(use-cases-index)=
# Use cases

The Linaro Automation Appliance is a single piece of hardware, but it is used
in three fairly different ways. Each one has its own audience, its own setup
steps and its own security trade-offs.

Pick the one that matches what you are trying to do.

## 👩‍💻 [Developing on a DUT](/use-cases/developer.md)

You have a board on your desk, or in a lab down the corridor, and you want to
power it, flash it, watch its console and get your build onto it, without
re-cabling anything and without needing to be in the same room.

## 🔁 [Hardware in the CI loop](/use-cases/ci.md)

You want every commit tested on real hardware, driven by GitLab CI, Labgrid,
LAVA or KernelCI.

## 🤝 [Sharing a DUT](/use-cases/sharing.md)

You want someone outside your team (a customer, a partner, Linaro support) to
use your hardware, without giving them access to your lab network.

## Which one is for me?

| | [Developer](/use-cases/developer.md) | [CI](/use-cases/ci.md) | [Sharing](/use-cases/sharing.md) |
|---|---|---|---|
| DUT user | You, interactively | A pipeline or a scheduler | Someone outside your team |
| Main interface | Web UI, [`laam`](/software/laam_console.md) or [SSH](/software/ssh-keys.md) | GitLab runner, LAVA, Labgrid, KernelCI | Web UI or [`laam`](/software/laam_console.md) |
| Driven from | Your laptop | The CI service | The internet |
| Setup effort | Minutes | Hours, if enablement is needed | Minutes |
| Needs [LMS](/software/fleet.md) configuration | No | Yes | Only for Linaro remote support |

:::{admonition} They are not exclusive
:class: tip
The same appliance can be used interactively today and enrolled as a CI runner
tomorrow. The DUT wiring, the MIB and the serial console configuration are
shared between all three use cases. What changes is who is allowed to talk to
the appliance, and through which interface.
:::

## What every use case shares

Whatever you do with it, the LAA gives the DUT the same environment:

* a [private network](/hardware/peripherals.md#private-ethernet) where the DUT
  is always `198.18.0.2` and cannot reach your lab network
* [network services](/software/dut-services/network-services.md) for the DUT:
  DHCP, DNS and NTP, plus TFTP and NFS shares for
  [automation](/software/dut-services/automation.md)
* [managed power rails, USB ports and serial consoles](/hardware/peripherals.md)
  driven by [`laacli`](/software/laacli.md)
* [OTA updates with rollback](/software/fleet/ota.md) managed from
  [LMS](/software/fleet.md)

Before any of them, the appliance has to be unboxed and put on the network:
start with the [QuickStart](/guides/unbox_quickstart.md) and the
[Connectivity](/guides/connectivity.md) guide.