docs/devel/testing/acpi-bits.rst - qemu - Git at Google

 ==================================
 ACPI/SMBIOS testing using biosbits
 ==================================
 ************
 Introduction
 ************
 Biosbits is a software written by Josh Triplett that can be downloaded
 from https://biosbits.org/. The github codebase can be found
 `here <https://github.com/biosbits/bits/tree/master>`__. It is a software that
 executes the bios components such as acpi and smbios tables directly through
 acpica bios interpreter (a freely available C based library written by Intel,
 downloadable from https://acpica.org/ and is included with biosbits) without an
 operating system getting involved in between. Bios-bits has python integration
 with grub so actual routines that executes bios components can be written in
 python instead of bash-ish (grub's native scripting language).
 There are several advantages to directly testing the bios in a real physical
 machine or in a VM as opposed to indirectly discovering bios issues through the
 operating system (the OS). Operating systems tend to bypass bios problems and
 hide them from the end user. We have more control of what we wanted to test and
 how by being as close to the bios on a running system as possible without a
 complicated software component such as an operating system coming in between.
 Another issue is that we cannot exercise bios components such as ACPI and
 SMBIOS without being in the highest hardware privilege level, ring 0 for
 example in case of x86. Since the OS executes from ring 0 whereas normal user
 land software resides in unprivileged ring 3, operating system must be modified
 in order to write our test routines that exercise and test the bios. This is
 not possible in all cases. Lastly, test frameworks and routines are preferably
 written using a high level scripting language such as python. OSes and
 OS modules are generally written using low level languages such as C and
 low level assembly machine language. Writing test routines in a low level
 language makes things more cumbersome. These and other reasons makes using
 bios-bits very attractive for testing bioses. More details on the inspiration
 for developing biosbits and its real life uses were presented `at Plumbers
 in 2011 <Plumbers_>`__ and `at Linux.conf.au in 2012 <Linux.conf.au_>`__.

 For QEMU, we maintain a fork of bios bits in `gitlab`_, along with all
 the dependent submodules.  This fork contains numerous fixes, a newer
 acpica and changes specific to running these functional QEMU tests using
 bits. The author of this document is the current maintainer of the QEMU
 fork of bios bits repository. For more information, please see `the
 author's FOSDEM presentation <FOSDEM_>`__ on this bios-bits based test framework.

 .. _Plumbers: https://blog.linuxplumbersconf.org/2011/ocw/system/presentations/867/original/bits.pdf
 .. _Linux.conf.au: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36QIepyUuhg
 .. _gitlab: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits
 .. _FOSDEM: https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-2262-exercising-qemu-generated-acpi-smbios-tables-using-biosbits-from-within-a-guest-vm-/

 *********************************
 Description of the test framework
 *********************************

 Under the directory ``tests/functional/``, ``test_acpi_bits.py`` is a QEMU
 functional test that drives all this.

 A brief description of the various test files follows.

 Under ``tests/functional/`` as the root we have:

 ::

    ├── acpi-bits
    │ ├── bits-config
    │ │ └── bits-cfg.txt
    │ ├── bits-tests
    │   ├── smbios.py2
    │   ├── testacpi.py2
    │   └── testcpuid.py2
    ├── test_acpi_bits.py

 * ``tests/functional``:

    ``test_acpi_bits.py``:
    This is the main python functional test script that generates a
    biosbits iso. It then spawns a QEMU VM with it, collects the log and reports
    test failures. This is the script one would be interested in if they wanted
    to add or change some component of the log parsing, add a new command line
    to alter how QEMU is spawned etc. Test writers typically would not need to
    modify this script unless they wanted to enhance or change the log parsing
    for their tests. In order to enable debugging, you can set **V=1**
    environment variable. This enables verbose mode for the test and also dumps
    the entire log from bios bits and more information in case failure happens.
    You can also set **BITS_DEBUG=1** to turn on debug mode. It will enable
    verbose logs and also retain the temporary work directory the test used for
    you to inspect and run the specific commands manually.

    In order to run this test, please perform the following steps from the QEMU
    build directory (assuming that the sources are in ".."):
    ::

      $ export PYTHONPATH=../python:../tests/functional
      $ export QEMU_TEST_QEMU_BINARY=$PWD/qemu-system-x86_64
      $ python3 ../tests/functional/test_acpi_bits.py

    The above will run all acpi-bits functional tests (producing output in
    tap format).

