203-Bad number of parameters (1 with min/max=2/2)

I received a couple of messages from people who had trouble loading some of the labs I built in GNS3, this is the error they reported:

203-Bad number of parameters (1 with min/max=2/2)

Fortunately it's easy to fix if you doing what you are doing.

First you have to create a new project in GNS3, just click and drag a single router and boot it. Configure a hostname or a loopback or something and type write memory in the console. Now go to GNS3 and click on file and save project as, don't forget to click on the save IOS startup configurations. Close GNS3 and open your topology .NET file in wordpad. it will look pretty much the same as my example:

autostart = False
[127.0.0.1:7200]
    workingdir = C:\DOCUME~1\VMWare\LOCALS~1\Temp
    udp = 10000
    [[3640]]
        image = C:\Documents and Settings\VMWare\Desktop\C3640-JK.BIN
        ghostios = True
        chassis = 3640
    [[ROUTER R1]]
        model = 3640
        console = 2003
        cnfg = configs\R1.cfg
        x = -100.0
        y = -56.0
[GNS3-DATA]
    configs = configs

Now open up my topology file in wordpad, as an example I took the EIGRP Beginner lab i created sometime ago. It's not the entire file just a part of it:

autostart = False
[localhost:7200]
    workingdir = /tmp
    udp = 10000
    [[3640]]
        image = /Data/IOS Images/c3640-jk9s-mz.124-16.bin
        idlepc = 0x6059c528
        ghostios = True
        chassis = 3640
    [[ROUTER R1]]
        model = 3640
        console = 2001
        slot0 = NM-1FE-TX
        f0/0 = R2 f0/0
        slot1 = NM-1FE-TX
        f1/0 = R3 f0/0
        x = -355.0
        y = -225.0
[GNS3-DATA]
    configs = EIGRP Beginner_configs
    m11 = 1.41421356237
    m22 = 1.41421356237
    [[NOTE 1]]
        text = Y
        x = -479.418397644
        y = 7.79898987322
        color = "#1a1a1a"

Do you see the difference? The localhost might be different, it's probably 127.0.0.1 in your topology file. The workingdir is different for sure and so is the image location.

Let me compare them:

EIGRP Beginner: [localhost:7200]

New Project: [127.0.0.1:7200]

EIGRP Beginner: workingdir = /tmp

New Project: workingdir = C:\DOCUME~1\VMWare\LOCALS~1\Temp

EIGRP Beginner: image = /Data/IOS Images/c3640-jk9s-mz.124-16.bin

New Project: image = C:\Documents and Settings\VMWare\Desktop\C3640-JK.BIN

And you might have to check the configs directory structure. I'm also probably using another idlepc value so it's good to copy yours in the topology file.

So how to fix it? Easy! Just copy and paste your information in my topology file and save it. Open it in GNS3 and voila.......a working lab!

If you want a real life example just watch this video I created:

If you have any questions or think this is useful please let me know by leaving a comment.