# pxetest VM harness

Proves a new PXE server can be built from this repo, in two libvirt VMs on
a laptop, without root and without touching a real network.

## Topology

| Object            | What                                                                 |
|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `pxetest-imaging` | libvirt network, bridge `virbr-pxetest`. No `<forward>`, no `<ip>`: the host has no address on it and libvirt runs no DHCP there. Only VM taps are on the bridge. |
| `default`         | libvirt NAT, 192.168.122.0/24. Stands in for the GE/corp network.    |
| `pxetest-server`  | 2 vCPU, 4 GiB, q35 + OVMF Secure Boot (MS keys), 60G thin qcow2 (`vda`, boot 1), the USB image as a USB disk (`sda`, boot 2). |
| `pxetest-client`  | 2 vCPU, 2 GiB, OVMF Secure Boot (MS keys), 1G blank disk, network boot first (UEFI IPv4 PXE, virtio-net, OVMF driver, no option ROM). |

NIC MACs (fixed):

| VM     | NIC     | MAC                 | Network           | Playbook var      |
|--------|---------|---------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| server | GE      | `52:54:00:9e:10:01` | `default` NAT     | `corp_nic_mac`    |
| server | imaging | `52:54:00:9e:10:02` | `pxetest-imaging` | `pxe_nic_mac`     |
| client | -       | `52:54:00:9e:10:03` | `pxetest-imaging` | -                 |

`build-image.sh` writes `$PXETEST_CACHE/site-vars.yml` with these two
MACs (`pxe_nic_mac`, `corp_nic_mac`) and passes it to `build-usb.sh
--site-vars`, so it lands on CIDATA as `playbook/site-vars.yml`. The
installer brings both NICs up with DHCP; the playbook renames them to
pxe0 / corp0 and pins pxe0 to 172.16.9.1.

The disk boots before the USB on purpose: a blank disk falls through to
the installer, and after the install the server boots its disk instead of
re-running autoinstall. CIDATA stays attached for the first-boot playbook.

Never attach a pxetest VM to a physical NIC, a host bridge with physical
ports, or macvtap: the server's dnsmasq serves DHCP/PXE as 172.16.9.1.
`create.sh`, `start.sh` and `status.sh` check the isolation and refuse to
continue if `pxetest-imaging` ever gains a `<forward>`, an `<ip>`, a host
IPv4 address or a non-tap bridge port.

## Run it

    export PXETEST_CACHE=~/.cache/pxetest               # ISO + image (about 10 GB)
    export PXETEST_PAYLOAD_ROOT=/home/camp/projects/pxe  # checkout holding offline-packages/, boot-files/, ...

    tests/vm/fetch-iso.sh        # Ubuntu 24.04.5 live-server ISO, SHA256SUMS-verified
    tests/vm/build-image.sh      # build-usb.sh --image, upload as volume pxetest-usb.img
    tests/vm/create.sh           # network, volumes, both VMs (prints the MAC pins)
    tests/vm/start.sh server     # autoinstall, reboot, first-boot playbook
    tests/vm/status.sh --shot /tmp/pxetest-shots   # states, leases, screenshots
    tests/vm/start.sh client     # once the server playbook is done
    tests/vm/stop.sh             # ACPI shutdown both, keep them defined
    tests/vm/destroy.sh          # remove every pxetest-* object

`build-image.sh` skips enrollment/, bios-staging/, drivers-staging/ and
boot-tools/ by default; `--with-enrollment` and `--with-boot-tools` add
them back, `--size 20G` fixes the image size (default `auto`). If the host
has no `sfdisk` or `mtools`, the debs are extracted into
`$PXETEST_CACHE/tools` (no install, no root).

Watch the server with `virt-viewer -c qemu:///system pxetest-server` (VNC on
127.0.0.1) or screenshots. On the installed system, first-boot output goes
to `/var/log/first-boot.log`. Once the GE NIC takes a DHCP lease on the NAT
network, `status.sh` shows its address and `ssh pxe@<address>` works from
the host.

Memory: server 4 GiB + client 2 GiB. Keep other VMs (win11) off while
both run, and stop them when done.