[PATCH v3 6/7] dts: split configuration file

[Luca Vizzarro <luca.vizzarro@arm.com>]

To avoid the creation of a big monolithic configuration file, nodes and
test runs are now split into distinct files. This also allows
flexibility to run different test runs on the same nodes.

Since there are now 2 distinct configuration files, there are also 2
command line arguments to specify them.

Bugzilla ID: 1344

Signed-off-by: Nicholas Pratte <npratte@iol.unh.edu>
Signed-off-by: Luca Vizzarro <luca.vizzarro@arm.com>
Reviewed-by: Paul Szczepanek <paul.szczepanek@arm.com>
---
 doc/guides/tools/dts.rst                      |  78 ++-
 dts/.gitignore                                |   4 +
 dts/conf.yaml                                 |  84 ---
 dts/framework/config/__init__.py              | 501 ++----------------
 dts/framework/config/common.py                |  34 ++
 dts/framework/config/node.py                  | 144 +++++
 dts/framework/config/test_run.py              | 290 ++++++++++
 dts/framework/runner.py                       |  11 +-
 dts/framework/settings.py                     |  37 +-
 dts/framework/test_result.py                  |   2 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/node.py           |   6 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/os_session.py     |   2 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/port.py           |   2 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/sut_node.py       |   6 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/tg_node.py        |   2 +-
 dts/framework/testbed_model/topology.py       |   2 +-
 .../traffic_generator/__init__.py             |   2 +-
 .../testbed_model/traffic_generator/scapy.py  |   2 +-
 .../traffic_generator/traffic_generator.py    |   2 +-
 dts/nodes.example.yaml                        |  53 ++
 dts/test_runs.example.yaml                    |  33 ++
 dts/tests/TestSuite_smoke_tests.py            |   2 +-
 22 files changed, 704 insertions(+), 595 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 dts/.gitignore
 delete mode 100644 dts/conf.yaml
 create mode 100644 dts/framework/config/common.py
 create mode 100644 dts/framework/config/node.py
 create mode 100644 dts/framework/config/test_run.py
 create mode 100644 dts/nodes.example.yaml
 create mode 100644 dts/test_runs.example.yaml

diff --git a/doc/guides/tools/dts.rst b/doc/guides/tools/dts.rst
index abc389b42a..6fc4eb8dac 100644
--- a/doc/guides/tools/dts.rst
+++ b/doc/guides/tools/dts.rst
@@ -210,8 +210,10 @@ DTS configuration is split into nodes and test runs,
 and must respect the model definitions
 as documented in the DTS API docs under the ``config`` page.
 The root of the configuration is represented by the ``Configuration`` model.
-By default, DTS will try to use the ``dts/conf.yaml`` :ref:`config file <configuration_example>`,
-which is a template that illustrates what can be configured in DTS.
+By default, DTS will try to use the ``dts/test_runs.example.yaml``
+:ref:`config file <test_runs_configuration_example>`, and ``dts/nodes.example.yaml``
+:ref:`config file <nodes_configuration_example>` which are templates that
+illustrate what can be configured in DTS.
 
 The user must have :ref:`administrator privileges <sut_admin_user>`
 which don't require password authentication.
@@ -225,16 +227,19 @@ DTS is run with ``main.py`` located in the ``dts`` directory after entering Poet
 .. code-block:: console
 
    (dts-py3.10) $ ./main.py --help
-   usage: main.py [-h] [--config-file FILE_PATH] [--output-dir DIR_PATH] [-t SECONDS] [-v] [--dpdk-tree DIR_PATH | --tarball FILE_PATH] [--remote-source]
-                  [--precompiled-build-dir DIR_NAME] [--compile-timeout SECONDS] [--test-suite TEST_SUITE [TEST_CASES ...]] [--re-run N_TIMES]
-                  [--random-seed NUMBER]
+   usage: main.py [-h] [--test-runs-config-file FILE_PATH] [--nodes-config-file FILE_PATH] [--output-dir DIR_PATH] [-t SECONDS] [-v]
+                  [--dpdk-tree DIR_PATH | --tarball FILE_PATH] [--remote-source] [--precompiled-build-dir DIR_NAME]
+                  [--compile-timeout SECONDS] [--test-suite TEST_SUITE [TEST_CASES ...]] [--re-run N_TIMES] [--random-seed NUMBER]
 
