While hardware binaries ( .bin ) are available for physical switches, virtual-specific .qcow2 images are typically accessed through the CML download portal rather than the standard Cisco Software Downloads page. Cisco IOS XE 17.12.1 for Catalyst Switching
The .qcow2 extension dictates the virtualization platform. download cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2
: It allows network engineers to simulate a Catalyst switch in virtual environments like CML (Cisco Modeling Labs) While hardware binaries (