Files
pxe-server/tests/vm/README.md
cproudlock bcd91b488a Offline install that lands fully patched: resolve against the ISO's own base
- autoinstall: dead mirror + fallback offline-install, so the installed
  base is exactly the ISO's; late-commands run offline-apt-install.sh on
  CIDATA packages/ (local apt repo, one transaction, errors fail the
  install, log /var/log/offline-apt-install.log); first boot no longer
  runs dpkg -i; real archive sources written back at the end.
- download-packages.sh --iso: unpacks the ISO's default install source
  into a docker image (pxe-iso-base:<version>) and downloads there: all
  updates of the base, the explicit list (zip included) and the newest
  pool packages with their closure; writes Packages + explicit.list and
  checks the set offline in a fresh base container (--network none).
- offline-apt-install.sh: new; also used by that check (--simulate).
- build-usb.sh: ships Packages, explicit.list and the script; refuses a
  set without them.
- tests/vm: pxetest-client-nosb (Secure Boot off, e1000e, SATA), one
  client at a time.
2026-10-15 10:59:30 -04:00

4.8 KiB

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). Proves shim -> iPXE -> menu -> WinPE under Secure Boot; WinPE has no virtio driver, so it stops at "Waiting for network".
pxetest-client-nosb 2 vCPU, 2 GiB, OVMF without Secure Boot, e1000e NIC, 64G thin SATA disk. WinPE has in-box drivers for both, so startnet gets a network and maps the shares.

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 -
client-nosb - 52:54:00:9e:10:04 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/, ...
export UBUNTU_ISO_NAME=ubuntu-24.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso  # optional; default 24.04.5

tests/vm/fetch-iso.sh        # the live-server ISO, SHA256SUMS-verified
scripts/download-packages.sh --iso "$PXETEST_CACHE/$UBUNTU_ISO_NAME" "$PXETEST_PAYLOAD_ROOT/offline-packages"
scripts/check-updates.py --debs "$PXETEST_PAYLOAD_ROOT/offline-packages"
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 (Secure Boot client)
tests/vm/stop.sh client
tests/vm/start.sh client2    # Secure Boot off, e1000e: WinPE maps the shares
tests/vm/stop.sh             # ACPI shutdown all, 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.

The offline package set must be built against the SAME ISO the image is built from (download-packages.sh resolves against that ISO's base). For a fresh server disk: tests/vm/destroy.sh, then build-image.sh, create.sh, start.sh server.

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