LabIV Ethernet Vs Console connectivity Issues:
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Why the Ethernet port is unreliable:
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Connecting through the Ethernet port is by far the best way to get
information without disrupting any of the tests being conducted on the
same device. However it seems that some engineers turn off the Ethernet
port to keep RIP updates from the rest of the lab out of their routing
tables. This makes our job of getting information from these devices much
harder.

Then what about the console port?
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If a connection can not be made via the Ethernet port, then the next
option is to use the console port. A number of problems arise when using
the console port. First is that when someone else is connected to the
console port, we can not connect. Second is that if you are able to
connect, then someone else or a script tries to connect then they can not
get in because you already have the connection established. While using
the console port increases the number of devices we can connect to, it
does present the potential to break scripts and interfere with engineer's
work.

Possible Solutions:
-------------------
These are just a few of the possible ways we can increase the percentage
of testbeds that we connect to and limit the footprint in the lab.

* Read log files instead of actually connecting (Golden testbeds only)
    Part of every Golden run includes a show hardware and a show version.
    Using these results from the log files instead of actually having to
    run the commands on the devices would save having to connect to every 
    Golden testbed. If we need information that is not currently run from
    Golden, the command could be added to the Golden scripts.
    (a job for Jamo)

* A lock system for testbeds with known nightly scripts
    Allow testbeds to be "locked" away from LabIV console connectivity.
    Goldens specifically and any other testbed that will have scripts
    running at the specified LabIV runtime can have console connectivity
    disabled. 

* Enable console command line option
    An option can be added to allow LabIV to enable console connectivity
    on the specified testbed. This way LabIV can be run it on systems at
    the convenience of the owner without interfering with testing.

* Scheduling
    Allow testbed owners to set a specific reoccurring time (weekly?)
    that they would be off their systems and have LabIV run on the
    specified systems at the given times.