-   Run DPDK test suites. All options may be specified with the environment variables provided in brackets. Command line arguments have higher priority.
+   Run DPDK test suites. All options may be specified with the environment variables provided in brackets. Command line arguments have higher
+   priority.
 
    options:
      -h, --help            show this help message and exit
-     --config-file FILE_PATH
-                           [DTS_CFG_FILE] The configuration file that describes the test cases, SUTs and DPDK build configs. (default: conf.yaml)
+     --test-runs-config-file FILE_PATH
+                           [DTS_TEST_RUNS_CFG_FILE] The configuration file that describes the test cases and DPDK build options. (default: test-runs.conf.yaml)
+     --nodes-config-file FILE_PATH
+                           [DTS_NODES_CFG_FILE] The configuration file that describes the SUT and TG nodes. (default: nodes.conf.yaml)
      --output-dir DIR_PATH, --output DIR_PATH
                            [DTS_OUTPUT_DIR] Output directory where DTS logs and results are saved. (default: output)
      -t SECONDS, --timeout SECONDS
@@ -243,31 +248,31 @@ DTS is run with ``main.py`` located in the ``dts`` directory after entering Poet
      --compile-timeout SECONDS
                            [DTS_COMPILE_TIMEOUT] The timeout for compiling DPDK. (default: 1200)
      --test-suite TEST_SUITE [TEST_CASES ...]
-                           [DTS_TEST_SUITES] A list containing a test suite with test cases. The first parameter is the test suite name, and the rest are
-                           test case names, which are optional. May be specified multiple times. To specify multiple test suites in the environment
-                           variable, join the lists with a comma. Examples: --test-suite suite case case --test-suite suite case ... |
-                           DTS_TEST_SUITES='suite case case, suite case, ...' | --test-suite suite --test-suite suite case ... | DTS_TEST_SUITES='suite,
-                           suite case, ...' (default: [])
+                           [DTS_TEST_SUITES] A list containing a test suite with test cases. The first parameter is the test suite name, and
+                           the rest are test case names, which are optional. May be specified multiple times. To specify multiple test suites
+                           in the environment variable, join the lists with a comma. Examples: --test-suite suite case case --test-suite
+                           suite case ... | DTS_TEST_SUITES='suite case case, suite case, ...' | --test-suite suite --test-suite suite case
+                           ... | DTS_TEST_SUITES='suite, suite case, ...' (default: [])
      --re-run N_TIMES, --re_run N_TIMES
                            [DTS_RERUN] Re-run each test case the specified number of times if a test failure occurs. (default: 0)
-     --random-seed NUMBER  [DTS_RANDOM_SEED] The seed to use with the pseudo-random generator. If not specified, the configuration value is used instead.
-                           If that's also not specified, a random seed is generated. (default: None)
+     --random-seed NUMBER  [DTS_RANDOM_SEED] The seed to use with the pseudo-random generator. If not specified, the configuration value is
+                           used instead. If that's also not specified, a random seed is generated. (default: None)
 
    DPDK Build Options:
-     Arguments in this group (and subgroup) will be applied to a DPDKLocation when the DPDK tree, tarball or revision will be provided, other arguments
-     like remote source and build dir are optional. A DPDKLocation from settings are used instead of from config if construct successful.
+     Arguments in this group (and subgroup) will be applied to a DPDKLocation when the DPDK tree, tarball or revision will be provided,
+     other arguments like remote source and build dir are optional. A DPDKLocation from settings are used instead of from config if
+     construct successful.
 
