From 208eb1cce380d3741ca03a8321d7518c57a74a74 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 16:51:48 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 1/6] Remove support for Python 3.8/3.9 and Ubuntu 20.04

* Remove Python 3.8/3.9 from package setup and CI/CD pipelines
* The lowest Python version that needs to be tested is 3.10
* Remove all references to Ubuntu 20.04

Other cleanup:
* Reword 'box building caveats' documentation
* Use a specific Python version in ruff CI/CD action
* Use a consistent Python version in all CI/CD actions that specify one
---
 .github/workflows/ruff.yml       |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/t-pull.yml     |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/t-push.yml     |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml |  2 +-
 docs/install.md                  |  4 ++--
 docs/labs/libvirt-box-caveats.md |  6 +++---
 docs/netlab/install.md           |  2 +-
 netsim/install/install.yml       | 15 +++++++--------
 setup.py                         |  2 --
 9 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 20 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ruff.yml b/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
index abd9c71e24..b8e5e2a50e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Set up Python
       uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
-        python-version: '3.x'
+        python-version: '3.14'
 
     - name: Install ruff
       run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml b/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
index 5f5dddcbfb..1041272913 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       max-parallel: 4
       matrix:
-        python-version: [ "3.8", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
+        python-version: [ "3.10", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-push.yml b/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
index c9f95b3e06..8d9a24e012 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       max-parallel: 7
       matrix:
-        python-version: [ "3.8", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
+        python-version: [ "3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
index fa7c601ece..dc60c53ff6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Set up Python
       uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
-        python-version: 3.13
+        python-version: 3.14
     - name: Install yamllint
       run: |
         python -m pip install yamllint
diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index 9c2a70e6b0..e1b64efaca 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Installation
 
-*netlab* is a Python3 package[^NSL] that uses Python 3.8[^P38] or later. We recommend using _netlab_ on Linux (we're doing all our tests on Ubuntu), including Windows Subsystem for Linux or [Multipass on macOS](https://blog.ipspace.net/2024/03/netlab-bgp-apple-silicon/). While you might be able to get _netlab_ to run natively on Windows or macOS with VirtualBox, we no longer support that.
+*netlab* is a Python3 package[^NSL] that uses Python 3.10[^P310] or later. We recommend using _netlab_ on Linux (we're doing all our tests on Ubuntu), including Windows Subsystem for Linux or [Multipass on macOS](https://blog.ipspace.net/2024/03/netlab-bgp-apple-silicon/). While you might be able to get _netlab_ to run natively on Windows or macOS with VirtualBox, we no longer support that.
 
-[^P38]: We keep supporting Python 3.8 because it's the default Python distribution on Ubuntu 20.04.
+[^P38]: We keep supporting Python 3.10 because it's the default Python distribution on Ubuntu 22.04.
 
 [^NSL]: For legacy reasons, the *netlab* Python code resides in *netsim.\** modules.
 
diff --git a/docs/labs/libvirt-box-caveats.md b/docs/labs/libvirt-box-caveats.md
index 76cfeaf7e0..df0b9a47ab 100644
--- a/docs/labs/libvirt-box-caveats.md
+++ b/docs/labs/libvirt-box-caveats.md
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 # Box-Building Caveats
 
-The Vagrant box-building process relies on numerous Linux tools that have changed their behavior across Ubuntu releases. These caveats might apply if you're not using the *netlab* release 1.8.2 or later:
+The Vagrant box-building process relies on numerous Linux tools whose behavior has changed across Ubuntu releases. These caveats probably no longer apply unless you're using an ancient _netlab_ release older than 1.8.2 (released in May 2024):
 
