Advantages of GNS3 (Network Simulator) | GNS3 Vs Packet Tracer

Benefits of Using GNS3 workbench:

GNS3 is software use for simulating different virtual devices and real devices like routers, switches etc. It uses Dynamips which is an emulation software to simulate virtual devices.

It has several advantage as compare to Packet Tracer (anther network simulator), some of main features of GNS3 are as under: 

• Gns3 uses real IOS software to simulate the different virtual devices, so you enjoy the new features of IOS with using new IOS in GNS3. Whereas the Packet Tracer is software base simulator which only allows the limited commands which are programed. Some of new commands may not works with Packet Tracer.
• One of key advantage of GNS3 is that you can connect the simulated device or network to real world/devices. You can review some of example here. GNS3 Cloud, GNS3 Virtualbox. 

• You can take packet capture with Wireshark between devices which you are simulating in GNS3.

• GNS3 supports devices and IOS of more vendors like Cisco, Juniper, Linux host etc. as compare to Packet Tracer.
• The main advantage of GNS3 lies in hardware emulation, since you can connect GNS3 devices to real world therefore you can ping/telnet GNS3 router from anywhere even from over the internet. Even you can configure/control the small office network with GNS3 router without using a real router.
• You can connect and simulate VirtualBox to GNS3 and can create some of complex network labs.
• You can create your network diagram and can represent your network architecture easily.
• New versions of GNS3 supports IOU devices as well.
• You can customize virtual devices by adding different slots and Cards like real network devices.