-     --dpdk-tree DIR_PATH  [DTS_DPDK_TREE] The path to the DPDK source tree directory to test. Cannot be used in conjunction with --tarball. (default:
-                             None)
+     --dpdk-tree DIR_PATH  [DTS_DPDK_TREE] The path to the DPDK source tree directory to test. Cannot be used in conjunction with --tarball.
+                           (default: None)
      --tarball FILE_PATH, --snapshot FILE_PATH
-                           [DTS_DPDK_TARBALL] The path to the DPDK source tarball to test. DPDK must be contained in a folder with the same name as the
-                           tarball file. Cannot be used in conjunction with --dpdk-tree. (default: None)
-     --remote-source       [DTS_REMOTE_SOURCE] Set this option if either the DPDK source tree or tarball to be used are located on the SUT node. Can only
-                           be used with --dpdk-tree or --tarball. (default: False)
+                           [DTS_DPDK_TARBALL] The path to the DPDK source tarball to test. DPDK must be contained in a folder with the same
+                           name as the tarball file. Cannot be used in conjunction with --dpdk-tree. (default: None)
+     --remote-source       [DTS_REMOTE_SOURCE] Set this option if either the DPDK source tree or tarball to be used are located on the SUT
+                           node. Can only be used with --dpdk-tree or --tarball. (default: False)
      --precompiled-build-dir DIR_NAME
-                           [DTS_PRECOMPILED_BUILD_DIR] Define the subdirectory under the DPDK tree root directory where the pre-compiled binaries are
-                           located. If set, DTS will build DPDK under the `build` directory instead. Can only be used with --dpdk-tree or --tarball.
-                           (default: None)
+                           [DTS_PRECOMPILED_BUILD_DIR] Define the subdirectory under the DPDK tree root directory or tarball where the pre-
+                           compiled binaries are located. (default: None)
 
 
 The brackets contain the names of environment variables that set the same thing.
@@ -467,7 +472,7 @@ The output is generated in ``build/doc/api/dts/html``.
 Configuration Example
 ---------------------
 
-The following example (which can be found in ``dts/conf.yaml``) sets up two nodes:
+The following example configuration files sets up two nodes:
 
 * ``SUT1`` which is already setup with the DPDK build requirements and any other
   required for execution;
@@ -479,6 +484,21 @@ And they both have two network ports which are physically connected to each othe
    This example assumes that you have setup SSH keys in both the system under test
    and traffic generator nodes.
 
-.. literalinclude:: ../../../dts/conf.yaml
+.. _test_runs_configuration_example:
+
+``dts/test_runs.example.yaml``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. literalinclude:: ../../../dts/test_runs.example.yaml
+   :language: yaml
+   :start-at: # Define
+
+.. _nodes_configuration_example:
+
+
+``dts/nodes.example.yaml``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. literalinclude:: ../../../dts/nodes.example.yaml
    :language: yaml
-   :start-at: test_runs:
+   :start-at: # Define
diff --git a/dts/.gitignore b/dts/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d53a2f3b7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# default configuration files for DTS
+nodes.yaml
+test_runs.yaml
+
diff --git a/dts/conf.yaml b/dts/conf.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index bc78882d0d..0000000000
--- a/dts/conf.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,84 +0,0 @@
-# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright 2022-2023 The DPDK contributors
-# Copyright 2023 Arm Limited
-
-test_runs:
-  # define one test run environment
-  - dpdk_build:
-      dpdk_location:
-        # dpdk_tree: Commented out because `tarball` is defined.
-        tarball: dpdk-tarball.tar.xz
-        # Either `dpdk_tree` or `tarball` can be defined, but not both.
-        remote: false # Optional, defaults to false. If it's true, the `dpdk_tree` or `tarball`
-                      # is located on the SUT node, instead of the execution host.
-
-      # precompiled_build_dir: Commented out because `build_options` is defined.
-      build_options:
-        # the combination of the following two makes CC="ccache gcc"
-        compiler: gcc
-        compiler_wrapper: ccache # Optional.
-      # If `precompiled_build_dir` is defined, DPDK has been pre-built and the build directory is
-      # in a subdirectory of DPDK tree root directory. Otherwise, will be using the `build_options`
-      # to build the DPDK from source. Either `precompiled_build_dir` or `build_options` can be
-      # defined, but not both.
-    perf: false # disable performance testing
-    func: true # enable functional testing
-    skip_smoke_tests: false # optional
-    test_suites: # the following test suites will be run in their entirety
-      - hello_world
-    vdevs: # optional; if removed, vdevs won't be used in the execution
-      - "crypto_openssl"
-    # The machine running the DPDK test executable
-    system_under_test_node: "SUT 1"
-    # Traffic generator node to use for this execution environment
-    traffic_generator_node: "TG 1"
-nodes:
-  # Define a system under test node, having two network ports physically
-  # connected to the corresponding ports in TG 1 (the peer node)
-  - name: "SUT 1"
-    hostname: sut1.change.me.localhost
-    user: dtsuser
-    os: linux
-    ports:
-      # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0
-      - pci: "0000:00:08.0"
-        os_driver_for_dpdk: vfio-pci # OS driver that DPDK will use
-        os_driver: i40e              # OS driver to bind when the tests are not running
-        peer_node: "TG 1"
-        peer_pci: "0000:00:08.0"
-      # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.1 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.1
-      - pci: "0000:00:08.1"
-        os_driver_for_dpdk: vfio-pci
-        os_driver: i40e
-        peer_node: "TG 1"
-        peer_pci: "0000:00:08.1"
-    hugepages_2mb: # optional; if removed, will use system hugepage configuration
-        number_of: 256
-        force_first_numa: false
-    dpdk_config:
-        lcores: "" # use all available logical cores (Skips first core)
-        memory_channels: 4 # tells DPDK to use 4 memory channels
-  # Define a Scapy traffic generator node, having two network ports
-  # physically connected to the corresponding ports in SUT 1 (the peer node).
-  - name: "TG 1"
-    hostname: tg1.change.me.localhost
-    user: dtsuser
-    os: linux
-    ports:
-      # sets up the physical link between "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0
-      - pci: "0000:00:08.0"
-        os_driver_for_dpdk: rdma
-        os_driver: rdma
-        peer_node: "SUT 1"
-        peer_pci: "0000:00:08.0"
-      # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0
-      - pci: "0000:00:08.1"
-        os_driver_for_dpdk: rdma
-        os_driver: rdma
-        peer_node: "SUT 1"
-        peer_pci: "0000:00:08.1"
-    hugepages_2mb: # optional; if removed, will use system hugepage configuration
-        number_of: 256
-        force_first_numa: false
-    traffic_generator:
-        type: SCAPY
diff --git a/dts/framework/config/__init__.py b/dts/framework/config/__init__.py
index 5510e3547b..adbd4e952d 100644
--- a/dts/framework/config/__init__.py
+++ b/dts/framework/config/__init__.py
@@ -8,20 +8,15 @@
 
