you need advanced Juniper routing/MPLS features and have 16+ GB RAM . Not worth it if you just want basic CLI practice or have limited hardware – use vSRX instead.

If you are running the free EVE-NG on a laptop with only 16GB or 32GB of RAM, multiple vMX nodes will crash. Here is how to optimize:

cd /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmxvcp-21.4R1.1/ mv vmx-vcp-21.4R1.1.qcow2 virtioa.qcow2 Use code with caution. For the VFP (Forwarding Plane):

On the VCP side, select the or em1 interface (depending on version documentation). On the VFP side, select the int or em1 interface.

Go to the Juniper Support Insights and Downloads portal.

On your local machine, unzip the .tgz file using tools like 7-Zip (Windows) or tar (Linux). tar xvf vmx-bundle-*.tgz Use code with caution.

Example: /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmx-21.1R1/

Unlike lightweight virtual routers (looking at you, vJunos-switch or Olive), the vMX runs a full Junos OS with real forwarding plane logic via a paired VFP (virtual forwarding plane) and RE (routing engine). It supports MPLS, EVPN, segment routing, advanced QoS, and scales to hundreds of Gbps in production. In EVE-NG, it lets you build service-provider-grade labs for CCIE/ JNCIE studies or SD-WAN testing.

Once logged in, search for in the product selection dropdown.

Juniper has introduced newer, "lab-optimized" virtual images that are easier to download and deploy for free: