Document live vCenter ATVM datastore selection

- map AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold to gold and Gold-2 to gold-2
- require live vCenter placement checks for explicit VM lists
- stop mixed gold/gold-2 requests before planning ATVM runs
- return hostname-only datastore inventories by default
- tell the operator about the vCenter placement check before showing run commands
- clarify that repo inventory files are not the source of truth for current datastore membership

atvm/docs/automation/guide.md

@@ -125,6 +125,17 @@ Completed-run verification sequence:
 - Unless the operator explicitly requests another config, use a config file with `gold` in the filename.
 - If the operator-specified config file is missing, stop immediately and report the missing file.
 - Do not search for substitute ATVM config files and do not switch to another config unless the operator explicitly instructs it.
+- Treat `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` as `gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2` as `gold-2`.
+- Use live vCenter inventory as the source of truth for current VM membership on those datastores.
+- Query vCenter datastore membership at request time when selecting `gold` vs `gold-2`; do not maintain or rely on a repo-side live reference file for this decision.
+- When the operator asks to inventory or show the contents of `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, return hostname-only VM lists unless the operator explicitly asks for more detail.
+- When the operator provides an explicit VM list, check vCenter placement for every requested VM before choosing the config file.
+- Before presenting any ATVM run commands for an explicit VM-list request, tell the operator that the next step is a live vCenter placement check for the requested VMs and that the result will determine whether the run must use `gold` or `gold-2`.
+- If every requested VM is on `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold`, plan the run with the `gold` config.
+- If every requested VM is on `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, plan the run with the `gold-2` config.
+- If the requested VM set spans both `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, stop immediately and do not prepare or run the test.
+- For a mixed-datastore request, report it as a discrepancy, list which requested VMs are on `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and which are on `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, tell the operator they need to correct the list, and ask whether they want the full VM inventories for both datastores so they can adjust the request.
+- Do not run an ATVM test against a mixed set of VMs from both `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`.
 
 ## Available Templates
 - `cmc-e2e`
@@ -222,7 +233,12 @@ Before any new automation request:
 ## Requested Test Style
 When asked for one VM or a VM set:
 - choose requested template/options,
+- if the request includes explicit VM names, determine each VM's datastore placement in vCenter before selecting the config file,
+- before showing run commands, tell the operator you are about to do the live vCenter placement check and that it will decide the config family,
+- use only live vCenter datastore membership when resolving that placement,
 - choose correct config file for intended Gold Disk,
+- if the explicit VM set is split between `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, interrupt the request and report the per-datastore split instead of planning commands,
+- if the operator asks to see the datastore inventories, show hostname-only lists by default,
 - default to a config filename containing `gold` unless the operator explicitly says otherwise,
 - always include `--ignore_force_shutdown` on the template-generation command unless the operator explicitly overrides that default,
 - always include `--test_partition` on the template-generation command unless the operator explicitly overrides that default,

atvm/inventory/infrastructure.md

@@ -18,6 +18,14 @@ Tracked docs should reference `/home/aw/code/cds/.env.credentials.local` for sec
 - Primary ESXi hosts:
   - `192.168.1.165`
   - `192.168.1.166`
+- Primary ATVM boot datastores:
+  - `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` -> `gold` -> `cypress.atvm-config-gold.ts`
+  - `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2` -> `gold-2` -> `cypress.atvm-config-gold-2.ts`
+- Current VM membership for those datastores should be queried from live vCenter when needed, not stored as a maintained repo-side live reference list.
+- ATVM datastore placement rule for explicit VM-list test requests:
+  - all requested VMs must resolve to one datastore family only
+  - do not run a mixed request spanning both `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`
+  - if the request is mixed, stop and report the per-datastore VM split so the operator can correct the list
 - ESXi `192.168.1.165`:
   - SSH: `ESXI_HOST_1_USER / ESXI_HOST_1_PASSWORD`
   - IPMI: `ESXI_HOST_1_IPMI_USER / ESXI_HOST_1_IPMI_PASSWORD`

atvm/inventory/overview.md

@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ This directory contains the durable environment reference for the ATVM workspace
   - reserved IP ranges and per-IP role assignments
 - `specialized-reference.md`
   - map of the preserved detailed sections for zoning, ISO inventory, guest image inventory, guest configuration, gold images, and temporary clients
+- `vm-inventory.md`
+  - broad VM reference snapshot; do not use it for current `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` / `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2` membership during ATVM run planning
 
 ## Preserved Source
 - Full original notes are preserved at:

atvm/inventory/vm-inventory.md

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+This file is a broad ATVM VM reference snapshot.
+For current membership on `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold` and `AutomatedTest-VMBootImg-Gold-2`, query live vCenter when selecting `gold` vs `gold-2` for an ATVM run.
+
 | OS | Hostname | Kernel Version | Notes |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | Amazon Linux 2 | atvm1-amazonlinux2 | 4.14.301-224.520.amzn2.x86_64 |  |