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Linux labs for network engineers

14 guided labs that put Linux inside real router networks. Address and route with iproute2, turn Linux into a router, switch, firewall and VPN gateway, run DNS, DHCP, SSH, syslog and NTP, script checks in Bash and Python, fix tickets, and finish by building a complete site edge on Linux.

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Lite for a month, £45.00, runs every lab here, with nothing extra to pay for the guided labs. Every lab here also runs in the free demo.

Guided labs
14
Follows
Networking, security and scripting topics of CompTIA Linux+ XK0-006, the networking domain of LFCS, and LPIC-1 topic 109
Runs every lab
Lite
Devices
Alpine Linux, Alpine WAN emulator, IOSv, EVE-NG GUI server and IOSvL2

Who these labs are for

For network engineers who need to work on Linux, and Linux administrators who need to understand networks. You should know IP addressing and basic routing.

These labs cover the networking parts of the exams named here, not systemd, storage or SELinux, so they aren’t a complete preparation for Linux+, LFCS or RHCSA on their own.

The 14 labs

Every lab in the folder, as the workspace lists them, with what each runs and the smallest plan that fits. Read on 2 November 2026.

Linux for network engineers course 14 labs

Shared folderLinux for network engineers guided labs

From iproute2 and routing to firewalls, services and scripting, then tickets and a site-edge capstone.

  1. 01iproute2 - addresses routes neighbours and sockets

    A new Linux box arrives at the depot with nothing configured. You give it addresses, routes and neighbours with `ip`, see its sockets with `ss`, and make a host's settings permanent.

    1× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv

    3 vCPU, 1,536 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  2. 02Linux as a router - forwarding static routes and policy routing

    A Linux box replaces the depot's router. You turn on forwarding, send one PC and one application out through a second ISP with `ip rule`, find out why the replies vanish, and fit a backup default route.

    3× Alpine Linux, 2× IOSv, 1× Alpine WAN emulator

    6 vCPU, 3,072 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  3. 03VLAN interfaces bridges and bonds

    You connect a Linux box to a real switch with an LACP bond, carry two VLANs over it, route between them and bridge a new PC into one. Then you pull a link.

    3× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSvL2

    5 vCPU, 2,816 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  4. 04Network namespaces and veth pairs

    One Linux box becomes a small network: namespaces as hosts and a router, veth pairs as cables, a bridge as a switch and a real interface as the uplink. It's how containers get their networking.

    1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv

    2 vCPU, 1,024 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  5. 05Firewall and NAT with iptables

    You turn a Linux box into the depot firewall: masquerade, a stateful default-deny policy, protection for the box itself, a published web server, logging, and rules that survive a reboot.

    3× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv

    5 vCPU, 2,560 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  6. 06DNS and DHCP services on Linux

    A Linux box takes over DNS and DHCP for the depot. You run two DHCP scopes, one through a router's relay, serve names with a small DNS server, and learn what `dig`, `getent` and `/etc/hosts` each really tell you.

    2× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    5 vCPU, 3,072 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  7. 07SSH - keys client config jump hosts and tunnels

    You replace passwords with keys, harden a jump host, reach a secure network and an old router through it, and use SSH tunnels to get to services no route will take you to.

    2× Alpine Linux, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    4 vCPU, 2,560 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  8. 08The troubleshooting toolkit - tcpdump ss ethtool traceroute and mtr

    Users say the parcel tracker is down. You work up the stack with `ip`, `traceroute`, `mtr`, `ss`, `tcpdump` and `ethtool`, and find three different faults hiding behind one ticket.

    2× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    4 vCPU, 2,560 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  9. 09Bash for network tasks - loop over hosts and parse output

    You turn a morning of manual checks into scripts: a parallel ping sweep, service checks, log statistics, a look at every router over SSH, and a report that cron runs for you.

    2× Alpine Linux, 2× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    5 vCPU, 3,072 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  10. 10Python network checks - sockets subprocess and requests

    You write Python tools that tell open from closed from filtered, parse ping, read a JSON health page and log in to a router, then join them into a parallel monitor with a proper exit code.

    1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    3 vCPU, 2,048 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  11. 11Logs and time - syslog and NTP clients

    You send Linux and router logs to one collector, break a clock to see why it matters, then fix it with NTP, serving time from a Linux box to a host and a router, and rotate the logs.

    1× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    4 vCPU, 2,560 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  12. 12Performance - iperf3 netem MTU and PMTUD

    You measure a link with iperf3, then make it worse on purpose with netem and tbf to see how delay, rate and loss each change TCP. Then you shrink the MTU, build a PMTUD black hole and fix it with MSS clamping.

    2× Alpine WAN emulator, 2× EVE-NG GUI server

    4 vCPU, 3,072 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  13. 13Troubleshooting tickets - routing DNS firewall and MTU

    Four tickets wait in the queue at Grimsby, and each hides a fault in routing, DNS, the firewall or the MTU, on Linux and on the router. Find each cause with evidence, fix it, and explain it.

