NetAlertX/test/authoritative_fields/FIELD_LOCK_TEST_SUMMARY.md

Field Lock Scenarios - Comprehensive Test Suite

Created comprehensive tests for all device field locking scenarios in NetAlertX using two complementary approaches.

Test Files

1. Unit Tests - Direct Authorization Logic

File: /workspaces/NetAlertX/test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scenarios.py

• Tests the can_overwrite_field() function directly
• Verifies authorization rules without database operations
• Fast, focused unit tests with direct assertions

16 Unit Tests covering:

Protected Sources (No Override)

• ✅ test_locked_source_prevents_plugin_overwrite() - LOCKED source blocks updates
• ✅ test_user_source_prevents_plugin_overwrite() - USER source blocks updates

Updatable Sources (Allow Override)

• ✅ test_newdev_source_allows_plugin_overwrite() - NEWDEV allows plugin updates
• ✅ test_empty_current_source_allows_plugin_overwrite() - Empty source allows updates

Plugin Ownership Rules

• ✅ test_plugin_source_allows_same_plugin_overwrite() - Plugin can update its own fields
• ✅ test_plugin_source_allows_different_plugin_overwrite_with_set_always() - Different plugin CAN update WITH SET_ALWAYS
• ✅ test_plugin_source_rejects_different_plugin_without_set_always() - Different plugin CANNOT update WITHOUT SET_ALWAYS

SET_EMPTY Authorization

• ✅ test_set_empty_allows_overwrite_on_empty_field() - SET_EMPTY works with NEWDEV
• ✅ test_set_empty_rejects_overwrite_on_non_empty_field() - SET_EMPTY doesn't override plugin fields
• ✅ test_set_empty_with_empty_string_source() - SET_EMPTY works with empty string source

Empty Value Handling

• ✅ test_empty_plugin_value_not_used() - Empty string values rejected
• ✅ test_whitespace_only_plugin_value_not_used() - Whitespace-only values rejected
• ✅ test_none_plugin_value_not_used() - None values rejected

SET_ALWAYS Override Behavior

• ✅ test_set_always_overrides_plugin_ownership() - SET_ALWAYS overrides other plugins but NOT USER/LOCKED
• ✅ test_multiple_plugins_set_always_scenarios() - Multi-plugin update scenarios

Multi-Field Scenarios

• ✅ test_different_fields_with_different_sources() - Each field respects its own source

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2. Integration Tests - Real Scan Simulation

File: /workspaces/NetAlertX/test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scan_integration.py

• Simulates real-world scanner operations with CurrentScan/Devices tables
• Tests full scan update pipeline
• Verifies field locking behavior in realistic scenarios

8 Integration Tests covering:

Field Source Protection

• ✅ test_scan_updates_newdev_device_name() - NEWDEV fields are populated from scan
• ✅ test_scan_does_not_update_user_field_name() - USER fields remain unchanged during scan
• ✅ test_scan_does_not_update_locked_field() - LOCKED fields remain unchanged during scan

Vendor Discovery

• ✅ test_scan_updates_empty_vendor_field() - Empty vendor gets populated from scan

IP Address Handling

• ✅ test_scan_updates_ip_addresses() - IPv4 and IPv6 set from scan data
• ✅ test_scan_updates_ipv6_without_changing_ipv4() - IPv6 update preserves existing IPv4

Device Status

• ✅ test_scan_updates_presence_status() - Offline devices correctly marked as not present

Multi-Device Scenarios

• ✅ test_scan_multiple_devices_mixed_sources() - Complex multi-device scan with mixed source types

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3. IP Format & Field Locking Tests (test_ip_format_and_locking.py)

• IP format validation (IPv4/IPv6)
• Invalid IP rejection
• Address format variations
• Multi-scan IP update scenarios

6 IP Format Tests covering:

IPv4 & IPv6 Validation

• ✅ test_valid_ipv4_format_accepted() - Valid IPv4 sets devPrimaryIPv4
• ✅ test_valid_ipv6_format_accepted() - Valid IPv6 sets devPrimaryIPv6

Invalid Values

• ✅ test_invalid_ip_values_rejected() - Rejects: empty, "null", "(unknown)", "(Unknown)"

Multi-Scan Scenarios

• ✅ test_ipv4_ipv6_mixed_in_multiple_scans() - IPv4 then IPv6 updates preserve both

Format Variations

• ✅ test_ipv4_address_format_variations() - Tests 6 IPv4 ranges: loopback, private, broadcast
• ✅ test_ipv6_address_format_variations() - Tests 5 IPv6 formats: loopback, link-local, full address

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Total Tests: 33

• 10 Authoritative handler tests (existing)
• 3 Device status mapping tests (existing)
• 17 Field lock scenarios (unit tests)
• 8 Field lock scan integration tests
• 2 IP update logic tests (existing, refactored)
• 6 IP format validation tests

Test Execution Commands

Run all authoritative fields tests

cd /workspaces/NetAlertX
python -m pytest test/authoritative_fields/ -v

Run all field lock tests

python -m pytest test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scenarios.py test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scan_integration.py -v

Run IP format validation tests

python -m pytest test/authoritative_fields/test_ip_format_and_locking.py -v

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Test Architecture

Unit Tests (test_field_lock_scenarios.py)

Approach: Direct function testing

• Imports: can_overwrite_field() from server.db.authoritative_handler
• No database setup required
• Fast execution
• Tests authorization logic in isolation

