Command Reference

This page provides a complete reference for all dot2net commands and their options.

Global Usage

dot2net [COMMAND] [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Arguments:

<topology.dot> - Network topology file in DOT format (required)

Common Options:

-c, --config <file> - Configuration YAML file (default: input.yaml)
-v, --verbose - Enable verbose output

Important: Always run dot2net from the directory containing your configuration files, as the tool references files relative to the current working directory.

Commands

`build` - Generate Configuration Files

Generates configuration files based on the input topology and configuration templates.

dot2net build [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# Basic usage (uses input.yaml by default)
dot2net build input.dot

# Specify custom config file
dot2net build -c custom.yaml input.dot

# With verbose output
dot2net build -v input.dot

# With CPU profiling
dot2net build -p profile.out input.dot

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net build -c input.yaml input.dot

This generates:

Node directories: r1/, r2/, r3/ containing device-specific configuration files
TiNET deployment: spec.yaml for TiNET network emulation
Containerlab deployment: topo.yaml for Containerlab container-based labs

Generated files for each router include:

r1/frr.conf    # FRR routing daemon configuration
r1/daemons     # FRR daemon startup configuration
r1/vtysh.conf  # FRR CLI configuration

Sample r1/frr.conf content:

ip forwarding
!
router ospf
 ospf router-id 10.0.255.1
 network 10.0.0.0/24 area 0
!
interface net0
 ip address 10.0.0.1/24
!

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file
`--dir`	`-d`	`commands`	Directory name for per-device configuration files
`--profile`	`-p`	(empty)	Profile CPU performance and output to specified file
`--verbose`	`-v`	`false`	Enable verbose output

Output:

Node-specific configuration directories (e.g., r1/, r2/, r3/)
Platform-specific deployment files (spec.yaml for TiNET, topo.yaml for Containerlab)

`params` - List Available Parameters

Lists all parameters available for use in configuration templates.

dot2net params [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# Show basic parameters
dot2net params input.dot

# Show all parameters including relative ones
dot2net params -a input.dot

# Output to file
dot2net params input.dot > params.txt

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net params -c input.yaml input.dot

Sample output (excerpt):

network:ospf_simple {{ .name }} = ospf_simple
node:r1 {{ .image }} = quay.io/frrouting/frr:8.5.4
node:r1 {{ .ip_loopback }} = 10.0.255.1
node:r1 {{ .kind }} = linux
node:r1 {{ .name }} = r1
interface:r1.net0 {{ .conn_name }} = conn0
interface:r1.net0 {{ .ip_addr }} = 10.0.0.1
interface:r1.net0 {{ .ip_net }} = 10.0.0.0/24
interface:r1.net0 {{ .ip_plen }} = 24
interface:r1.net0 {{ .name }} = net0
interface:r1.net0 {{ .node_name }} = r1
interface:r1.net0 {{ .node_ip_loopback }} = 10.0.255.1

This shows how parameters are automatically assigned:

IP addresses: Loopback (10.0.255.x) and interface IPs (10.0.0.x/24)
Cross-object references: {{ .conn_name }}, {{ .node_name }}, etc.
Platform-specific parameters: Container bind mounts, image specifications

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file
`--all`	`-a`	`false`	Show all parameters including relative ones
`--verbose`	`-v`	`false`	Enable verbose output

Output Format:

network {{ .network_name }} = example_network
node:r1 {{ .name }} = r1
node:r1 {{ .ip_loopback }} = 192.168.1.1

`visual` - Visualize IP Address Assignment

Generates a DOT file showing IP address assignments for visualization.

dot2net visual [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# Generate visualization and create PDF
dot2net visual input.dot | dot -Tpdf > addr.pdf

# Visualize specific layer only
dot2net visual -l ipv4 input.dot > ipv4_layout.dot

# SVG output
dot2net visual input.dot | dot -Tsvg > addr.svg

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net visual -c input.yaml input.dot

Sample output:

digraph G {
	r1->r2 [ dir=none, headlabel="net0\n10.0.0.2", label="10.0.0.0/24", taillabel="net0\n10.0.0.1" ];
	r2->r3 [ dir=none, headlabel="net0\n10.0.1.2", label="10.0.1.0/24", taillabel="net1\n10.0.1.1" ];
	r1 [ label="r1\nlo: 10.0.255.1" ];
	r2 [ label="r2\nlo: 10.0.255.2" ];
	r3 [ label="r3\nlo: 10.0.255.3" ];
}

This DOT output shows:

Node labels: Router names with loopback IP addresses
Edge labels: Interface names and IP addresses on both ends
Network labels: Subnet information for each link (10.0.0.0/24, 10.0.1.0/24)

Generate a visual network diagram:

dot2net visual -c input.yaml input.dot | dot -Tpdf > ospf_network.pdf

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file
`--layer`	`-l`	(all layers)	Specify layer name to visualize
`--verbose`	`-v`	`false`	Enable verbose output

Requirements: GraphViz must be installed to generate visual output files.

