This isn't your grandfather’s lightweight switch. It requires significant RAM (typically 8GB–16GB) and CPU power to boot. If you’re running a large topology, you’ll need a beefy server.
The file cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2 is a QEMU Copy-On-Write (QCOW2) virtual machine image file. It seems to be related to Cisco's Catalyst 9000 series switches, specifically the Cat9K platform. The filename suggests that this image is a production-ready (prd) version, with a specific software version 17.12.01prd9 . cat9kv-prd-17.12.01prd9.qcow2
: Being an EMR, it supports Software Maintenance Upgrades (SMU) and In-Service Software Upgrades (ISSU). This isn't your grandfather’s lightweight switch