-* On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (and later), the `libvirt-qemu` user needs read- and execute access to the VM disk file. It’s easiest to create Vagrant boxes in a subdirectory of the /tmp directory. This caveat does not apply to Ubuntu 20.04. Starting with release 1.8.2, the **netlab libvirt package** script always builds boxes within the /tmp directory.
+* On Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (and later), the `libvirt-qemu` user needs read- and execute access to the VM disk file. It’s easiest to create Vagrant boxes in a subdirectory of the /tmp directory. Starting with release 1.8.2, the **netlab libvirt package** script always builds boxes within the /tmp directory.
 * *‌virt-install* might report a fatal error on Ubuntu 22.04 (and later). Execute `export VIRTINSTALL_OSINFO_DISABLE_REQUIRE=1` in your shell and restart the build process. Starting with release 1.8.1, the **netlab libvirt package** script sets this parameter.
 * If you downloaded an OVA file, you have to unpack it with the **tar xvf _ova_filename_** command. Starting with release 1.8.2, the **netlab libvirt package** script automatically unpacks the OVA files.
 
-Finally, we tested the box-building scripts on Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04. The **netlab libvirt package** might not work correctly on other Linux distributions.
+Finally, we tested the box-building scripts on Ubuntu 22.04. The **netlab libvirt package** might not work correctly on other Linux distributions.
diff --git a/docs/netlab/install.md b/docs/netlab/install.md
index 7c8f328821..cc6d1c2c37 100644
--- a/docs/netlab/install.md
+++ b/docs/netlab/install.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Running multiple installation scripts with **‌netlab install** or **netlab ins
 * The *graph* script installs GraphViz and D2 software needed to generate graphs from _netlab_ topologies
 * The *grpc* script installs gRPC Python libraries needed to configure Nokia SR Linux and Nokia SR OS.
 
-[^U20]: Tested on Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04
+[^U20]: Tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
 
 [^D10]: Tested on Debian 12 (bookworm)
 
diff --git a/netsim/install/install.yml b/netsim/install/install.yml
index 0b66ee92e2..4d593751db 100644
--- a/netsim/install/install.yml
+++ b/netsim/install/install.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ scripts:
     intro: |
       This script updates your Ubuntu/Debian system, installs additional APT
       packages, and nice-to-have tools like git, jq... The script was tested on
-      Debian 12 (bookworm) and Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04.
+      Debian 12 (bookworm) and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04.
 
   libvirt:
     description: QEMU, KVM, libvirt, and Vagrant
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ scripts:
     intro: |
       This script installs QEMU, KVM, Libvirt, Vagrant, and vagrant-libvirt
       plugin on a Ubuntu/Debian system. The script was tested on Debian 12
-      (bookworm) and Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04.
+      (bookworm) and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04.
     epilog: |
       * You might need to log out and log in to start using netlab with libvirt.
       * Use 'netlab test libvirt' command to test your installation
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ scripts:
     distro: [ ubuntu, debian ]
     uses: [ apt ]
     intro: |
-      This script installs Docker and containerlab on a Debian or Ubuntu
-      system. The script was tested on Debian 12 (bookworm) and Ubuntu 20.04,
-      22.04, and 24.04.
+      This script installs Docker and containerlab on a Debian or Ubuntu system.
+      The script was tested on Debian 12 (bookworm) and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04.
     epilog: |
       * Log out and back in to start using netlab with containerlab/Docker
       * Use 'netlab test clab' command to test your installation
@@ -40,9 +39,9 @@ scripts:
     uses: [ pip ]
     intro: |
       This script installs Ansible and related Python3 packages required to run
-      netlab Ansible playbooks. The script was tested on Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04,
-      and 24.04, and Debian 12 (bookworm), and should work on other Linux
-      distributions as well.
+      netlab Ansible playbooks. The script was tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04,
+      and Debian 12 (bookworm), and should work on other Linux distributions as
+      well.
 
       The script assumes that you already set up Python3 environment. If that's
       not the case, please run "netlab install ubuntu" first.
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index cd7b636ce4..d7f403d6bc 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@
     "Topic :: Utilities",
     "Programming Language :: Python",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",

From b96ebb235b1ab3bb03c7c3027dadcd207e3a7230 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 17:10:53 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 2/6] Fix footnote references

---
 docs/install.md        | 2 +-
 docs/netlab/install.md | 6 +++---
 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index e1b64efaca..d679dd23f1 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 *netlab* is a Python3 package[^NSL] that uses Python 3.10[^P310] or later. We recommend using _netlab_ on Linux (we're doing all our tests on Ubuntu), including Windows Subsystem for Linux or [Multipass on macOS](https://blog.ipspace.net/2024/03/netlab-bgp-apple-silicon/). While you might be able to get _netlab_ to run natively on Windows or macOS with VirtualBox, we no longer support that.
 
