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Features and editions
What VEX-NX can do, where each capability lives, and what each edition unlocks.
The main workspaces
| Workspace | What you get |
|---|---|
| Home | Continue your last lab, the Launch Budget, host checks, recent labs |
| Labs | Blank labs, Generate Lab, Migrate Lab, Import Lab, Containerlab import |
| Topology Designer | Design, Operate, and Visualize on one shared canvas |
| Guided Labs | Step-by-step labs with progress, checks, and solution playbooks |
| Images / Templates | Library, Catalog, Compatibility, convert-and-add, bulk import |
| Container Image Center | Docker and OCI images used by container runtimes |
| Configuration Studio | Running, startup, candidate, and golden configs; diff, history, multi-node apply |
| Automation Studio | Playbooks and inventory groups, run now or on a schedule |
| Assist | LLM chat plus lab and config drafting (needs OpenRouter) |
| Traffic Lens | Utilization and bandwidth paint plus a conversations dock |
| Packet Capture | Captures dock and Capture Center PCAP |
| Lab Hub | Curated packages, with optional remote sync |
| Classroom | Share labs; Enterprise adds timers, dashboard, grading, PDF, Proctor |
| Cluster Manager | Compute agents, placement hints, image sync for distributed labs |
| Administration | Users and roles, licence, Assist LLM, security, backup, updates, audit |
Capabilities in detail
| Area | What you get |
|---|---|
| Runtimes | QEMU/KVM, Docker, Dynamips, and Cisco IOL with your images; VEX-NOS Exact, Native, or Lite on supported templates |
| Topology | Drag templates, connect ports, nested maps, undo/redo, physical and logical views |
| Fabric | Linux bridges; Management, NAT, and Bridge clouds; external management when configured |
| Consoles | HTML5 serial, VNC, and Docker shell, docked or maximized; SecureCRT or PuTTY via TCP 8022 |
| Node lifecycle | Start, Stop, Suspend, Restart, Wipe; bulk actions; disk snapshots on supported runtimes |
| ScriptPad | Startup-config profiles; Wipe + Start day-0 media with live CLI fallback |
| Validate | Pre-flight and scored checks; Smart Lab Preflight before Start |
| Link impairment | Delay, jitter, loss, reorder, and rate presets on fabric links |
| Packet Journey | Modeled path visualization from the lab More menu |
| Time Machine | Lab restore points and fault injection |
| Black Box | Incident evidence recorder: events plus capture references |
| Containerlab Passport | Import Containerlab YAML; export a lab as Containerlab YAML |
| API and MCP | JWT REST API plus an MCP tool catalogue for agents |
Editions
Two editions ship. Both run the same software; the edition sets capacity and unlocks a few features.
| Feature | Student | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Core UI, QEMU and Docker, consoles, starters | ✓ | ✓ |
| Packet capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| Generate Lab and Migrate Lab | ✓ | ✓ |
| Containerlab import and export | ✓ | ✓ |
| Configuration and Automation Studio | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lab Hub, Cluster Manager | ✓ | ✓ |
| Assist and MCP agent API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full commercial template catalogue | ✓ | ✓ |
| Concurrent labs | 5 | Unlimited |
| Nodes per lab | 100 | Unlimited |
| Users | 1 | Unlimited |
| Classroom timers | – | ✓ |
| LDAP, SSO, and RADIUS | – | ✓ |
See Licence editions and activation to upgrade.
Worth knowing
Tip
Compatibility status. Certified means verified on VEX-NX: Start, live terminal, guest config, then Stop / Wipe / Start retested. Always check the live status under Images → Compatibility.
- VEX-NOS Adaptive Runtime. Choose Exact (vendor QEMU), Native (IOL or cEOS-style), or Lite (an FRR stand-in, clearly labelled as simulation).
- Preflight before Start all. Open the lab, then More → Preflight check to catch image, capacity, or lock problems before you spend boot time.
- External consoles. Right-click a running node and choose Open in SecureCRT or Open in PuTTY after installing the Windows Client Pack once.
Not included
- Vendor OS images, IOL binaries, or Cisco
iourcfiles. Bring your own. - Classroom timers and LDAP, SSO, and RADIUS on Student.
- Kubernetes or Cilium lab orchestration (not shipped yet).
- High-availability fencing and automatic failover. Cluster Manager registers agents and syncs images.