Managing Snapshots

Table of Contents

1

Snapshot

Snapshots of a GNS3 project allow you to save the network diagram and configuration of each device at a specific point in time. These snapshots give you the flexibility to manage changes to your network configuration and settings.

Creating a snapshot

The steps to create a snapshot are as follows

Step1:Saving configuration of each device
Step2:Stop each device.
Step3:Create a snapshot

Step1:Saving configuration of each device

Save the configuration of each device before creating a snapshot. Save the configuration from the CLI with the copy running-config startup-config command.

Step2:Stop each device

Snapshots cannot be taken while the emulating device is running. Please stop the device once you have saved the configuration.

Step3:Create a snapshot

Use the [Manage Snapshot] button to open the snapshot management screen and click [Create].

Enter any snapshot name and click [OK] to create a snapshot at that point.

The snapshot is stored as a portable project in the following path

[GNS3 project path]\snapshots\<snapshotname>_DDMMYY_XXXXXX.gns3project

The XXXXXXX in the file name seems to be based on time.

Creating a snapshot means you are exporting it as a portable project to the path above.

Restore Snapshots

The procedure for restoring a project from a snapshot of a specific point in time is as follows

Step1:Launch the GNS3 project that is making a snapshot
Step2:Restore from Snapshot

Step1:Launch the GNS3 project that is making a snapshot

To restore a snapshot, you can do it from the GNS3 project where you created the snapshot. Please start the corresponding GNS3 project.

Step2:Restore from Snapshot

From the Snapshot Management window, select the snapshot you want to restore and click [Restore].

When restored, each device’s configuration will return to the point at which the snapshot was taken.

The snapshot restore process seems to be wiping all of the devices in the project once they are all wiped and relocated. Therefore, all of the equipment’s UUIDs are assigned a new one.

Importing a snapshot as a new project

If you import a snapshot .gn3project file, you can also restore it as a new project. Go to [File]→[Import portable project] and specify the .gnsproject file of the snapshot to be imported.

When you import, a new project is created and the project name is the default snapshot file name. Change it if necessary.