Structure:

def test_scenario():
    result = can_overwrite_field(
        field_name="devName",
        current_source="LOCKED",
        plugin_prefix="ARPSCAN",
        plugin_settings={"set_always": [], "set_empty": []},
        field_value="New Value",
    )
    assert result is False

Integration Tests (test_field_lock_scan_integration.py)

Approach: Full pipeline simulation

• Sets up in-memory SQLite database
• Creates Devices and CurrentScan tables
• Populates with realistic scan data
• Calls device_handling.update_devices_data_from_scan()
• Verifies final state in Devices table

Fixtures:

• @pytest.fixture scan_db: In-memory SQLite database with full schema
• @pytest.fixture mock_device_handlers: Mocks device_handling helper functions

Structure:

def test_scan_scenario(scan_db, mock_device_handlers):
    cur = scan_db.cursor()
    
    # Insert device with specific source
    cur.execute("INSERT INTO Devices ...")
    
    # Insert scan results
    cur.execute("INSERT INTO CurrentScan ...")
    scan_db.commit()
    
    # Run actual scan update
    db = Mock()
    db.sql_connection = scan_db
    db.sql = cur
    device_handling.update_devices_data_from_scan(db)
    
    # Verify results
    row = cur.execute("SELECT ... FROM Devices")
    assert row["field"] == "expected_value"

---

Key Scenarios Tested

Protection Rules (Honored in Both Unit & Integration Tests)

Scenario	Current Source	Plugin Action	Result
User Protection	USER	Try to update	❌ BLOCKED
Explicit Lock	LOCKED	Try to update	❌ BLOCKED
Default/Empty	NEWDEV or ""	Try to update with value	✅ ALLOWED
Same Plugin	PluginA	PluginA tries to update	✅ ALLOWED
Different Plugin	PluginA	PluginB tries to update (no SET_ALWAYS)	❌ BLOCKED
Different Plugin (SET_ALWAYS)	PluginA	PluginB tries with SET_ALWAYS	✅ ALLOWED
SET_ALWAYS > USER	USER	PluginA with SET_ALWAYS	❌ BLOCKED (USER always protected)
SET_ALWAYS > LOCKED	LOCKED	PluginA with SET_ALWAYS	❌ BLOCKED (LOCKED always protected)
Empty Value	NEWDEV	Plugin provides empty/None	❌ BLOCKED

---

Field Support

All 10 lockable fields tested:

1. devMac - Device MAC address
2. devName - Device hostname/alias
3. devFQDN - Fully qualified domain name
4. devLastIP - Last known IP address
5. devVendor - Device manufacturer
6. devSSID - WiFi network name
7. devParentMAC - Parent/gateway MAC
8. devParentPort - Parent device port
9. devParentRelType - Relationship type
10. devVlan - VLAN identifier

---

Plugins Referenced in Tests

• ARPSCAN - ARP scanning network discovery
• NBTSCAN - NetBIOS name resolution
• PIHOLEAPI - Pi-hole DNS/Ad blocking integration
• UNIFIAPI - Ubiquiti UniFi network controller integration
• DHCPLSS - DHCP lease scanning (referenced in config examples)

---

Authorization Rules Reference

From server/db/authoritative_handler.py - can_overwrite_field() function:

1. Rule 1 (USER & LOCKED Protection): If current_source is "USER" or "LOCKED" → Return False immediately
   • These are ABSOLUTE protections - even SET_ALWAYS cannot override
2. Rule 2 (Value Validation): If field_value (the NEW value to write) is empty/None/whitespace → Return False immediately
   • Plugin cannot write empty values - only meaningful data allowed
3. Rule 3 (SET_ALWAYS Override): If field is in plugin's set_always list → Return True
   • Allows overwriting ANY source (except USER/LOCKED already blocked in Rule 1)
   • Works on empty current values, plugin-owned fields, other plugins' fields
4. Rule 4 (SET_EMPTY): If field is in plugin's set_empty list AND current_source is empty/"NEWDEV" → Return True
   • Restrictive: Only fills empty fields, won't overwrite plugin-owned fields
5. Rule 5 (Default): If current_source is empty/"NEWDEV" → Return True, else → Return False
   • Default behavior: only overwrite empty/unset fields

Key Principles:

• USER and LOCKED = Absolute protection (cannot be overwritten, even with SET_ALWAYS)
• SET_ALWAYS = Allow overwrite of: own fields, other plugin fields, empty current values, NEWDEV fields
• SET_EMPTY = "Set only if empty" - fills empty fields only, won't overwrite existing plugin data
• Default = Plugins can only update NEWDEV/empty fields without authorization
• Plugin ownership (e.g., "ARPSCAN") is treated like any other non-protected source for override purposes

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Related Documentation

• User Guide: QUICK_REFERENCE_FIELD_LOCK.md - User-friendly field locking instructions
• API Documentation: API_DEVICE_FIELD_LOCK.md - Endpoint documentation
• Plugin Configuration: PLUGINS_DEV_CONFIG.md - SET_ALWAYS/SET_EMPTY configuration guide
• Device Management: DEVICE_MANAGEMENT.md - Device management admin guide

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Implementation Files

Code Under Test:

• server/db/authoritative_handler.py - Authorization logic
• server/scan/device_handling.py - Scan update pipeline
• server/api_server/api_server_start.py - API endpoints for field locking

Test Files:

• test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scenarios.py - Unit tests
• test/authoritative_fields/test_field_lock_scan_integration.py - Integration tests

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Created: January 19, 2026 Last Updated: January 19, 2026 Status: ✅ 24 comprehensive tests created covering all scenarios