While it runs STP, the "hardware" behavior of a physical Nexus 9k isn't perfectly replicated in a virtual environment, which can lead to slight discrepancies in convergence testing. Final Verdict
The prefix nxosv9k refers to the virtual edition of the Cisco Nexus 9000 series switch. Unlike the older Nexus 1000V, the v9k is a virtual appliance that mimics the behavior of physical Nexus 9000 hardware (such as the N9K-C9300 or N9K-C9500). It runs the NX-OS operating system, supporting features like VXLAN, BGP-EVPN, and leaf-spine architectures. For engineers studying for CCIE certifications or testing data center designs, this is the closest one can get to a physical spine switch without the capital expenditure. nxosv9k-7.0.3.i7.4.qcow2
sudo apt install qemu-utils -y