-[^P38]: We keep supporting Python 3.10 because it's the default Python distribution on Ubuntu 22.04.
+[^P310]: Python 3.10 is the minimum supported version because it's the default Python distribution on Ubuntu 22.04.
 
 [^NSL]: For legacy reasons, the *netlab* Python code resides in *netsim.\** modules.
 
diff --git a/docs/netlab/install.md b/docs/netlab/install.md
index cc6d1c2c37..564ea066b3 100644
--- a/docs/netlab/install.md
+++ b/docs/netlab/install.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 **netlab install** uses internal installation scripts to install nice-to-have Ubuntu software, Ansible and related networking libraries, or libvirt+vagrant.
 
-The *ubuntu*, *libvirt*, and *containerlab* installation scripts run only on Ubuntu[^U20] and Debian[^D10]; the *ansible* and *grpc* installation scripts should run in any environment with **bash** and **pip3**.
+The *ubuntu*, *libvirt*, and *containerlab* installation scripts run only on Ubuntu[^UT] and Debian[^DT]; the *ansible* and *grpc* installation scripts should run in any environment with **bash** and **pip3**.
 
 ## Usage
 
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ Running multiple installation scripts with **‌netlab install** or **netlab ins
 * The *graph* script installs GraphViz and D2 software needed to generate graphs from _netlab_ topologies
 * The *grpc* script installs gRPC Python libraries needed to configure Nokia SR Linux and Nokia SR OS.
 
-[^U20]: Tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
+[^UT]: Tested on Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
 
-[^D10]: Tested on Debian 12 (bookworm)
+[^DT]: Tested on Debian 12 (bookworm)
 
 You can display an up-to-date list of installation scripts with **netlab install** command:
 

From 712c7eaa8d83290ef97ec08922f24238f6e6610f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Sat, 9 May 2026 17:34:40 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 3/6] Remove references to Python 3.8

---
 AGENTS.md             |  2 +-
 docs/install/linux.md | 14 +++++++-------
 legacy/setup.py       |  5 +++--
 setup.py              |  6 +++---
 4 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 002a9e6d27..b24c1635da 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ When you don't have to change the code for other reasons:
 - **requests**: HTTP client
 
 ## Platform Requirements
-- **Python**: 3.8+ (due to subprocess.capture_output and typing.Final)
+- **Python**: 3.10+ (to support Ubuntu 22.04)
 - **OS**: Linux, macOS
 - **Package managers**: pip, setuptools
 
diff --git a/docs/install/linux.md b/docs/install/linux.md
index 67f3db75cd..79a9cdd790 100644
--- a/docs/install/linux.md
+++ b/docs/install/linux.md
@@ -9,18 +9,14 @@ We test _netlab_ on Ubuntu to ensure we provide a reasonably hassle-free experie
 
 ## Prerequisite Software Installation
 
-*netlab* is a Python package that uses KVM to run virtual machines and Docker to run containers. Virtual machines in the KVM environment and the associated Linux bridges are created with Vagrant using libvirt API. Ansible is used to configure the network devices.
+*netlab* is a Python package that uses KVM to run virtual machines and Docker to run containers. Virtual machines in the KVM environment and the associated Linux bridges are created with Vagrant using libvirt API. Ansible is used to configure most network devices.
 
 ![netlab on Linux](linux-architecture.png)
 
 To build a Linux environment needed to run network devices as virtual machines or containers:
 
-* Install Python 3.8 or later (use the latest Python version supported by your Linux distribution)
-* Install Ansible 2.9.1 or later and any Ansible networking dependencies (example: paramiko)
-
-```{warning}
-At the moment, _netlab_ does not work with Ansible release 12.x. Install the latest Ansible 11.x release.
-```
+* Install Python 3.10 or later (use the latest Python version supported by your Linux distribution)
+* Install Ansible 2.9.1 or later and any Ansible networking dependencies (example: paramiko). We recommend using the latest Ansible 11.x release.
 
