GNS3 Project Lifecycle

Manage GNS3 network lab projects through natural language commands. Create new labs, open/close existing projects, clone for experimentation, and export/import for sharing.

When to Use

• Creating a new GNS3 lab environment for testing or training
• Opening or closing existing projects to manage resources
• Cloning projects before making experimental changes
• Exporting projects to share with colleagues
• Importing projects from archives
• Listing all available labs on the GNS3 server
• Deleting projects that are no longer needed

MCP Server

• Command: python3 -u mcp-servers/gns3-mcp-server/gns3_mcp_server.py (stdio transport)
• Requires: GNS3_URL, GNS3_USER, GNS3_PASSWORD environment variables

Available Tools

| Tool | Parameters | What It Does | |------|------------|--------------| | gns3_list_projects | None | List all GNS3 projects with name, status, and path | | gns3_create_project | name, auto_open?, auto_close?, auto_start? | Create a new project | | gns3_get_project | project_id | Get detailed project information | | gns3_open_project | project_id | Open a closed project | | gns3_close_project | project_id | Close an opened project and release resources | | gns3_delete_project | project_id | Delete a project and all its resources | | gns3_clone_project | project_id, new_name, reset_mac_addresses? | Clone an existing project | | gns3_export_project | project_id, include_snapshots?, include_images?, compression? | Export project as archive | | gns3_import_project | file_path, name? | Import project from archive |

Workflow Examples

Create and Manage a Lab

bash
# List existing projects
"List all my GNS3 labs"

# Create a new project
"Create a new GNS3 lab called routing-test"

# Open a project
"Open the routing-test project"

# Close when done
"Close the routing-test project"

Clone Before Experimentation

bash
# Clone a project before making risky changes
"Clone routing-test as routing-test-experiment"

# Work on the clone, then delete if not needed
"Delete routing-test-experiment"

Export and Import

bash
# Export for sharing
"Export the routing-test project with snapshots"

# Import a shared project
"Import the project from /tmp/routing-test.gns3project"

Integration with Other Skills

• gns3-node-operations: After creating a project, add nodes
• gns3-link-management: Connect nodes in the project
• gns3-snapshot-ops: Save project state before changes

Error Handling

| Error Code | Meaning | Resolution | |------------|---------|------------| | GNS3_NOT_FOUND | Project doesn't exist | Check project name/ID | | GNS3_CONFLICT | Project is locked or name exists | Wait for unlock or use different name | | GNS3_AUTH_FAILED | Authentication failed | Verify GNS3_USER and GNS3_PASSWORD |

Notes

• Projects can be referenced by name or UUID
• Close projects to release compute resources
• Lab-only operations - no ServiceNow CR gating required
• All operations logged to GAIT audit trail