feat: show detailed NetworkManager connection diffs in check mode

[pfeifferj]

Enhancement:
Add detailed NetworkManager connection diffs to the network role’s check-mode output.

Reason:
Reporting only “is-modified” does not provide enough detail for change control, especially across large deployments.

Result:
Check mode reports individual route, address, and DNS additions/removals, scalar changes with old and new values, and added/removed settings.

Issue Tracker Tickets (Jira or BZ if any):
https://redhat.atlassian.net/browse/NMT-2408

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features
  • Check mode now shows proposed NetworkManager connection changes in ansible-playbook output, including added or removed settings and properties, collection changes, and old and new values. Secret values are redacted, and --diff is not required.
  • Previews leave the live connection unchanged; updates are applied only during a real run.
• Documentation
  • Added Compatibility guidance describing check-mode output and secret redaction.

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ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Repository: linux-system-roles/network/.coderabbit.yaml

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Run ID: d4bdbc9f-7eb8-4e85-a18c-c2c4d9290a3c

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 1112e25 and a6b15bd.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• library/network_connections.py
• tests/unit/test_network_connections.py

Included review availability: This review used your included allowance. Your plan provides up to 2 included reviews per hour; 1 remain after this review.

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

NetworkManager check-mode output now reports connection property and collection differences, with secret values redacted. Unit tests and a provider playbook cover diff formatting, dry-run logging, and whether previewing changes alters the live profile.

Changes

NetworkManager check-mode connection diffs

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Connection diff generation library/network_connections.py, tests/unit/test_network_connections.py	NMUtil normalizes and compares profiles, formats property and collection differences, and redacts secrets. Unit tests cover settings, NetworkManager value types, ordering, and normalization.
Dry-run diff logging library/network_connections.py, tests/unit/test_network_connections.py	Cmd_nm logs diff messages during dry runs and warns if diff generation fails. Command tests cover unchanged profiles and confirm that updates occur only during real runs.
Check-mode playbook validation tests/ensure_provider_tests.py, tests/tests_check_mode_diff_nm.yml, tests/playbooks/tests_check_mode_diff.yml, README.md	The provider test checks reported changes, confirms that a preview leaves the live profile unchanged, and cleans up test resources. The README describes the check-mode output.

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to a6b15

The check-mode diff is ordered correctly, and the provider test checks that previewing changes leaves the live connection unchanged. No identified issue prevents merging after normal checks.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 2

❌ Failed checks (2 warnings)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 2.27% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 44 functions across 3 files.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.
Description Format	⚠️ Warning	The PR description contains the required Enhancement:, Reason:, and Result: sections, plus the optional issue tracker section. It does not contain the required Signed-off-by: section with a na…	Add a Signed-off-by: line with the contributor’s name and email address, created with git commit -s, then update the PR description if needed.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title follows Conventional Commits format with the valid type feat and clearly describes the main change: detailed NetworkManager connection diffs in check mode.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description includes all required sections: Enhancement, Reason, Result, and Issue Tracker Tickets. It explains the purpose, expected behavior, and related ticket.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

Full details: Description Format

Explanation

The PR description contains the required Enhancement:, Reason:, and Result: sections, plus the optional issue tracker section. It does not contain the required Signed-off-by: section with a name and email address.

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[pfeifferj]

/citest all

[pfeifferj]

/citest all

[pfeifferj]

/citest all

[richm]

/citest tft

[richm]

lgtm - would like Sergei to take a look