Nexus emulation? Anyone?

[dsinn at dsinn.com (David Sinn)]

I don't think anyone is asking for a full simulation of the platform in software, that is how the actual ASIC's operate.  That is probably best for an entirely different conversation.

But there is huge need to simulate the control-plane functionally with a basic forwarding ability (not performant, but pass packets correctly such that you can verify the topology).  This is something Dyanmips does great in emulating a cluster of 7200's and allows operators to validate topologies and planned changes in mainstream IOS platforms.  Having that for NX-OS would increase the adoption and confidence in the platform.  VM's on multiple boxes make simulating a whole network of a given platform simple and easy.