.tgz: This is the file extension, indicating that the file is a tarball archive, compressed with gzip. .tgz files are commonly used in Unix-like systems (such as Linux) to distribute software.
sudo ./start_vmx.sh -n vmx0
After a few minutes, you can SSH into 192.168.0.1 (default management IP) with username root and no password.
Potential pitfalls with this specific version
Should you use this bundle for new projects?
No. If you are building a greenfield lab, go download the current vMX trial from Juniper’s website. However, if you need to support an existing deployment, test a legacy migration, or simply want a lightweight router VM for your home lab, vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz is a reliable, battle-tested workhorse.
Final Thoughts
The vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz file is more than just an archive—it represents a stable era in network virtualization. While it lacks the bells and whistles of modern containerized NOS (like cRPD or vJunos-switch), it excels at one thing: routing large amounts of traffic with predictable behavior. Vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz
Have you deployed vMX 17.1R1.8 in production recently? Or are you finally migrating off it? Let us know in the comments below.
Disclaimer: All trademarks are property of their respective owners. This post is for educational purposes. Always verify licensing terms before downloading and running vendor software.
vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz is a software distribution package for the Juniper vMX (Virtual MX Series)
router, specifically version 17.1R1.8. This bundle contains the images and scripts necessary to deploy a carrier-grade virtual routing instance on a hypervisor like KVM or VMware. 1. What is in the Bundle? file is a compressed archive that typically includes: vCP (Virtual Control Plane):
The VM that runs Junos OS and handles routing protocols and management. vFP (Virtual Forwarding Plane):
Also known as the Virtual Packet Forwarding Engine (vPFE), this VM handles the actual data transit. Orchestration Scripts: Python or shell scripts (e.g.,
) used to automate the installation, binding of interfaces, and launching of the VMs. Configuration Files: After a few minutes, you can SSH into 192
YAML or XML templates used to define CPU, RAM, and network interface mappings. 2. Deployment Environment
To use this bundle, you generally need a Linux host (Ubuntu is common) with the following prerequisites: Hypervisor:
KVM/QEMU is the primary target for the orchestration scripts included in the bundle. Dependencies: Packages like bridge-utils
A CPU with VT-x support. For version 17.1, it is recommended to have at least 4 vCPUs and 8GB-12GB of RAM to run both the vCP and vFP effectively. 3. Basic Installation Steps If you are deploying this manually on a Linux KVM host: Extract the bundle: tar -zxvf vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz Navigate to the directory: Enter the newly created vmx-17.1R1.8 Configure the setup: config/vmx.conf
file to define your management IP, bridge interfaces, and resource allocation. Launch the vMX: Run the setup script provided by Juniper Networks sudo ./vmx.sh --install --cfg config/vmx.conf 4. Common Use Cases EVE-NG / GNS3 Lab:s Network engineers often extract the specific images from this bundle to add Juniper nodes to their topologies. SDN Testing:
Testing Junos features and automation scripts (PyEZ, Ansible) without requiring physical MX hardware. 5. Accessing the Router
Once the VMs are booted and the internal communication link (br-ext) is established: Default Login: with no password for the vCP. Internal Link: known issues) |
The vCP and vFP communicate over a virtual interface. If they don't sync, your interfaces will not appear in Junos. Are you looking to install this on Ubuntu/KVM or are you trying to import it into a lab tool like
./vmx.sh --start --bundle Vmx-bundle-17.1r1.8.tgz
After a few minutes, connect to the console:
virsh console vmx-re # Control Plane console
Or via SSH: ssh root@<management-ip>
When extracted, the .tgz archive typically includes:
| File/Component | Description |
|----------------|-------------|
| vmx-boot-*.img | Bootable disk image for the VCP (Virtual Control Plane) |
| vmx-data-plane-*.img | Disk image for the VFP (Virtual Forwarding Plane) |
| vmbring-graph-*.xml | Topology/bridge mapping for libvirt/KVM |
| vmx.conf | Example configuration for virtual interfaces |
| README / release-notes.txt | Specifics for this build (license requirements, known issues) |
Note: Exact filenames vary by hypervisor target.
The "R1.8" designation tells us this is the 8th maintenance release of the first new-feature release of 17.1. In the networking world, early releases (R1) can sometimes be buggy, but by the time you reach R1.8, the codebase has been patched significantly. It offers a stable balance of new 17.x features without the overhead of the absolute latest feature sets found in newer trains.
If you have just downloaded vmx-bundle-17.1R1.8.tgz, here is the high-level workflow to get it running on a Linux KVM host (the most common deployment method):