3 Adding a MikroTik Appliance in GNS3
Mathew J. Heath Van Horn, PhD
MikroTik is a Latvian manufacturer of enterprise network equipment. Their network hardware is utilized in enterprise networks worldwide. Their router operating system is free for non-commercial use. We use the MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) operating system throughout this book because it offers many of the same features as other commercial products and is highly reliable in the GNS3 environment. As of 2026, MikroTik has about 5% market share in commercial network hardware, compared with Cisco (50%) and Juniper (7%). Once you learn MikroTik routing and switching procedures, you will have little trouble learning other brands, since there is little difference in functionality.
Phase 0 – Professional Alignment
Enterprise networks rely on routers to connect systems, direct traffic, and provide essential network services. In this chapter, you will integrate a MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) into your GNS3 environment, building practical experience with enterprise routing platforms commonly used in production networks, training environments, and cybersecurity laboratories.
DCWF Work Roles
The knowledge and skills developed in this chapter align with the following Department of Defense Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) work roles:
- 511 – Network Operations Specialist
- 531 – Systems Administrator
- 441 – Network Services Specialist
NICE Work Roles
This chapter supports competencies associated with the following NICE Workforce Framework work roles:
- Network Operations Specialist
- Systems Administrator
- Network Services Specialist
Professional Skills
By completing this chapter, you will begin developing the ability to:
- Deploy virtual enterprise routers within a network simulation environment.
- Configure and manage virtual networking appliances.
- Integrate routing devices into an existing virtual laboratory.
- Verify router functionality before network deployment.
- Troubleshoot appliance installation and configuration issues.
- Prepare enterprise routing platforms for future network configuration activities.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:
- Install the MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router (CHR) appliance in GNS3.
- Configure the router for use within your virtual networking environment.
- Verify that the router operates correctly within the GNS3 topology.
- Resolve common appliance installation and startup issues.
- Prepare the MikroTik router for use in subsequent networking and security laboratories.
Learning Objectives
- Successfully download, install, and run MikroTik Cloud Hosted Router appliance in a GNS3 environment.
Prerequisites
Deliverables
- None – this is a preparatory lab that supports other labs in this book
Resources
Contributors and Testers
Testers:
- Enzo Gonzalaz
Phase I – Installing a MikroTik router
Many learners use MikroTik routers to learn the fundamentals of enterprise networking. You will find many instructional sites online that use MikroTik in GNS3.
- Visit the GNS3 Marketplace
- In the search appliances field, type “MikroTik”
Figure 1 – Searching GNS3 marketplace for MikroTik appliances - Navigate to the MikroTik CHR appliance and click on it
Figure 2 – Showing the MikroTik CHR appliance on the GNS3 marketplace - Download the appliance by hitting the Download button
- Scroll down to the most recent version of the image and click on the Download link. In this case, we are using the chr-7.7.img
Figure 3 – Downloading the MikroTik router image from the GNS3 marketplace - Navigate to your downloads folder (or wherever you downloaded the files) and unzip the image file
- Start the GNS3 Workspace
- At the GNS3 Workspace top ribbon bar, go to File, and on the submenu, click on Import Appliance
Figure 4 – Screenshot of GNS3 Workspace menu selection - Select the appliance file that you downloaded and unzipped
Figure 5 – Selecting the appliance to import into GNS3 Workspace - Press the Open button
- Select the server type: Install the appliance on the GNS3 VM (recommended) and press the Next button
Figure 6 – Configuring the GNS3 Workspace with a MikroTik appliance - Accept the default QEMU settings and press the Next button
Figure 7 – Accept the QEMU settings - Highlight the Appliance Version (in this case, 7.10.1), and you will see the status “Missing Files”. To fix this, click on Import
Figure 8 – Correct the missing files for the MikroTik router - Navigate to where you unzipped the image file from Step 6
Figure 9 – Navigate to where the image file was saved after unziping - The status has now changed to Ready to Install. Highlight the Ready to Install and click on Next
Figure 10 – Installing the MikroTik CHR router - Confirm the installation by pressing Yes
- Read the notes, and press Finish
Figure 11 – Finish the addition of a MikroTik router to the GNS3 environment - You will now see the MikroTik router in the Routers Menu. You can drag it to the workspace and start it to make sure it runs
Figure 12 – MikroTik Router successfully installed in the GNS3 Working Environment
Career Connection
Virtual routers are widely used by network engineers, systems administrators, and cybersecurity professionals to develop, test, and validate network configurations before deploying changes to production environments. Experience with enterprise routing platforms such as MikroTik provides valuable hands-on skills that translate directly to network operations, systems administration, cloud networking, and cybersecurity careers. As organizations increasingly rely on virtualized infrastructure, the ability to deploy and manage virtual network appliances has become an essential professional competency.
End of Lab