    2× Alpine Linux, 1× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    5 vCPU, 3,072 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

  14. 14Capstone - a Linux edge with firewall services and VPN

    You build a whole site edge on Linux from a list of requirements: routing, DHCP and DNS, a default-deny firewall, NAT with a VPN exemption, a published server, and an IPsec tunnel to a branch written by hand with ip xfrm.

    2× Alpine Linux, 2× Alpine WAN emulator, 1× IOSv, 1× EVE-NG GUI server

    6 vCPU, 3,584 MBFits LiteRuns in the free demo

Devices and images

The exact Add Node images the labs use, and the vCPU and RAM their nodes are set to. Your plan counts what each running node is set to.

Devices and images in the Linux for network engineers practice labs, as read on 2 November 2026
DeviceImage in Add NodeSet toLabsNodes
Alpine Linuxclbalpinebase-alpine-base-3-20-31 vCPU, 512 MB1021
Alpine WAN emulatorclbalpinewanem-alpine-3-16-2-wanem1 vCPU, 512 MB1215
Cisco IOSvvios-adventerprisek9-m.spa.159-3.m91 vCPU, 512 MB1214
EVE-NG GUI server (Docker)eve-gui-server:latest1 vCPU, 1,024 MB910
Cisco IOSvL2viosl2-adventerprisek9-m.ssa.high_iron_202009291 vCPU, 768 MB11

Browse every image in the Add Node list

How to open the labs

  1. Sign in to your workspace at lab.cloudlabbox.com.

  2. In File Manager, open Shared, then the folder Linux for network engineers guided labs.

  3. Open a lab and start its nodes, then open Lab Tasks for the steps.

The labs are read-only. You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change a lab, rebuild it in your own folder.

The Shared folder in the EVE-NG File Manager, recorded on 2 November 2026 with a test account.
The EVE-NG File Manager open on the read-only Shared folder: one folder per guided course, including Arista EOS, BGP in depth, CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CCNA, CCNP ENARSI and ENCOR, Check Point, Cisco ASA, Cisco Nexus NX-OS, CompTIA Network Plus and FortiGate
A guided CCNA lab with its Lab Tasks pane, recorded on 1 November 2026 with a test account.
A guided CCNA lab open in EVE-NG with its nodes running: four routers and two PCs on the canvas, and the Lab Tasks pane beside them with the scenario, the addressing plan and the first task

Questions about the Linux for network engineers labs

Are these Linux for network engineers labs free?

They’re included with every lab plan, with nothing extra to pay, rather than free. Plans start at £3 a day or £0.50 an hour. To try one first, the free demo gives you 30 minutes with 6 vCPU and 8 GB, enough to run every one of these labs.

Which plan do I need for these labs?

Lite, with 6 vCPU and 8 GB, runs every lab here. EVE-NG admits a node by the vCPU and RAM configured on it, so a lab needs the total its running nodes are set to. The biggest here, “Capstone - a Linux edge with firewall services and VPN”, needs 6 vCPU and 3,584 MB. Each lab’s Lab Tasks pane names the plan it needs.

Can I change these labs?

You can start the nodes and configure the devices, but the labs are read-only: changes to the topology can’t be saved. To change one, rebuild it in your own folder.

Are these labs from the exam bodies?

No. CloudLabBox wrote them to follow the topics of CompTIA’s Linux+ (XK0-006), the networking domain of the Linux Foundation’s LFCS, and LPI’s LPIC-1 topic 109, where they cover networking, security, scripting and troubleshooting. These labs aren’t a complete preparation for those exams on their own. They aren’t training material from the exam bodies, and CloudLabBox is independent of Cisco, CompTIA, the Linux Foundation and the Linux Professional Institute.

Which plan do I need?

All 14 labs fit Lite.

What can’t these images show?

There’s no nft, conntrack, WireGuard tool, BIND, dnsmasq or rsyslog on them. So firewall labs use iptables, lab 14’s VPN uses manual-key ip xfrm, syslog uses a small Python collector, and DNS uses BusyBox dnsd. Each pane says what it uses.

Do the hosts start configured?

Alpine and WAN-image nodes need a short Task 0 block pasted, which each lab gives you. The WAN image opens on a menu, so press 5 and then Enter first.

Try a lab before you choose

The free demo is a real workspace for 30 minutes, with 6 vCPU and 8 GB: enough to run every one of these labs. No card and no email.

Try it free for 30 minutesStart this course

Plans from £3 a day or £0.50 an hour, each with every guided lab.

More practice labs

CloudLabBox is independent of Cisco, CompTIA, the Linux Foundation and the Linux Professional Institute. The labs follow exam topics and aren’t vendor training material; vendor names identify the exams and the images in the workspace.