 This package offers classes that hold real-time information about the testbed, hold test run
 configuration describing the tested testbed and a loader function, :func:`load_config`, which loads
-the YAML test run configuration file and validates it against the :class:`Configuration` Pydantic
-model.
+the YAML configuration files and validates them against the :class:`Configuration` Pydantic
+model, which fields are directly mapped.
 
-The YAML test run configuration file is parsed into a dictionary, parts of which are used throughout
-this package. The allowed keys and types inside this dictionary map directly to the
-:class:`Configuration` model, its fields and sub-models.
+The configuration files are split in:
 
-The test run configuration has two main sections:
-
-    * The :class:`TestRunConfiguration` which defines what tests are going to be run
-      and how DPDK will be built. It also references the testbed where these tests and DPDK
-      are going to be run,
-    * The nodes of the testbed are defined in the other section,
-      a :class:`list` of :class:`NodeConfiguration` objects.
+    * A list of test run which are represented by :class:`~.test_run.TestRunConfiguration`
+      defining what tests are going to be run and how DPDK will be built. It also references
+      the testbed where these tests and DPDK are going to be run,
+    * A list of the nodes of the testbed which ar represented by :class:`~.node.NodeConfiguration`.
 
 The real-time information about testbed is supposed to be gathered at runtime.
 
@@ -32,442 +27,24 @@
       and makes it thread safe should we ever want to move in that direction.
 """
 
-import tarfile
-from enum import Enum, auto, unique
 from functools import cached_property
-from pathlib import Path, PurePath
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Annotated, Any, Literal, NamedTuple, TypedDict, cast
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Annotated, Any, Literal, NamedTuple, TypeVar, cast
 
 import yaml
-from pydantic import (
-    BaseModel,
-    ConfigDict,
-    Field,
-    ValidationError,
-    ValidationInfo,
-    field_validator,
-    model_validator,
-)
+from pydantic import Field, TypeAdapter, ValidationError, field_validator, model_validator
 from typing_extensions import Self
 
