Running a split-architecture virtual router requires significant compute resources compared to basic enterprise VMs. To deploy vMX 17.1R1.8 smoothly, ensure your host environment meets these minimum specifications: Resource Component Minimum Requirement (Lab/Evaluation) Recommended (Production / Performance) KVM (Ubuntu 14.04/16.04) or VMware ESXi Dedicated KVM Host on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS CPU Cores 4 vCPUs (1 for VCP, 3 for VFP) 9+ vCPUs (1 for VCP, 8 for VFP with DPDK) RAM 5 GB (2 GB for VCP, 3 GB for VFP) 16 GB+ (4 GB for VCP, 12 GB+ for VFP) Storage 40 GB SSD space 100 GB+ NVMe SSD space NICs Standard VirtIO drivers SR-IOV or Intel DPDK compatible NICs How to Extract and Deploy the vMX Bundle
After the download finishes, compute the checksum and compare it against the .md5 or .sha256 file provided on the same download page. download juniper vmx-bundle 17.1r1.8.tgz
The script will validate your host hardware, construct internal virtual bridges linking the VCP and VFP, and boot the virtual instances via virsh (libvirt). Verifying the Installation Verifying the Installation