August 6, 2008

Packet Tracer 5.0 has been released!

I have found today on the Cisco Academy Connection webpage a new icon in the left navigation toolbar. It was a link to a new version of Packet Tracer – PT 5.0. Finally, after almost 6 month of beta testing, the PT5.0 is now available for every Cisco Networking Academy member.

So are you a Networking Academy member? Don’t hesitate! Go ahead, click to cisco.com/go/netacad and get download your copy of PT5.0.

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A public advertising video about PT5.0 is available at http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/packet_tracer/packet_tracer_03-4_web.html

A list of new features in PT5.0 is available in my older post.

Here is a screenshot from the last version that was available only for beta testers:

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And here goes a screenshot of a freshly released PT5.0, downloaded from the Academy Connection:

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*(You can notice that there is still an “RC1” note in the PT window. So far I don’t have any more information about this release so I cannot say if this is the RTM (Ready to Manufacturing) final release. Anyway, it’s good that now everyone can access PT5.0 and use its amazing new features!)

** I have no information about the PT Portal (screenshot bellow) release date (or even if it will be ever released).

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12 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I'm third semester at CCNA and I have one question. Is it possible to upgrade IOS on elements, since I'm also using some video tutorials for CCNA certification and there's a few things that I cannot do?

    Best regards,
    Denis

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Denis: Yes, you can download a new IOS image from a TFTP server. Just drop to your topology a PT Server, configure it with an IP address and then you can download IOSe images from there.
    I hope that has answered your question. If your question was if you can upgrade the IOS on devices with a real IOS image, the answer is NO. If you want to use real IOS images, you should use dynamips (http://blog.jozjan.net/2008/03/world-beyond-network-device-simulators.html).

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  3. I allready downloaded dynamips (actually gns3) but their main problem is switch. I couldnt use CLI on switches since there is only generic switch :(

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  4. @Denis: In GNS if you want to emulate a switch, just insert a switching network module to some router and you will get an 8/16 port switch inside a router. You can then configure its switchports as on a real switch.

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  5. I read the gns3 tutorial and now I see what were you talking about when you said to insert switch card into the router but still it's not real switch. Thanks for the answers.

    Cheers

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  6. @Denis: Yeah, it's not a real switch but it has (almost) all features that a real switch has :-)

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  7. I was wondering that since GNS created a perfectly simulated router platform on the computer with the computer having the ability to connect the other device via the physical LAN and communicating them with the simulated router, would it be possible to emulate the routers but for switching, connect it Packet Tracer as this new version support different PC connectivity or it only connects to the another Packet Tracker on a different computer?

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  8. @BlackDox: With the PT 5.0 Cisco introduced an open API that allows developers to create their own addons to PT. The API allows to generate and/or manage "virtual" packets (PDUs) that are flowing in PT. So if some wise developers will develop an addon which will implement transformation of virtual packets (PDUs) to real packets and vice-versa, then you will be able to connect PT to real devices. So far I have seen addons that integrate PT with Skype and allows to collaborate on labs.

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  9. Excellent blog entry! I'm really surprised you can change/update IOS images in Packet Tracer. Thanks for the info...

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  10. Thanks for the wonderful blog - really informative. My question is "I am not in a Cisco Network Academy" (because I don't think there is any here in Zimbabwe, so how am I supposed to get the Packet Tracer and all the other bundles (Discovery and Exploration) that come with it?"

    Please help me

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  11. You can download Packet Tracer 5.0 from:
    http://depositfiles.com/ru/files/jsmyqrqec

    ReplyDelete
  12. @clikcspeed: To give you an unofficial answer (this conversation has never happened, and this message will be destroyed in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Boooom {just kidding} ;-), you can pretty easily find the Exploration & Discovery content + the Packet Tracer at P2P networks (torrents, etc.).

    But if you really want to learn more than just the curricula content, you should find a near by official Cisco Networking Academy. And there are at least 5 in Zimbabwe - check out the academy locator at http://cisco.netacad.net/cnams/locators/LocatorMain.jsp

    btw: The newest official PT version is 5.1.

    ReplyDelete