 from framework.exception import ConfigurationError
-from framework.settings import Settings
-from framework.utils import REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS, StrEnum
-
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from framework.test_suite import TestSuiteSpec
-
-
-class ValidationContext(TypedDict):
-    """A context dictionary to use for validation."""
-
-    #: The command line settings.
-    settings: Settings
-
-
-def load_from_settings(data: Any, info: ValidationInfo):
-    """Before field validator that injects values from :attr:`ValidationContext.settings`."""
-    context = cast(ValidationContext, info.context)
-    assert info.field_name is not None, "This validator can only be used as a field validator."
-    if settings_data := getattr(context["settings"], info.field_name):
-        return settings_data
-    return data
-
-
-class FrozenModel(BaseModel):
-    """A pre-configured :class:`~pydantic.BaseModel`."""
-
-    #: Fields are set as read-only and any extra fields are forbidden.
-    model_config = ConfigDict(frozen=True, extra="forbid")
-
-
-@unique
-class OS(StrEnum):
-    r"""The supported operating systems of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
-
-    #:
-    linux = auto()
-    #:
-    freebsd = auto()
-    #:
-    windows = auto()
-
-
-@unique
-class Compiler(StrEnum):
-    r"""The supported compilers of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
-
-    #:
-    gcc = auto()
-    #:
-    clang = auto()
-    #:
-    icc = auto()
-    #:
-    msvc = auto()
-
-
-@unique
-class TrafficGeneratorType(str, Enum):
-    """The supported traffic generators."""
-
-    #:
-    SCAPY = "SCAPY"
-
-
-class HugepageConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    r"""The hugepage configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
-
-    #: The number of hugepages to allocate.
-    number_of: int
-    #: If :data:`True`, the hugepages will be configured on the first NUMA node.
-    force_first_numa: bool
-
-
-class PortConfig(FrozenModel):
-    r"""The port configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
-
-    #: The PCI address of the port.
-    pci: str = Field(pattern=REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS)
-    #: The driver that the kernel should bind this device to for DPDK to use it.
-    os_driver_for_dpdk: str = Field(examples=["vfio-pci", "mlx5_core"])
-    #: The operating system driver name when the operating system controls the port.
-    os_driver: str = Field(examples=["i40e", "ice", "mlx5_core"])
-    #: The name of the peer node this port is connected to.
-    peer_node: str
-    #: The PCI address of the peer port connected to this port.
-    peer_pci: str = Field(pattern=REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS)
-
-
-class TrafficGeneratorConfig(FrozenModel):
-    """A protocol required to define traffic generator types."""
-
-    #: The traffic generator type the child class is required to define to be distinguished among
-    #: others.
-    type: TrafficGeneratorType
-
-
-class ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig(TrafficGeneratorConfig):
-    """Scapy traffic generator specific configuration."""
-
-    type: Literal[TrafficGeneratorType.SCAPY]
-
-
-#: A union type discriminating traffic generators by the `type` field.
-TrafficGeneratorConfigTypes = Annotated[ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig, Field(discriminator="type")]
-
-#: Comma-separated list of logical cores to use. An empty string or ```any``` means use all lcores.
-LogicalCores = Annotated[
-    str,
-    Field(
-        examples=["1,2,3,4,5,18-22", "10-15", "any"],
-        pattern=r"^(([0-9]+|([0-9]+-[0-9]+))(,([0-9]+|([0-9]+-[0-9]+)))*)?$|any",
-    ),
-]
-
-
-class NodeConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    r"""The configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
-
-    #: The name of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
-    name: str
-    #: The hostname of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`. Can also be an IP address.
-    hostname: str
-    #: The name of the user used to connect to the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
-    user: str
-    #: The password of the user. The use of passwords is heavily discouraged, please use SSH keys.
