
Qemu can access hardware virtualization support by using KVM in the Linux operating system but this only works if the guest filesystem image is the same architecture as the host operating system (for example: both the host and guest systems must be 64-bit operating systems). Qemu cannot access hardware virtualization support - Intel’s VT-x or AMD’s AMD-V hardware-virtualization features - in most operating systems, except Linux, which results in slower performance. It supports virtualization of x86-compatible systems on hosts with x86-based CPUs and can emulate other types of microprocessors on an x86-based host computer (which is not relevant in my specific case). Qemu is available for the most common operating systems, Linux, Windows, and Mac OS. The GNS3 project provides filesystem images of Qemu-compatible Linux systems that have open-source routing software installed. Qemu is an open-source hardware-emulation and virtualization platform. Let me tell you why I prefer VirtualBox over Qemu when using GNS3 to simulate a network of Linux computers running open-source routing and switching software. Depending on one’s requirements, one might choose either VirtualBox or Qemu. The open-source routers we will use in a GNS3 simulated network must run on either a Qemu or a VirtualBox hypervisor. To run virtual nodes in a simulated network, the GNS3 open-source network simulator supports two virtualization technologies: Qemu and VirtualBox.
