Installation and workstation preparation
========================================

ChargeLink is built around Python command-line tooling. The snapshot expects Windows 11 PowerShell and Linux as supported operator environments.

Prerequisites
-------------
- Python 3.10 or newer
- A virtual environment per workstation or CI agent
- IPv6 enabled on the lab interface you want to advertise over SDP and V2G session transport
- TLS assets when you need protected sessions: ``server.pem``, ``server.key``, and a CA file such as ``ca.pem``
- Optional: hardware, ADS, NI, or VeriStand dependencies when you are leaving the software-only path

Recommended setup
-----------------
.. code-block:: bash


   python -m venv .venv
   . .venv/bin/activate
   python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   pip install -e .
   chargelink --help

Windows PowerShell equivalent
-----------------------------
.. code-block:: powershell


   python -m venv .venv
   .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
   python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   pip install -e .
   chargelink --help

Lab network checklist
---------------------
- Identify the IPv6 address and interface index of the host interface you want to advertise.
- Choose a UDP discovery port and TCP session port appropriate for your lab policy; the snapshot frequently uses 15118 and 55000.
- If you are using TLS, keep certificate, key, and CA paths outside your artifact directories so they can be rotated independently of run outputs.