-    password: str | None = None
-    #: The operating system of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
-    os: OS
-    #: An optional hugepage configuration.
-    hugepages: HugepageConfiguration | None = Field(None, alias="hugepages_2mb")
-    #: The ports that can be used in testing.
-    ports: list[PortConfig] = Field(min_length=1)
-
-
-class DPDKConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    """Configuration of the DPDK EAL parameters."""
-
-    #: A comma delimited list of logical cores to use when running DPDK. ```any```, an empty
-    #: string or omitting this field means use any core except for the first one. The first core
-    #: will only be used if explicitly set.
-    lcores: LogicalCores = ""
-
-    #: The number of memory channels to use when running DPDK.
-    memory_channels: int = 1
-
-    @property
-    def use_first_core(self) -> bool:
-        """Returns :data:`True` if `lcores` explicitly selects the first core."""
-        return "0" in self.lcores
-
-
-class SutNodeConfiguration(NodeConfiguration):
-    """:class:`~framework.testbed_model.sut_node.SutNode` specific configuration."""
-
-    #: The runtime configuration for DPDK.
-    dpdk_config: DPDKConfiguration
-
-
-class TGNodeConfiguration(NodeConfiguration):
-    """:class:`~framework.testbed_model.tg_node.TGNode` specific configuration."""
-
-    #: The configuration of the traffic generator present on the TG node.
-    traffic_generator: TrafficGeneratorConfigTypes
-
-
-#: Union type for all the node configuration types.
-NodeConfigurationTypes = TGNodeConfiguration | SutNodeConfiguration
-
-
-def resolve_path(path: Path) -> Path:
-    """Resolve a path into a real path."""
-    return path.resolve()
-
-
-class BaseDPDKLocation(FrozenModel):
-    """DPDK location base class.
-
-    The path to the DPDK sources and type of location.
-    """
-
-    #: Specifies whether to find DPDK on the SUT node or on the local host. Which are respectively
-    #: represented by :class:`RemoteDPDKLocation` and :class:`LocalDPDKTreeLocation`.
-    remote: bool = False
-
-
-class LocalDPDKLocation(BaseDPDKLocation):
-    """Local DPDK location base class.
-
-    This class is meant to represent any location that is present only locally.
-    """
-
-    remote: Literal[False] = False
-
-
-class LocalDPDKTreeLocation(LocalDPDKLocation):
-    """Local DPDK tree location.
-
-    This class makes a distinction from :class:`RemoteDPDKTreeLocation` by enforcing on the fly
-    validation.
-    """
-
-    #: The path to the DPDK source tree directory on the local host passed as string.
-    dpdk_tree: Path
-
-    #: Resolve the local DPDK tree path.
-    resolve_dpdk_tree_path = field_validator("dpdk_tree")(resolve_path)
-
-    @model_validator(mode="after")
-    def validate_dpdk_tree_path(self) -> Self:
-        """Validate the provided DPDK tree path."""
-        assert self.dpdk_tree.exists(), "DPDK tree not found in local filesystem."
-        assert self.dpdk_tree.is_dir(), "The DPDK tree path must be a directory."
-        return self
-
-
-class LocalDPDKTarballLocation(LocalDPDKLocation):
-    """Local DPDK tarball location.
-
-    This class makes a distinction from :class:`RemoteDPDKTarballLocation` by enforcing on the fly
-    validation.
-    """
-
-    #: The path to the DPDK tarball on the local host passed as string.
-    tarball: Path
-
-    #: Resolve the local tarball path.
-    resolve_tarball_path = field_validator("tarball")(resolve_path)
-
-    @model_validator(mode="after")
-    def validate_tarball_path(self) -> Self:
-        """Validate the provided tarball."""
-        assert self.tarball.exists(), "DPDK tarball not found in local filesystem."
-        assert tarfile.is_tarfile(self.tarball), "The DPDK tarball must be a valid tar archive."
-        return self
-
-
-class RemoteDPDKLocation(BaseDPDKLocation):
-    """Remote DPDK location base class.
-
-    This class is meant to represent any location that is present only remotely.
-    """
-
-    remote: Literal[True] = True
-
-
-class RemoteDPDKTreeLocation(RemoteDPDKLocation):
-    """Remote DPDK tree location.
-
-    This class is distinct from :class:`LocalDPDKTreeLocation` which enforces on the fly validation.
-    """
 
