Hardware Validation Templates

A FoundationBluePrint can carry a validation_template. When a physical machine bootstraps, it reports its hardware (the id_map: DMI information, PCI devices, total RAM/CPU, network interfaces and disks). Contractor checks that id_map against the validation template of the Foundation’s BluePrint, and reports every mismatch found, so you can fix everything wrong in one pass instead of one problem per reboot. If the BluePrint does not have a template, the BluePrints in its parent_list are searched, the first one found is used. A BluePrint with no template anywhere in its parents accepts any hardware.

The template is a JSON dictionary shaped like the id_map it is checked against. The template is checked when the BluePrint is saved, a malformed template is rejected.

Matching rules

Dict node

A plain dictionary. Each key must be present in the id_map and its value is checked against the sub template. Matching is exact by default, any key in the id_map not named in the template is an error. The key * is a wildcard, its sub template is applied to every key not otherwise named. Naming every expected key (ie: every disk bay) also implies an exact count.

List node

[ sub_template ], or { “$each”: sub_template, “$count”: … }. Every element of the list is checked against the sub template. Order is not significant.

Leaf node

A dictionary of the reserved $ keys below which constrain a value directly.

Leaf keys

• $match - a regular expression, the whole value must match. Avoid nested quantifiers, the value comes from the machine being bootstrapped and is not trusted.

• $min / $max - inclusive bounds. Compared as a number, then as a dotted version (1.12.3), then as a string. Use both for a range.

• $eq - exactly this value, same comparison as $min/$max

• $in - one of a list of values

• $type - one of str, int, float, number, bool, list, dict, null

• $count - the number of items (list elements or dict keys), either an exact number or { “$min”: n, “$max”: m }

• $any - true, accept any value

Any node

• $optional - true, do not fail if the item is missing

• $exists - false, fail if the item is present

• $loose - true, this node and every dict under it accept keys that are not named, without needing a *. Set “$loose”: false on a branch to make it exact again.

• $contains - at least one element/value must match the sub template. Useful for things like pci, which is keyed by bus address. May also be a list of { “$template”: …, “$count”: … } clauses to require several things at once (ie: exactly 2 network cards and 4 GPUs)

• $contains_count - how many matches a single $contains requires (default at least 1)

• $or - a list of sub templates, at least one must match. Useful when a field is spelled differently by different vendors.

Example

Require a specific server model with 2 sockets, at least 128GiB of RAM, and don’t care about anything else:

{
  "$loose": true,
  "hardware": {
    "dmi": {
      "System Info": [ { "Manufacturer": { "$eq": "Dell Inc." }, "Product Name": { "$match": "PowerEdge R6[34]0" } } ]
    },
    "total_cpu_sockets": { "$eq": 2 },
    "total_ram": { "$min": 137438953472 }
  },
  "disks": { "SAS 0:0": { "isSSD": { "$eq": true } } }
}

NOTE: disks is keyed by the drive’s physical location (ie: SAS 0:0, NVME 1:0), so specific bays can be pinned.