Simulating Nexus switches is resource-intensive. If you plan to build a small leaf-and-spine topology with four switches, ensure your host machine meets these minimums: : At least 32GB (to account for the OS and overhead).

<cpu mode='host-passthrough'/> <features> <acpi/> <apic/> <pae/> </features>

: Use an FTP client (like WinSCP) to move the .qcow2 file into that folder.

No additional files are strictly required for basic boot. However, for advanced features (like guest shell), ensure:

Cisco does not provide direct public download links for these images without a valid contract, but they are available to users with a Cisco.com account .

To obtain this image legally, you must have a valid Cisco account and a service contract . : Visit the Cisco Software Download portal.

EVE-NG natively supports .qcow2 files for NXOSv.