Hi Milosz,
Thank you for your response and suggestions!
I have a quick clarification question about the interactive shell approach:
Can interactive shell commands execute on the dispatcher, or do they only run on the DUT?
In my use case, I need to execute Redfish API calls from the dispatcher (the dispatcher has network access to the BMC at 192.168.xx.xx, while the DUT is the BMC itself connected via serial console). If interactive shell runs on the DUT, I'm not sure how it would help me avoid modifying the device dictionary for dispatcher-side commands.
Could you provide a brief example or point me to documentation showing how to use interactive shell to run commands on the dispatcher with dynamic parameters from the job file?
Also, I tried joining the Discord server using the link you provided (https://discord.com/channels/1412434677477937203/1412434677477937211), but I see "NO TEXT CHANNELS" - it appears I don't have access or the link might be incorrect. Could you verify the invite link or let me know if there's a verification process I need to complete?
Thank you for your patience and help!
Best regards, Mor
Mor,On Sun, Nov 2, 2025 at 3:32 PM מור נגלי <naglimor267@gmail.com> wrote:>> Hello LAVA community,>> I'm working with LAVA for automated testing of embedded systems with BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) and I've encountered a limitation that I'd like to ask about.>> My Use Case>> I'm testing devices that support Redfish API for power management. I need to execute various Redfish commands (forceoff, poweron, forcerestart, etc.) from the dispatcher during test jobs. Currently, I define these as user_commands in my device dictionary:>> jinja2>> {% set user_commands = {> 'redfish_forceoff': {> 'do': '/opt/lava-lab/shared/lab-scripts/dispatcher_command.sh 192.168.17.111 forceoff'> },> 'redfish_poweron': {> 'do': '/opt/lava-lab/shared/lab-scripts/dispatcher_command.sh 192.168.17.111 poweron'> },> # ... more commands> } %}>> Then in my job file:>> yaml>> - command:> name: redfish_forceoff>> The Problem>> Every time I need to add a new Redfish action, I must modify the device dictionary (Jinja file) to add a new user_command entry. I'd like users to be able to specify the action dynamically from the job file without requiring device configuration changes.>> What I want to achieve:>> yaml>> # In job file - specify action dynamically> context:> redfish_action: forceoff>> actions:> - command:> name: redfish_command # Generic command that uses context variable>> What I've Investigated>> Deploy actions support variable substitution (e.g., {IMAGE}), but this is hardcoded for deploy actions only> Job context variables can override device dictionary values, but only at device configuration rendering time (job parsing), not at action execution time> user_commands are static strings with no runtime parameter substitution mechanism> Test definitions support parameters, but they run on the DUT, not the dispatcher>> I understand from the documentation that dispatcher commands are intentionally restricted for security reasons, which makes sense.>> My Current Workaround>> I'm using Jinja2 loops to auto-generate commands from a list:>> jinja2>> {% set redfish_actions = ['auth_test', 'forceoff', 'poweron', 'forcerestart'] %}> {% set user_commands = {} %}> {% for action in redfish_actions %}> {% set _ = user_commands.update({'rf_' + action: {'do': rf_script + ' ' + action}}) %}> {% endfor %}>> This reduces the pain (just add one word to a list), but still requires device configuration edits.>> My Questions>> Is there any mechanism I've missed that allows passing runtime parameters from job files to user_commands?No, there isn't.> Is this a known limitation that others have encountered?Yes, this is a limitation. Other limitation (comparing to other"commands") is that user_commands don't accept lists - only a singlestring. For example power_on and power_off commands accept lists.> Would it be feasible to add support for parameter substitution in user_commands (similar to how deploy actions work with {IMAGE}), while maintaining security constraints?Given the commands are executed on the dispatcher it might be a biglift. It's really hard to say without any implementation proposal.> Are there alternative approaches within LAVA's architecture that I should consider?You can try interactive shell:The commands you execute come as part of a test job. So you still needto generate them somehow but there is no need to change the devicedictionary for that.>> Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If this is a feature that doesn't exist but would be useful, I'd be happy to discuss potential implementation approaches or contribute to a feature request.>Send a PR and we can discuss there. Alternatively you can join discordand ask there:Best Regards,Milosz