-    #: The path to the DPDK source tree directory on the remote node passed as string.
-    dpdk_tree: PurePath
-
-
-class RemoteDPDKTarballLocation(RemoteDPDKLocation):
-    """Remote DPDK tarball location.
-
-    This class is distinct from :class:`LocalDPDKTarballLocation` which enforces on the fly
-    validation.
-    """
-
-    #: The path to the DPDK tarball on the remote node passed as string.
-    tarball: PurePath
-
-
-#: Union type for different DPDK locations.
-DPDKLocation = (
-    LocalDPDKTreeLocation
-    | LocalDPDKTarballLocation
-    | RemoteDPDKTreeLocation
-    | RemoteDPDKTarballLocation
+from .common import FrozenModel, ValidationContext
+from .node import (
+    NodeConfiguration,
+    NodeConfigurationTypes,
+    SutNodeConfiguration,
+    TGNodeConfiguration,
 )
-
-
-class BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    """The base configuration for different types of build.
-
-    The configuration contain the location of the DPDK and configuration used for building it.
-    """
-
-    #: The location of the DPDK tree.
-    dpdk_location: DPDKLocation
-
-    dpdk_location_from_settings = field_validator("dpdk_location", mode="before")(
-        load_from_settings
-    )
-
-
-class DPDKPrecompiledBuildConfiguration(BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration):
-    """DPDK precompiled build configuration."""
-
-    #: If it's defined, DPDK has been pre-compiled and the build directory is located in a
-    #: subdirectory of `~dpdk_location.dpdk_tree` or `~dpdk_location.tarball` root directory.
-    precompiled_build_dir: str = Field(min_length=1)
-
-    build_dir_from_settings = field_validator("precompiled_build_dir", mode="before")(
-        load_from_settings
-    )
-
-
-class DPDKBuildOptionsConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    """DPDK build options configuration.
-
-    The build options used for building DPDK.
-    """
-
-    #: The compiler executable to use.
-    compiler: Compiler
-    #: This string will be put in front of the compiler when executing the build. Useful for adding
-    #: wrapper commands, such as ``ccache``.
-    compiler_wrapper: str = ""
-
-
-class DPDKUncompiledBuildConfiguration(BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration):
-    """DPDK uncompiled build configuration."""
-
-    #: The build options to compiled DPDK with.
-    build_options: DPDKBuildOptionsConfiguration
-
-
-#: Union type for different build configurations.
-DPDKBuildConfiguration = DPDKPrecompiledBuildConfiguration | DPDKUncompiledBuildConfiguration
-
-
-class TestSuiteConfig(FrozenModel):
-    """Test suite configuration.
-
-    Information about a single test suite to be executed. This can also be represented as a string
-    instead of a mapping, example:
-
-    .. code:: yaml
-
-        test_runs:
-        - test_suites:
-            # As string representation:
-            - hello_world # test all of `hello_world`, or
-            - hello_world hello_world_single_core # test only `hello_world_single_core`
-            # or as model fields:
-            - test_suite: hello_world
-              test_cases: [hello_world_single_core] # without this field all test cases are run
-    """
-
-    #: The name of the test suite module without the starting ``TestSuite_``.
-    test_suite_name: str = Field(alias="test_suite")
-    #: The names of test cases from this test suite to execute. If empty, all test cases will be
-    #: executed.
-    test_cases_names: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list, alias="test_cases")
-
-    @cached_property
-    def test_suite_spec(self) -> "TestSuiteSpec":
-        """The specification of the requested test suite."""
-        from framework.test_suite import find_by_name
-
-        test_suite_spec = find_by_name(self.test_suite_name)
-        assert (
-            test_suite_spec is not None
-        ), f"{self.test_suite_name} is not a valid test suite module name."
-        return test_suite_spec
-
-    @model_validator(mode="before")
-    @classmethod
-    def convert_from_string(cls, data: Any) -> Any:
-        """Convert the string representation of the model into a valid mapping."""
-        if isinstance(data, str):
-            [test_suite, *test_cases] = data.split()
-            return dict(test_suite=test_suite, test_cases=test_cases)
-        return data
-
-    @model_validator(mode="after")
-    def validate_names(self) -> Self:
-        """Validate the supplied test suite and test cases names.
-
-        This validator relies on the cached property `test_suite_spec` to run for the first
-        time in this call, therefore triggering the assertions if needed.
-        """
-        available_test_cases = map(
-            lambda t: t.name, self.test_suite_spec.class_obj.get_test_cases()
-        )
-        for requested_test_case in self.test_cases_names:
-            assert requested_test_case in available_test_cases, (
-                f"{requested_test_case} is not a valid test case "
-                f"of test suite {self.test_suite_name}."
-            )
-
-        return self
-
-
-class TestRunConfiguration(FrozenModel):
-    """The configuration of a test run.
-
-    The configuration contains testbed information, what tests to execute
-    and with what DPDK build.
-    """
-
-    #: The DPDK configuration used to test.
-    dpdk_config: DPDKBuildConfiguration = Field(alias="dpdk_build")
-    #: Whether to run performance tests.
-    perf: bool
-    #: Whether to run functional tests.
-    func: bool
-    #: Whether to skip smoke tests.
-    skip_smoke_tests: bool = False
-    #: The names of test suites and/or test cases to execute.
-    test_suites: list[TestSuiteConfig] = Field(min_length=1)
-    #: The SUT node name to use in this test run.
-    system_under_test_node: str
-    #: The TG node name to use in this test run.
-    traffic_generator_node: str
-    #: The names of virtual devices to test.
-    vdevs: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list)
-    #: The seed to use for pseudo-random generation.
-    random_seed: int | None = None
-
-    fields_from_settings = field_validator("test_suites", "random_seed", mode="before")(
-        load_from_settings
-    )
+from .test_run import TestRunConfiguration
 
