Creating your first lab¶
A lab in nova-ve is a JSON file under /var/lib/nova-ve/labs/ that describes a topology — nodes, networks, and links between them. The lab editor renders that JSON as a visual canvas you can edit.
Create a lab¶
- Open
http://<host>/and log in. - Click Labs in the top nav, then New lab.
- Give the lab a name (this becomes the filename —
<name>.json). - The editor opens with an empty canvas.
The lab JSON is created server-side at /var/lib/nova-ve/labs/<name>.json. It is owned by root with mode 0600; reading it directly from the host requires sudo cat.
What you can do next¶
- Add nodes — Docker containers or QEMU VMs from built-in or imported templates. See Adding nodes.
- Add networks — Linux bridges (or OVS bridges) that act as L2 hubs between nodes. The canvas calls these "Network" pills with a count badge.
- Wire them together — drag from a node port to a network or another node port. See Connecting nodes.
- Start nodes — right-click a node → Start, or use the lab-level Start All control.
- Open consoles — once a node is running, click its console icon to open a Guacamole HTML5 console. See Console access.
Anatomy of the editor¶
| Region | What it does |
|---|---|
| Top bar | Lab name + path + metric pills (Nodes / Running / Networks / vCPU) and console-layout selector |
| Canvas | The main drag-pannable Svelte Flow canvas with nodes, networks, and links |
| Palette (left) | Add new nodes / networks; opens a modal for templated nodes |
| Info panels (top-left, floating) | Up to 4 draggable panels with per-node or per-network metadata |
| Console workspace | A tabbed (or floating) console pane that hosts Guacamole sessions |
For a guided tour of canvas interactions (info panels, top-bar pills, pinned port labels, link hover), see The lab canvas.