1. Proposed title of this feature request

Add capability for Metal3 to expose a serial console

2. What is the nature and description of the request?

We would like Metal3 to expose a serial console that is accessible to users, likely by taking advantage of Ironic’s serial console capability. This could possibly be through a new resource that exposes a URL that a user could use to access the serial console, modeled after the “kubectl exec” feature; this would ensure that access could be managed through standard Kubernetes RBAC control. Any further management - for example, if the console URL is an internal address that needs to be exposed to the public internet, or if additional authentication mechanisms are desired - would be the responsibility of the application making use of the serial console feature.

3. Why does the customer need this? (List the business requirements here)

Access to a serial console is useful for users that wish to closely monitor the status of a machine, especially if troubleshooting is needed. Users at the Mass Open Cloud have also developed scripts that monitor a serial console and perform various actions based on the output.

4. List any affected packages or components.

Metal3