now since you're connected to your XRv VM and you can configure it happily ever after !