 If you want to run network devices as virtual machines with KVM:
 
@@ -30,6 +26,10 @@ If you want to run network devices as virtual machines with KVM:
 
 If you want to run network devices as containers (or virtual machines in *vrnetlab* containers), install Docker and containerlab.
 
+```{tip}
+If possible, [use containerlab](lab-clab) and package the virtual machines you need in [_vrnetlab_ containers](clab-vrnetlab). Getting Vagrant to work on some Linux distributions could be a bit challenging.
+```
+
 [^CSV]: We must change the recommended Vagrant release every few months. Please check the [libvirt installation script](https://github.com/ipspace/netlab/blob/dev/netsim/install/libvirt.sh) for details.
 
 (linux-commands-mandatory)=
diff --git a/legacy/setup.py b/legacy/setup.py
index 5fcd0b3750..09016a9bcb 100644
--- a/legacy/setup.py
+++ b/legacy/setup.py
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@
     "Topic :: Utilities",
     "Programming Language :: Python",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
-    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
+    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13",
+    "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14",
     "Operating System :: POSIX :: Linux",
     "Operating System :: MacOS",
   ],
   url="https://github.com/ipspace/netlab",
-  python_requires='>=3.8',  # Due to e.g. 'capture_output' in subprocess.run
+  python_requires='>=3.10',  # Due to e.g. 'capture_output' in subprocess.run
 )
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d7f403d6bc..daa1435484 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 with open("requirements.txt", "r") as fs:
   reqs = [r for r in fs.read().splitlines() if (len(r) > 0 and not r.startswith("#"))]
 
-if sys.version_info < (3, 8):
-  raise RuntimeError("This package requires Python 3.8+")
+if sys.version_info < (3, 10):
+  raise RuntimeError("This package requires Python 3.10+")
 
 setup(
   name="networklab",
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@
   url="https://github.com/ipspace/netlab",
   include_package_data=True,
   setup_requires=["wheel"],
-  python_requires='>=3.8',  # Due to e.g. 'capture_output' in subprocess.run, and use of typing.Final
+  python_requires='>=3.10',  # To support Ubuntu 22.04
   install_requires=reqs,
   scripts=[ "netlab" ],
 #  entry_points={

From e33396efd53aeab729c3a27bc83c9abbc3f499d4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Sun, 10 May 2026 08:00:21 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 4/6] Added missing quotes

---
 .github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
index dc60c53ff6..49205ff578 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Set up Python
       uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
-        python-version: 3.14
+        python-version: '3.14'
     - name: Install yamllint
       run: |
         python -m pip install yamllint

From 0be3ba3b879dea1882a6702d6c57f1dba2404476 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 17:59:55 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 5/6] Fixing random unrelated stuff because why not