`data` - Export Parameter Data

Outputs all calculated parameters in JSON format for external processing.

dot2net data [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# Export to JSON file
dot2net data input.dot > network_data.json

# Use with jq for processing
dot2net data input.dot | jq '.nodes[].name'

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net data -c input.yaml input.dot

Sample output (excerpt):

{
  "name": "ospf_simple",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "r1",
      "params": {
        "image": "quay.io/frrouting/frr:8.5.4",
        "ip_loopback": "10.0.255.1",
        "kind": "linux",
        "name": "r1"
      },
      "interfaces": [
        {
          "name": "net0",
          "params": {
            "conn_name": "conn0",
            "ip_addr": "10.0.0.1",
            "ip_net": "10.0.0.0/24",
            "ip_plen": "24",
            "node_name": "r1",
            "node_ip_loopback": "10.0.255.1"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Extract specific information with jq:

# Get all node names
dot2net data -c input.yaml input.dot | jq -r '.nodes[].name'

# Get all IP addresses
dot2net data -c input.yaml input.dot | jq -r '.nodes[].interfaces[].params.ip_addr'

# Get network topology summary
dot2net data -c input.yaml input.dot | jq '{network: .name, node_count: (.nodes | length)}'

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file

`files` - List Generated Files

Shows what files would be generated by the build command without actually creating them.

dot2net files [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# List all files that would be generated
dot2net files input.dot

# With verbose details
dot2net files -v input.dot

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net files -c input.yaml input.dot

Sample output:

r1/daemons
r1/frr.conf
r1/vtysh.conf
r2/daemons
r2/frr.conf
r2/vtysh.conf
r3/daemons
r3/frr.conf
r3/vtysh.conf
spec.yaml
topo.yaml

This shows all files that would be created by dot2net build:

Node configuration directories: One per router (r1/, r2/, r3/)
FRR configuration files: frr.conf, daemons, vtysh.conf for each router
Platform deployment files: spec.yaml (TiNET), topo.yaml (Containerlab)

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file
`--verbose`	`-v`	`false`	Enable verbose output

`clean` - Delete Generated Files

Removes configuration files that were generated by previous build commands.

dot2net clean [OPTIONS] <topology.dot>

Examples:

# Delete all generated files
dot2net clean input.dot

# Preview what would be deleted (dry run)
dot2net clean --dry-run input.dot

# With verbose output
dot2net clean -v input.dot

Example with ospf_simple scenario:

cd example/ospf_simple/
dot2net clean --dry-run -c input.yaml input.dot

Sample output:

Would delete: r1/daemons
Would delete: r1/frr.conf
Would delete: r1/vtysh.conf
Would delete: r2/daemons
Would delete: r2/frr.conf
Would delete: r2/vtysh.conf
Would delete: r3/daemons
Would delete: r3/frr.conf
Would delete: r3/vtysh.conf
Would delete: spec.yaml
Would delete: topo.yaml

Actually delete the files:

dot2net clean -c input.yaml input.dot

The --dry-run option is especially useful for:

Verification: Checking what files would be affected before deletion
Safety: Avoiding accidental deletion of important files
Debugging: Understanding what files dot2net considers "generated"

Options

Flag	Alias	Default	Description
`--config`	`-c`	`input.yaml`	Specify the configuration YAML file
`--verbose`	`-v`	`false`	Enable verbose output
`--dry-run`		`false`	Show what would be deleted without actually deleting

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

# 1. Design and test
dot2net files input.dot                         # Preview generated files
dot2net params input.dot                        # Check parameter assignments
dot2net build -v input.dot                      # Generate with verbose output

# 2. Deploy and test
sudo containerlab deploy --topo topo.yaml       # Deploy with Containerlab
# or
tinet up -c spec.yaml | sudo sh -x              # Deploy with TiNET

# 3. Cleanup
dot2net clean input.dot                         # Remove generated files

Debugging Workflow

# Check parameter assignments
dot2net params -a input.dot > debug_params.txt

# Generate with detailed output
dot2net build -v input.dot 2> debug_build.log

# Visualize IP assignments
dot2net visual input.dot | dot -Tpdf > debug_layout.pdf

Exit Codes

0: Success
1: General error (invalid arguments, file not found, configuration conflicts, etc.)

Notes

The DOT topology file is always required as a positional argument
Configuration files are referenced relative to the current working directory
Use --verbose flag for detailed output when troubleshooting
The --dry-run option for clean command is useful for safely previewing deletions
Default configuration file name is input.yaml to match project conventions

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Command Reference

Command Reference

Global Usage

Commands

`build` - Generate Configuration Files

Options

`params` - List Available Parameters

Options

`visual` - Visualize IP Address Assignment

Options

`data` - Export Parameter Data

Options

`files` - List Generated Files

Options

`clean` - Delete Generated Files

Options

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

Debugging Workflow

Exit Codes

Notes

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Clone this wiki locally

Command Reference

Command Reference

Global Usage

Commands

build - Generate Configuration Files

Options

params - List Available Parameters

Options

visual - Visualize IP Address Assignment

Options

data - Export Parameter Data

Options

files - List Generated Files

Options

clean - Delete Generated Files

Options

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

Debugging Workflow

Exit Codes

Notes

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Clone this wiki locally

`build` - Generate Configuration Files

`params` - List Available Parameters

`visual` - Visualize IP Address Assignment

`data` - Export Parameter Data

`files` - List Generated Files

`clean` - Delete Generated Files