Manual Configuration

Overview

The VSEC Test Bench uses a configuration file to set up networking, VPN connectivity, and device identity. This file is auto-generated and placed inside the Bench image. The device reads it at startup and re-applies it whenever the file has changed since it was last applied. This can be also used to manually configure the device.

Note: You must first create a bench and allow it to come online before modifying this configuration file.

Accessing Config File

Shut down the Bench
Remove the SD card from the Bench and insert it into your computer.
Open the FAT32 partition — it will appear as a removable drive in your file explorer.
Open vsec_config.txt with a plain text editor (e.g. Notepad, Notepad++, VS Code). Do not use word processors like Microsoft Word.
Fill in or verify each field using the values provided by your administrator.
Save the file and safely eject the SD card.
Insert the SD card back into the Bench.
Power on the bench for it to appear online.

The Bench will read the configuration on boot and automatically connect to the specified Wi-Fi network.

Note: If you need to re-provision a Bench with a new pre-authentication key, re-flash the Bench with a newly generated image. See Troubleshooting for when this is necessary.

Configuration File

The configuration file is located on the root of the FAT32 (boot) partition of the Benches SD card e.g.:

D:\vsec_config.txt

Tip: When the SD card is inserted into a Windows PC, the FAT32 partition typically mounts as a removable drive (e.g. D:\, E:\, etc.). The exact drive letter may vary depending on your system.

File Format

The configuration file uses JSON format. Below is an example with explanations for each section.

{
  "version": "v1.0.2",
  "buildDate": "2026-02-20",
  "vpn": {
    "preAuthKey": "123456789ABCDEFDUMMY123456789ABCDEF",
    "loginURL": "https://vpn.1a2b3c.ed.vsec.blockharbor.io"
  },
  "bench": {
    "uid": "123456789ABCDEFDUMMY123456789ABCDEF123456789ABCDEFDUMMY123456789ABCDEF",
    "hostname": "lab-alpha-01",
    "description": "A nice description of the Bench",
    "SSHKey": "********"
  },
  "wanInterface": "wifi",
  "network": {
    "useDHCP": true,
    "IPAddress": "192.168.0.101",
    "NetworkMask": "255.255.255.0",
    "DefaultGateway": "192.168.0.1",
    "DNSServer": "192.168.0.1"
  },
  "wifi": {
    "ssid": "LabNetwork",
    "password": "LabPassword",
    "countryCode": "US",
    "useDHCP": true,
    "IPAddress": "192.168.0.101",
    "NetworkMask": "255.255.255.0",
    "DefaultGateway": "192.168.0.1",
    "DNSServer": "192.168.0.1"
  }
}

Configuration Fields

Root

Field	Required	Description
`version`	Yes	DO NOT MODIFY. Configuration file format version.
`buildDate`	Yes	DO NOT MODIFY. The date the base image was generated.

VPN (`vpn`)

These settings allow the Bench to establish a secure VPN tunnel to the backend infrastructure.

Field	Required	Description
`preAuthKey`	Yes	DO NOT SHARE. DO NOT MODIFY. Pre-authentication key used to register the Bench with the VPN server. This key is unique and typically single-use.
`loginURL`	Yes	DO NOT SHARE. DO NOT MODIFY. The VPN server URL the Bench connects to.

Bench (`bench`)

Identifies the Bench within the system.

Field	Required	Description
`uid`	Yes	DO NOT SHARE. DO NOT MODIFY. A unique identifier assigned to this Bench.
`hostname`	Yes	The network hostname of the Bench.
`description`	No	Text field to define the Benches purpose or location.
`SSHKey`	No	SSH public key for remote access. It is installed for the user `tester`, so log in as `tester`.

WAN Interface (`wanInterface`) and Network (`network`)

These settings have no effect today. The Bench always applies the wifi section to its Wi-Fi interface, whatever wanInterface says, and it takes the static IP settings from the wifi section, not from network. The Ethernet port is left on its default DHCP configuration. Leave both sections as they were generated.

Wi-Fi (`wifi`)

Configures the Benches wireless network connection, including its IP settings. The Bench always applies this section.

Field	Required	Description
`ssid`	Yes	The name of the Wi-Fi network to connect to.
`password`	Yes	The Wi-Fi network password.
`countryCode`	Yes	Two-letter country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) for Wi-Fi regulatory compliance (e.g. `US` for the United States).
`useDHCP`	Yes	Set to `true` to obtain an IP address automatically. Set to `false` for a static IP configuration and fill in the fields below.
`IPAddress`	No	Static IP address for the Bench. Required when `useDHCP` is `false`.
`NetworkMask`	No	Subnet mask for the static IP configuration (e.g. `255.255.255.0`). Required when `useDHCP` is `false`.
`DefaultGateway`	No	Default gateway address for the static IP configuration. Required when `useDHCP` is `false`.
`DNSServer`	No	DNS server address for the static IP configuration. Required when `useDHCP` is `false`.

Double-Check Your Wi-Fi Credentials
Most connectivity issues (approx. 90%) are caused by incorrect Wi-Fi SSIDs or passwords, please verify your network details. If the credentials are correct and the Bench still will not connect, see Troubleshooting.

Test Cases

Explore our library of Pre-Built Test Cases

DOCS

Last updated on October 11, 2026