This is the step most people get wrong. EVE-NG looks for a specific filename to boot the image.
Why hda.qcow2?
EVE-NG is configured to look for a disk named hda to attach as the primary hard drive during the virtual machine boot process.
Beware of:
Legitimate starting points:
Use an SCP client (like WinSCP, FileZilla, or scp command) to copy the files.
Destination path for vMX:
/opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmx-<version>/
Example: /opt/unetlab/addons/qemu/vmx-21.1R1/ juniper vmx download for eveng free
Inside that folder, you must have:
ssh root@your-eve-ip
Some GitHub repositories and Juniper’s own “Network Engineering and Research” labs provide vMX images for local use in a learning context. These are time-bombed (30-90 days) but can be reset. This is the step most people get wrong
| Feature | EVE-NG Free (Community) | EVE-NG Pro | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | vMX Support | Manual chaining (works) | One-click Wizard | | Licensing | 60-min eval / Manual reset | Same (Juniper limitation) | | Performance | Slower (no KSM optimization) | Faster with Kernel SamePage Merge | | Node Count | ~5-10 vMX nodes max | 20+ vMX nodes | | Cost | $0 | $150/year |
Verdict: For JNCIA or JNCIP studies, the free version is perfect. For JNCIE (requiring 15+ vMX nodes), save for Pro.
If you skip this, the image might not appear in your lab or may fail to boot. Why hda
