Mikrotik has virtual disks that contain the operating system from the mikrotik page “https://mikrotik.com/download” In the CHR section you can find the different virtual disks that can be virtualized. Among these virtual disk tips, there are extensions such as VMDK which can be associated with VMware.

Virtualizing a MikroTik device involves running RouterOS, MikroTik's operating system, in a virtual environment rather than on physical hardware. This is particularly useful for testing, development, network simulation, or even for production deployments where physical hardware may be limiting or the flexibility of a virtual infrastructure is preferred.

There are several ways to virtualize RouterOS, the most common being the use of CHR (Cloud Hosted Router) and running on standard virtualization platforms such as VMware, VirtualBox, or Hyper-V.

Using MikroTik CHR (Cloud Hosted Router)

MikroTik CHR is a version of RouterOS prepared to run as a virtual machine. It is designed to operate on popular cloud environments such as Amazon EC2, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and others, as well as on-premises virtualization platforms.

Steps to Virtualize with MikroTik CHR:

1. Download CHR Image: First, download the CHR image from the official MikroTik website. CHR is available in formats compatible with various virtualization platforms, including VMDK (for VMware), VDI (for VirtualBox), and others.
2. Create a Virtual Machine: Use your virtualization platform to create a new virtual machine. Allocate resources such as CPU, memory and storage according to your needs.
3. Assign CHR Image: During VM creation, you will be prompted to select boot media. This is where you need to use the CHR image you downloaded.
4. Initial setup: Once the VM is running, you can access it through the virtualization platform console or via SSH/Winbox to perform initial configuration, including licensing RouterOS if necessary.
5. Network Configuration: Configure network interfaces according to your environment and needs. CHR supports various virtual interfaces that you can configure for different purposes, such as Internet connectivity, internal networks, etc.

Use in Standard Virtualization Platforms

If you are not using CHR, you can still virtualize RouterOS by manually installing it on a VM on platforms such as VMware, VirtualBox, or Hyper-V.

1. Download the RouterOS ISO: For this method, you will need to download the RouterOS ISO image from the MikroTik website.
2. Create and Configure the VM: Similar to the process with CHR, but you will select the downloaded ISO image when prompted to choose boot media.
3. Installing RouterOS: Follow the on-screen instructions to install RouterOS on the VM's virtual disk. This process is similar to installing RouterOS on physical hardware.
4. Post-Installation Configuration: Once installed, proceed with initial configuration, licensing (if necessary), and network configuration.

Considerations

• Discharge: CHR requires licenses that vary depending on the level of functionality and desired throughput performance. Licenses can be purchased through the MikroTik website or authorized resellers.
• Performance: Although virtualization offers flexibility, performance can suffer compared to dedicated hardware, especially in environments with high network load. Make sure you assign appropriate resources to the VM.

Virtualizing RouterOS allows system administrators and networking enthusiasts to take advantage of the powerful features of MikroTik in a flexible and scalable environment.