    You can inspect the log files in tests/functional/x86_64/test_acpi_bits.*/
    for more information about the run or in order to diagnoze issues.
    If you pass V=1 in the environment, more diagnostic logs will be put into
    the test log.

 * ``tests/functional/acpi-bits/bits-config``:

    This location contains biosbits configuration files that determine how the
    software runs the tests.

    ``bits-config.txt``:
    This is the biosbits config file that determines what tests
    or actions are performed by bits. The description of the config options are
    provided in the file itself.

 * ``tests/functional/acpi-bits/bits-tests``:

    This directory contains biosbits python based tests that are run from within
    the biosbits environment in the spawned VM. New additions of test cases can
    be made in the appropriate test file. For example, new acpi tests can go
    into testacpi.py2 and one would call testsuite.add_test() to register the new
    test so that it gets executed as a part of the ACPI tests.
    It might be occasionally necessary to disable some subtests or add a new
    test that belongs to a test suite not already present in this directory. To
    do this, please clone the bits source from
    https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits/-/tree/qemu-bits.
    Note that this is the "qemu-bits" branch and not the "bits" branch of the
    repository. "qemu-bits" is the branch where we have made all the QEMU
    specific enhancements and we must use the source from this branch only.
    Copy the test suite/script that needs modification (addition of new tests
    or disabling them) from python directory into this directory. For
    example, in order to change cpuid related tests, copy the following
    file into this directory and rename it with .py2 extension:
    https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits/-/blob/qemu-bits/python/testcpuid.py
    Then make your additions and changes here. Therefore, the steps are:

        (a) Copy unmodified test script to this directory from bits source.
        (b) Add a SPDX license header.
        (c) Perform modifications to the test.

    Commits (a), (b) and (c) preferably should go under separate commits so that
    the original test script and the changes we have made are separated and
    clear. (a) and (b) can sometimes be combined into a single step.

    The test framework will then use your modified test script to run the test.
    No further changes would be needed. Please check the logs to make sure that
    appropriate changes have taken effect.

    The tests have an extension .py2 in order to indicate that:

    (a) They are python2.7 based scripts and not python 3 scripts.
    (b) They are run from within the bios bits VM and is not subjected to QEMU
        build/test python script maintenance and dependency resolutions.
    (c) They need not be loaded by the test framework by accident when running
        tests.


 Author: Ani Sinha <anisinha@redhat.com>
	==================================
	ACPI/SMBIOS testing using biosbits
	==================================
	************
	Introduction
	************
	Biosbits is a software written by Josh Triplett that can be downloaded
	from https://biosbits.org/. The github codebase can be found
	`here <https://github.com/biosbits/bits/tree/master>`__. It is a software that
	executes the bios components such as acpi and smbios tables directly through
	acpica bios interpreter (a freely available C based library written by Intel,
	downloadable from https://acpica.org/ and is included with biosbits) without an
	operating system getting involved in between. Bios-bits has python integration
	with grub so actual routines that executes bios components can be written in
	python instead of bash-ish (grub's native scripting language).
	There are several advantages to directly testing the bios in a real physical
	machine or in a VM as opposed to indirectly discovering bios issues through the
	operating system (the OS). Operating systems tend to bypass bios problems and
	hide them from the end user. We have more control of what we wanted to test and
	how by being as close to the bios on a running system as possible without a
	complicated software component such as an operating system coming in between.
	Another issue is that we cannot exercise bios components such as ACPI and
	SMBIOS without being in the highest hardware privilege level, ring 0 for
	example in case of x86. Since the OS executes from ring 0 whereas normal user
	land software resides in unprivileged ring 3, operating system must be modified
	in order to write our test routines that exercise and test the bios. This is
	not possible in all cases. Lastly, test frameworks and routines are preferably
	written using a high level scripting language such as python. OSes and
	OS modules are generally written using low level languages such as C and
	low level assembly machine language. Writing test routines in a low level
	language makes things more cumbersome. These and other reasons makes using
	bios-bits very attractive for testing bioses. More details on the inspiration
	for developing biosbits and its real life uses were presented `at Plumbers
	in 2011 <Plumbers_>`__ and `at Linux.conf.au in 2012 <Linux.conf.au_>`__.

	For QEMU, we maintain a fork of bios bits in `gitlab`_, along with all
	the dependent submodules. This fork contains numerous fixes, a newer
	acpica and changes specific to running these functional QEMU tests using
	bits. The author of this document is the current maintainer of the QEMU
	fork of bios bits repository. For more information, please see `the
	author's FOSDEM presentation <FOSDEM_>`__ on this bios-bits based test framework.

