Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) 2.5 arrives with annotations, a brand new function for all CML license ranges. When studying and designing, annotations allow you to get essentially the most out of your labs. Annotations assist you to embody all of the documentation on how components of the community work, particulars about your studying aims and subsequent steps, or methods the community components match collectively. In brief, the annotations function in CML 2.5 allows you to make your community yours. Right here’s the way it works.
Add context with annotations in CML
Annotations assist you to present further context to your lab topology and arrange the weather in a useful, significant manner. For instance, you should use annotations to point out routing, IP addressing, and VLAN data, as proven under: 
Annotations in CML are persistent. This implies annotations will likely be included within the lab definition if exported, permitting you to share your annotated labs with others.
A grid background and node/annotation grid snapping are enabled by default. Snapping will routinely snap nodes and annotations to make sure they’re correctly aligned when drawing or shifting them. You possibly can flip off snapping for a lab by unchecking the snap to grid choice within the toolbar settings. It’s also possible to briefly disable snapping by holding the Alt key while you add or transfer a node/annotation.
Moreover, annotations help transparency and layering, permitting you to stack annotations.
The way to add annotations to labs in CML 2.5
You possibly can add annotations to labs within the workbench by way of one of many 4 annotation instruments within the toolbar.
There’s one device for every sort of annotation:
- Rectangle
- Ellipsis
- Textual content
- Line
For all annotation sorts besides textual content, you may add the annotations by first choosing the device. Then click on and maintain the mouse the place you need the annotation to begin, and drag it to the place you need it to finish. Releasing the mouse will create the annotation, and you will notice a sidebar with different properties you may change for the annotation.
The method of including a textual content annotation is comparable, beginning with choosing the device. Subsequent, click on and launch the place you need the textual content. Lastly, the sidebar will open, permitting you to enter the textual content you want to use.
New choices in toolbar settings
Click on the gear icon within the toolbar to open the canvas settings menu, which offers these new choices for CML 2.5:
- Toggles the grid on/off
- Turns node/annotation snapping on/off
- Turns annotations off, hiding the drawn annotations and annotation instruments
NOTE: You possibly can briefly disable the snap-to-grid choice by holding the Alt key (or Choice key on a Mac) when shifting or resizing an annotation/node. This allows you to preserve snapping enabled whereas exactly putting an annotation/node.
Edit annotations
Deciding on an annotation will toggle the visibility of the resize handles for the at the moment chosen annotation. Moreover, a sidebar will likely be opened, permitting you to edit the annotation properties additional
- Resize Handles
- Sidebar
Future annotations in CML
The CML growth crew is at the moment exploring including a picture annotation sort in a future launch to permit the addition of photographs inside a topology.
What do you consider annotations? How can we enhance?
Share your ideas within the Cisco Modeling Labs Group on the Cisco Studying Community now.
Learn subsequent: Cisco Modeling Labs 2.5 presents useful resource limiting for Enterprise and Increased Schooling licenses. Be taught extra.
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