GNS3 Snapshot Operations

Create and manage snapshots of GNS3 project state. Save checkpoints before risky changes and restore to known-good states.

When to Use

• Saving project state before making experimental changes
• Creating checkpoints at key milestones (baseline, after config, etc.)
• Restoring to a previous state after a failed experiment
• Rolling back configuration mistakes
• Comparing different configurations by restoring snapshots
• Training scenarios with repeatable starting points

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_snapshots | project_id | List all snapshots for a project | | gns3_create_snapshot | project_id, name | Create a snapshot of current state | | gns3_restore_snapshot | project_id, snapshot_id | Restore project to snapshot state | | gns3_delete_snapshot | project_id, snapshot_id | Delete a snapshot |

Workflow Examples

Safe Experimentation

bash
# Create baseline before changes
"Create a snapshot called baseline for routing-test"

# Make some changes...
# (configure OSPF, add new links, etc.)

# Something went wrong? Restore to baseline
"Restore routing-test to baseline snapshot"

Milestone Checkpoints

bash
# Save after initial topology setup
"Create a snapshot called topology-complete for routing-test"

# Save after basic configuration
"Create a snapshot called basic-config for routing-test"

# Save after full configuration
"Create a snapshot called full-config for routing-test"

# List all checkpoints
"List snapshots for routing-test"

Training Scenarios

bash
# Create starting point for students
"Create a snapshot called student-starting-point for training-lab"

# After each session, restore to starting point
"Restore training-lab to student-starting-point"

Clean Up Old Snapshots

bash
# Remove snapshots no longer needed
"Delete the old-test snapshot from routing-test"

Integration with Other Skills

• gns3-project-lifecycle: Create project before snapshots
• gns3-node-operations: Stop nodes before snapshot for cleaner state
• gns3-link-management: Topology is preserved in snapshots

What Snapshots Include

• All node configurations and state
• All links and topology
• Node positions on canvas
• Project settings

Best Practices

1. Descriptive names: Use names like before-ospf-config not snap1
2. Create before changes: Always snapshot before risky operations
3. Stop nodes first: Cleaner snapshots when nodes are stopped
4. Clean up regularly: Delete old snapshots to save disk space

Error Handling

| Error Code | Meaning | Resolution | |------------|---------|------------| | GNS3_NOT_FOUND | Project or snapshot doesn't exist | Check names/IDs | | GNS3_CONFLICT | Snapshot name already exists | Use unique names |

Notes

• Snapshots can be referenced by name or UUID
• Restore stops running nodes automatically
• Snapshots are stored within the project directory
• Snapshot names must be unique within a project
• All operations logged to GAIT audit trail