	.. _Plumbers: https://blog.linuxplumbersconf.org/2011/ocw/system/presentations/867/original/bits.pdf
	.. _Linux.conf.au: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36QIepyUuhg
	.. _gitlab: https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits
	.. _FOSDEM: https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-2262-exercising-qemu-generated-acpi-smbios-tables-using-biosbits-from-within-a-guest-vm-/

	*********************************
	Description of the test framework
	*********************************

	Under the directory ``tests/functional/``, ``test_acpi_bits.py`` is a QEMU
	functional test that drives all this.

	A brief description of the various test files follows.

	Under ``tests/functional/`` as the root we have:

	::

	├── acpi-bits
	│ ├── bits-config
	│ │ └── bits-cfg.txt
	│ ├── bits-tests
	│ ├── smbios.py2
	│ ├── testacpi.py2
	│ └── testcpuid.py2
	├── test_acpi_bits.py

	* ``tests/functional``:

	``test_acpi_bits.py``:
	This is the main python functional test script that generates a
	biosbits iso. It then spawns a QEMU VM with it, collects the log and reports
	test failures. This is the script one would be interested in if they wanted
	to add or change some component of the log parsing, add a new command line
	to alter how QEMU is spawned etc. Test writers typically would not need to
	modify this script unless they wanted to enhance or change the log parsing
	for their tests. In order to enable debugging, you can set V=1
	environment variable. This enables verbose mode for the test and also dumps
	the entire log from bios bits and more information in case failure happens.
	You can also set BITS_DEBUG=1 to turn on debug mode. It will enable
	verbose logs and also retain the temporary work directory the test used for
	you to inspect and run the specific commands manually.

	In order to run this test, please perform the following steps from the QEMU
	build directory (assuming that the sources are in ".."):
	::

	$ export PYTHONPATH=../python:../tests/functional
	$ export QEMU_TEST_QEMU_BINARY=$PWD/qemu-system-x86_64
	$ python3 ../tests/functional/test_acpi_bits.py

	The above will run all acpi-bits functional tests (producing output in
	tap format).

	You can inspect the log files in tests/functional/x86_64/test_acpi_bits.*/
	for more information about the run or in order to diagnoze issues.
	If you pass V=1 in the environment, more diagnostic logs will be put into
	the test log.

	* ``tests/functional/acpi-bits/bits-config``:

	This location contains biosbits configuration files that determine how the
	software runs the tests.

	``bits-config.txt``:
	This is the biosbits config file that determines what tests
	or actions are performed by bits. The description of the config options are
	provided in the file itself.

	* ``tests/functional/acpi-bits/bits-tests``:

	This directory contains biosbits python based tests that are run from within
	the biosbits environment in the spawned VM. New additions of test cases can
	be made in the appropriate test file. For example, new acpi tests can go
	into testacpi.py2 and one would call testsuite.add_test() to register the new
	test so that it gets executed as a part of the ACPI tests.
	It might be occasionally necessary to disable some subtests or add a new
	test that belongs to a test suite not already present in this directory. To
	do this, please clone the bits source from
	https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits/-/tree/qemu-bits.
	Note that this is the "qemu-bits" branch and not the "bits" branch of the
	repository. "qemu-bits" is the branch where we have made all the QEMU
	specific enhancements and we must use the source from this branch only.
	Copy the test suite/script that needs modification (addition of new tests
	or disabling them) from python directory into this directory. For
	example, in order to change cpuid related tests, copy the following
	file into this directory and rename it with .py2 extension:
	https://gitlab.com/qemu-project/biosbits-bits/-/blob/qemu-bits/python/testcpuid.py
	Then make your additions and changes here. Therefore, the steps are:

	(a) Copy unmodified test script to this directory from bits source.
	(b) Add a SPDX license header.
	(c) Perform modifications to the test.

	Commits (a), (b) and (c) preferably should go under separate commits so that
	the original test script and the changes we have made are separated and
	clear. (a) and (b) can sometimes be combined into a single step.

	The test framework will then use your modified test script to run the test.
	No further changes would be needed. Please check the logs to make sure that
	appropriate changes have taken effect.

	The tests have an extension .py2 in order to indicate that:

	(a) They are python2.7 based scripts and not python 3 scripts.
	(b) They are run from within the bios bits VM and is not subjected to QEMU
	build/test python script maintenance and dependency resolutions.
	(c) They need not be loaded by the test framework by accident when running
	tests.


	Author: Ani Sinha <anisinha@redhat.com>