# Performing tests versus appliance devices

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/performing-tests-versus-appliance-devices/36640>\
**Category:** Ansible Developer\
**Created:** [May 18, 2022, 7:07am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/performing-tests-versus-appliance-devices/36640 "2022-05-18T07:07:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Idont\_Haveaname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/49beb7/32.png) [@Idont\_Haveaname](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Idont_Haveaname)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 7:07am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/performing-tests-versus-appliance-devices/36640/1 "2022-05-18T07:07:46Z")

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Hello,

I’m trying to develop a collection for an appliance (similar way of working as a network device), you can do RAPI calls to it or SSH to a very narrowed shell.

Therefore, I thought that using the httpapi connection type from the netcommon collection would be a good idea to use it as a first class citizen.

Now it starts… I’ve some “unit testing” but I’ve serious difficulties to think that they are usefull as I cannot access the httpapi plugin (any import attempts fails when used in combination with ansible-test commands), therefore Unit test are mocking them or creating Fake connections.

Integration tests are ran through the following command: ansible-test network-integration --inventory ~/dev/ansible\_collections/community/my\_collection/tests/integration/inventory.networking but keeps returning:

fatal: [appliance]: FAILED! =\> {“msg”: “the connection plugin ‘httpapi’ was not found”}

I guess this is a problem of python path being constructed differently when running ansible-test command ?

Here’s a sample of my inventory:

[appliance]  
appliance\_container ansible\_host=“[appliance.iamlab.community.org](http://appliance.iamlab.community.org)” ansible\_connection=“httpapi” ansible\_network\_os=“appliance” ansible\_user=“admin” ansible\_password=“Passw0rd” ansible\_httpapi\_use\_ssl=“yes” ansible\_httpapi\_validate\_certs=“no”

And this is the play output:

Running appliance\_service\_agreements\_info integration test role  
[WARNING]: running playbook inside collection community.appliance

PLAY [appliance] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*

TASK [appliance\_service\_agreements\_info : Checking Applianceservice agreements] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
fatal: [appliance\_container]: FAILED! =\> {“msg”: “the connection plugin ‘httpapi’ was not found”}

PLAY RECAP \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*  
appliance\_container : ok=0 changed=0 unreachable=0 failed=1 skipped=0 rescued=0 ignored=0

Would you have any guidance for me please ?

Regards,

Cédric S.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Idont\_Haveaname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/49beb7/32.png) [@Idont\_Haveaname](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Idont_Haveaname)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 7:14pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/performing-tests-versus-appliance-devices/36640/2 "2022-05-18T19:14:46Z")

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Replying to myself, you need to setup those collections in the same path as the one being develop. Duh !

Cédric S.