Introduction

Huawei eNSP remains a powerful simulator for learning routing, switching, and security on Huawei devices but running it on modern systems requires one reliable approach: run it inside a Windows 7 virtual machine. This guide walks through a clean, repeatable setup process using VMware Workstation on a Windows 11 host.

0) Enable Intel Virtualization in BIOS / UEFI

Before anything else, confirm VT-x is enabled at firmware level.

1. Restart PC

2. Enter BIOS (keys: Del, F2, F10, ESC)

3. Enable:

   • Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

   • Intel VT-d (if available)

4. Save & Exit

Without VT-x → Nested virtualization will not work → eNSP devices will not launch.

1) Required Downloads

Organise them in a dedicated folder — e.g. D:\eNSP_Installers.

2) Disable Microsoft Virtualization Layers on Windows 11

A) Disable Hyper-V stack

1. Win+R → optionalfeatures

2. Uncheck:

   • Hyper-V

   • Virtual Machine Platform

   • Windows Hypervisor Platform

   • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

3. Restart PC

B) Disable Core Isolation

Settings → Privacy & Security → Windows Security → Device Security → Core Isolation → OFF

C) Disable Device Guard / Credential Guard

Extract DG readiness → run PowerShell (Admin):

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
cd C:\DGReadiness
.\DG_Readiness_Tool_v3.6.ps1 -Disable

Reboot → twice if required.

3) Install VMware Workstation

Install normally and launch once as Administrator.

4) Create Windows 7 Virtual Machine

• New VM → Typical

• Select Win7 ISO

• RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)

• CPU: 2 cores+

Then go to:

VM Settings → Processors → enable
→ Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT

This MUST be checked — otherwise eNSP devices won’t boot.

5) Install Windows 7 + VMware Tools

Install Windows 7, then:

VM menu → Install VMware Tools → reboot VM.

6) Add Shared Folder for File Transfer

Better than ISO mounting or USB passthrough — Shared Folders are clean.

1. Shut down the VM

2. VMware → Right-click VM → Settings

3. Options tab → Shared Folders

4. Enable: Always enabled

5. Add folder → point to your D:\eNSP_Installers

After reboot, files become available in Win7 at:

My Computer → Z:\   (or similar drive letter)

7) Install eNSP Inside Windows 7

From Z:\ inside Win7:

• Run eNSP installer as Admin

• Install Huawei-VirtualBox

• Install WinPcap (or Npcap in WinPcap compatibility mode)

• (Optional) Install Wireshark

• Reboot VM when done

8) First Launch Test

Open eNSP → drag Huawei USG6000v Firewall → Start

If console opens and you see login auth prompt → everything is working.

Final Summary Flow

BIOS VT-x ON
→ Disable Hyper-V / Memory Integrity / VBS
→ Disable Device Guard (DG Tool)
→ Install VMware
→ Create Win7 VM + enable VT-x/EPT
→ Install VMware Tools
→ Shared Folders enabled
→ Install eNSP inside Win7
→ Launch device + test console