Nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2 May 2026

Once your VM powers on and you access the console, run this immediate hygiene check:

# Check for license compatibility (allows eval period)
show license usage
conf t
boot nxos bootflash:/nexus9300v.9.3.9.bin (or .qco w2)
copy running-config startup-config
Version 9.3.9 fixed memory leaks from 9.3.3, but after weeks of uptime, a restart may still be needed. Schedule a reload every 60 days if used in persistent labs. nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2
virt-install --name Nexus9K --ram 8192 --vcpus 4 

--disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2,device=disk,bus=virtio 

--network bridge=br0,model=virtio --network bridge=br1,model=virtio 

--console pty,target_type=serial --os-type generic --virt-type kvm 

--noautoconsole --import

| Component | Recommendation | |-----------|----------------| | CPU | x86_64 with virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V) | | RAM | 8 GB+ per node (8–10 GB recommended) | | Disk | 10–15 GB free per VM | | Hypervisor | KVM, Proxmox, GNS3 (with QEMU), EVE-NG | | Network | Bridge or NAT for lab connectivity |

⚠️ Memory warning: 9.3.x images are memory hungry – allocate 8 GB minimum, 12–16 GB if running routing protocols. Once your VM powers on and you access

Even an excellent release has quirks. Here’s what to expect with nexus9300v.9.3.9.qcow2:

| Environment | Works? | Notes | |-------------|---------|-------| | EVE-NG | ✅ Yes | Needs QEMU >= 2.4.0, set as vios or nxosv9k template. | | GNS3 | ✅ Yes | Requires QEMU VM, at least 4GB RAM, 2 vCPUs. | | VMware ESXi/Workstation | ⚠️ Not directly | Must convert .qcow2 to .vmdk (use qemu-img). | | VirtualBox | ❌ No | Not recommended – no stable QEMU glue. | ⚠️ Memory warning : 9