New cloud-based network labs from Juniper and Cisco a good start

Juniper’s Junosphere and Cisco Learning Labs offer broader access to network gear firmware, but engineers want something they can run locally, much like illicit router emulator software.

Both Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks are launching cloud-based network labs—Cisco Learning Labs andJunosphere—to give network engineers and students better access to the firmware that runs on their switches and routers for experimentation. But users who have struggled for years to get their hands on vendor firmware for educational and testing purposes say they need even more access than the cloud-based offerings can provide.