Portable Apstra-managed Datacenter-Fabric

Portable Apstra-managed Datacenter-Fabric

Running Apstra as a managed DC controller directly inside a Containerlab topology is possible – but getting there requires a custom vrnetlab build and a few tricks. This post walks through the whole process, ending with a fully Apstra-managed EVPN/VXLAN fabric running across four Arista cEOS nodes on a Windows laptop.

April 6, 2026 · Benjamin Härtel
Setting up a simple TACACS+ test environment in Cisco CML

Setting up a simple TACACS+ test environment in Cisco CML

Instead of a resource-hungry Cisco ISE, a lean tac_plus container in CML 2.9 is all you need to fully test TACACS+ authentication for Cisco Nexus. Discover which small NX-OS command makes all the difference – and why PAP becomes an unexpected roadblock.

March 7, 2026 · Benjamin Härtel
Containerlab on Windows

Containerlab on Windows

No dedicated server, no EVE-ng, no waiting for colleagues – Containerlab brings your network labs straight to your Windows laptop. This post walks you through the setup step by step using a simple Arista cEOS lab.

February 7, 2026 · Benjamin Haertel