[hobbit] Default Host Entries

[Henrik Stoerner]

On Wed, Dec 21, 2005 at 03:35:26PM -0800, Jeff Stuart wrote:
> Ok.. I've seen a couple of differing definitions of the "default" host
> entry.  And I have a couple of questions.
> 
> 1) Which is the proper entry for a default host entry?
> .default.   # Tags/tests
> 0.0.0.0 .default. # Tags/tests

The last one.


> 2) Do the default entries merge with what's listed in a specific host? 
> IE if say my default includes a test for the FTP server and I don't want
> a specific host to test FTP so I put !ftp.  Who wins?

Yes, but ... the default entries can only be used for some of the tags
that you can put in the bb-hosts file, and NOT for the network tests.
Those that you can put in a default section are those that are not host-
or test-specific: dialup, nobb2, nodisp, DESCR, TRENDS, NK, NKTIME,
WML, NOPROP*, REPORTTIME, WARNPCT, NET, nosslcert, ssldays, DOWNTIME,
noping, noconn, trace, notrace, depends.

There's currenly no way that you can remove any of the settings from
the default settings on a per-host basis. You can override it by putting
e.g. a DOWNTIME setting on botht the default-host and the individual
host - then the individual setting wins.


> 3) If I have multiple files that get included into my bb-hosts file and
> I setup default entries in each, do the default entries get scope?  IE
> if I setup a default in file A, and then include file B does the default
> entry in file A only apply to file A?  And what if I setup a default
> entry in bb-hosts.  Does it get overridden in each of the includes or do
> they merge?

They don't scope. When Hobbit reads the bb-hosts file, it internally
builds a single "file" by following all of the includes - use the
"bbhostshow" command to see what it looks like. And then it starts
looking at the individual hosts and default-definitions. 

What I recommend that you do is to put begin/end default definitions
in one file. Like this:

   0.0.0.0   .default. # noconn NOPROPRED:msgs
   10.0.0.1  host1  
   10.0.0.2  host2
   0.0.0.0   .default. #

The first default definition sets some defaults, the second clears all
of the defaults.


Regards,
Henrik