A virtual hard drive image used for persistent storage by the VCP. metadata-usb-re.img
The vMX is not a single entity but a split-architecture system that mimics the hardware-based MX Series routers. When you extract the vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz archive, it provides components for two distinct virtual machines (VMs):
The file is a comprehensive software distribution package for the Juniper Networks vMX (Virtual MX Series) router, specifically for Junos OS Release 17.1R1.8 . It contains the virtual disk images and orchestration scripts necessary to deploy a full-featured, carrier-grade virtual router on x86-based servers. Understanding the vMX Architecture Vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz
Upon uncompressing the bundle with the command tar xvf vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz , several key files are generated in the /images/ directory: Description junos-vmx-x86-64-17.1R1.8.qcow2 The primary image for the Virtual Control Plane (VCP). vFPC-20170216.img The image for the Virtual Forwarding Plane (VFP). vmxhdd.img
This VM runs the Junos OS software and manages the "brains" of the router, including the routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), CLI, and management interfaces. A virtual hard drive image used for persistent
The 17.1 release brought several advancements to the MX and vMX platforms, including: Juniper vMX 16.X, 17.X - - EVE-NG
For production-level throughput (up to 80 Gbps), the system requires specialized hardware features like SR-IOV (Single Root I/O Virtualization) and DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) to bypass the hypervisor stack for faster packet processing. Key Features in Junos 17.1R1 It contains the virtual disk images and orchestration
The vMX is designed to run on industry-standard x86 servers using either (Ubuntu/CentOS) or VMware ESXi hypervisors.
Metadata files required for initializing the Routing Engine (RE). Supported Use Cases and Hardware Requirements