---
 .github/workflows/devcontainer-build.yml | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/integration.yml        | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/pages.yml              | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/pypi.yml               | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/ruff.yml               | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/t-pull.yml             | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/t-push.yml             | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml         | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/test-pypi.yml          | 4 ++--
 9 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-build.yml b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-build.yml
index 5cdd3306ce..d8f7c0cc7c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devcontainer-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devcontainer-build.yml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ jobs:
     if: github.repository == 'ipspace/netlab' && github.actor == 'ipspace'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Docker Buildx
       uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
     - name: Log into registry ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration.yml b/.github/workflows/integration.yml
index b966573ec7..7831e3fc5e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ jobs:
     if: contains(github.event.comment.html_url, '/pull/') && contains(github.event.comment.body, '/integration')
     runs-on: [ self-hosted, integration ]
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Run integration tests
       env:
         GITHUB_COMMENT: ${{ github.event.comment.body }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pages.yml b/.github/workflows/pages.yml
index 32278a2792..7739dd9a6d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pages.yml
@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
     - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: "3.x"
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Install dependencies
       run: |
         python -m pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pypi.yml b/.github/workflows/pypi.yml
index fc9bd7cd85..2a2b1b67f4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pypi.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pypi.yml
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ jobs:
     if: github.repository == 'ipspace/netlab'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: "3.x"
     - name: Install dependencies
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ruff.yml b/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
index b8e5e2a50e..88a54e8a0c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ruff.yml
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ jobs:
   ruff:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
     - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: '3.14'
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml b/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
index 1041272913..c26ccb830f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-pull.yml
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         python-version: [ "3.10", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
     - name: Install dependencies
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-push.yml b/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
index 8d9a24e012..c97d1d24b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-push.yml
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         python-version: [ "3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13", "3.14" ]
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
     - name: Install dependencies
diff --git a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
index 49205ff578..6af08d63c7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/t-yamllint.yml
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@ jobs:
   tests:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: '3.14'
     - name: Install yamllint
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-pypi.yml b/.github/workflows/test-pypi.yml
index 316e73c51f..6e51d8b90d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-pypi.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-pypi.yml
@@ -11,9 +11,9 @@ jobs:
     if: github.repository == 'ipspace/netlab'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: "3.x"
     - name: Install dependencies

From 2d179095f78ed196923d3ffc580aae5df730e82c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ivan Pepelnjak <ip@ipspace.net>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2026 18:11:31 +0200
Subject: [PATCH 6/6] Polish generic Linux installation document

---
 docs/install/linux.md | 6 ++++--
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/install/linux.md b/docs/install/linux.md
index 79a9cdd790..fd9eca11db 100644
--- a/docs/install/linux.md
+++ b/docs/install/linux.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 (install-linux-server)=
 # Running *netlab* on a Linux Server
 
-This page describes generic installation steps for creating a virtual lab environment on any Linux distribution ([follow these instructions](ubuntu.md) if you plan to run your labs on an Ubuntu server).
+This page describes generic installation steps for creating a virtual lab environment on any Linux distribution ([follow these instructions](ubuntu.md) if you plan to run your labs on a Debian or Ubuntu server, including Windows Subsystem for Linux).
 
 ```{warning}
 We test _netlab_ on Ubuntu to ensure we provide a reasonably hassle-free experience to networking engineers without Linux sysadmin skills. Unfortunately, we cannot help you if you run _netlab_ on another Linux distribution (dealing with one distro is more than enough pain). Still, please try to make it work; we would appreciate it if you could add your findings to this document. Thank you!
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ We test _netlab_ on Ubuntu to ensure we provide a reasonably hassle-free experie
 To build a Linux environment needed to run network devices as virtual machines or containers:
 
 * Install Python 3.10 or later (use the latest Python version supported by your Linux distribution)
-* Install Ansible 2.9.1 or later and any Ansible networking dependencies (example: paramiko). We recommend using the latest Ansible 11.x release.
 
 If you want to run network devices as virtual machines with KVM:
 
@@ -32,6 +31,8 @@ If possible, [use containerlab](lab-clab) and package the virtual machines you n
 
 [^CSV]: We must change the recommended Vagrant release every few months. Please check the [libvirt installation script](https://github.com/ipspace/netlab/blob/dev/netsim/install/libvirt.sh) for details.
 
+Finally, install Ansible 2.9.1 or later and any Ansible networking dependencies (example: paramiko). We recommend using the latest Ansible 11.x release. You _might_ be able to use the **netlab install ansible** command (after [installing netlab](install-linux-netlab)) instead of manual installation.
+
 (linux-commands-mandatory)=
 *netlab* also needs (at least) these Linux commands to provide its full functionality:
 
@@ -49,6 +50,7 @@ If possible, [use containerlab](lab-clab) and package the virtual machines you n
 
 To see the Linux commands executed by various _netlab_ commands, use the `--dry-run` option of **netlab up**, **netlab down**, or **netlab connect**.
 
+(install-linux-netlab)=
 ## netlab Installation
 
 Install the Python package with `sudo python3 -m pip install networklab` or your preferred Python package installation procedure.