Renaming devices

[grossmj]

Right now when a user rename a device in GNS3, the device is deleted and recreated with the new name.

Here is an example of what happens when you change the hostname for a router from R1 to R2. Everything (all the parameters, UDP NIOs if there are connections etc.) has to be sent again. Surely this is not efficient.

15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm delete R1
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ["100-VM 'R1' deleted"]
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm create R2 1 c3725
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ["100-VM 'R2' created"]
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): PORT TRACKER: allocate port 2102
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_con_tcp_port R2 2102
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): PORT TRACKER: allocate port 2502
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_aux_tcp_port R2 2502
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_ios R2 "c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T14.image"
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ["100-IOS image set for 'R2'"]
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_ram R2 128
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_sparse_mem R2 1
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_idle_pc R2 0x60c086a8
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_ghost_status R2 2
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_ghost_file R2 "c3725-adventerprisek9-mz.124-15.T14.image-127.0.0.1.ghost"
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_con_tcp_port R2 2101
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm set_aux_tcp_port R2 2501
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ['100-OK']

There is the same issue with all other Dynamips devices (Ethernet, ATM, Frame-relay switches, ATM bridge, Ethernet hub)

What I propose is to add new hypervisor commands to simply rename devices internally in Dynamips.

IOS device: vm rename old_hostname new_hostname
Ethernet switch: ethsw rename old_hostname new_hostname
Ethernet hub: nio_bridge rename old_hostname new_hostname
Frame-relay switch: frsw rename old_hostname new_hostname
ATM bridge: atm_bridge rename old_hostname new_hostname
ATM switch: atmsw rename old_hostname new_hostname

Thus for instance, the only command needed to rename a router from R1 to R2 would become the following:

15:02:23: DEBUG (1): sending to dynamips at 127.0.0.1:7200 -> vm rename R1 R2
15:02:23: DEBUG (1): returned -> ["100-VM 'R1' renamed 'R2'"]

[flaviojs]

Sounds good. =)

There is another type of object for the undocumented module object_store, which allows you to store arbitrary text information in the hypervisor.
For completeness i'll be adding a rename command there too:

object_store rename old_name new_name

[flaviojs]

Btw, to see if a command is present, I recommend using "hypervisor cmd_list module" instead of checking the version.

[grossmj]

Good idea. This is way better! 👍

[flaviojs]

Done.

[flaviojs]

As noted in #26 , vm rename is bugged.
It's using log/lock file names with the old name. (unless the command line option -N 1 is used)
Needs to create new ones.

It also doesn't rename the old files.

[grossmj]

As said in #26, I think you should just go for the -N1 by default first and for you solution second.

[flaviojs]

Done, it's renaming all related files. =)