 
 class TestRunWithNodesConfiguration(NamedTuple):
@@ -481,13 +58,18 @@ class TestRunWithNodesConfiguration(NamedTuple):
     tg_node_config: TGNodeConfiguration
 
 
+TestRunsConfig = Annotated[list[TestRunConfiguration], Field(min_length=1)]
+
+NodesConfig = Annotated[list[NodeConfigurationTypes], Field(min_length=1)]
+
+
 class Configuration(FrozenModel):
     """DTS testbed and test configuration."""
 
     #: Test run configurations.
-    test_runs: list[TestRunConfiguration] = Field(min_length=1)
+    test_runs: TestRunsConfig
     #: Node configurations.
-    nodes: list[NodeConfigurationTypes] = Field(min_length=1)
+    nodes: NodesConfig
 
     @cached_property
     def test_runs_with_nodes(self) -> list[TestRunWithNodesConfiguration]:
@@ -571,30 +153,37 @@ def validate_test_runs_with_nodes(self) -> Self:
         return self
 
 
-def load_config(settings: Settings) -> Configuration:
-    """Load DTS test run configuration from a file.
+T = TypeVar("T")
+
+
+def _load_and_parse_model(file_path: Path, model_type: T, ctx: ValidationContext) -> T:
+    with open(file_path) as f:
+        try:
+            data = yaml.safe_load(f)
+            return TypeAdapter(model_type).validate_python(data, context=cast(dict[str, Any], ctx))
+        except ValidationError as e:
+            msg = f"failed to load the configuration file {file_path}"
+            raise ConfigurationError(msg) from e
+
 
-    Load the YAML test run configuration file, validate it, and create a test run configuration
-    object.
+def load_config(ctx: ValidationContext) -> Configuration:
+    """Load the DTS configuration from files.
 
-    The YAML test run configuration file is specified in the :option:`--config-file` command line
-    argument or the :envvar:`DTS_CFG_FILE` environment variable.
+    Load the YAML configuration files, validate them, and create a configuration object.
 
     Args:
-        config_file_path: The path to the YAML test run configuration file.
-        settings: The settings provided by the user on the command line.
+        ctx: The context required for validation.
 
     Returns:
         The parsed test run configuration.
 
     Raises:
-        ConfigurationError: If the supplied configuration file is invalid.
+        ConfigurationError: If the supplied configuration files are invalid.
     """
-    with open(settings.config_file_path, "r") as f:
-        config_data = yaml.safe_load(f)
+    test_runs = _load_and_parse_model(ctx["settings"].test_runs_config_path, TestRunsConfig, ctx)
+    nodes = _load_and_parse_model(ctx["settings"].nodes_config_path, NodesConfig, ctx)
 
     try:
-        context = ValidationContext(settings=settings)
-        return Configuration.model_validate(config_data, context=context)
+        return Configuration.model_validate({"test_runs": test_runs, "nodes": nodes}, context=ctx)
     except ValidationError as e:
-        raise ConfigurationError("failed to load the supplied configuration") from e
+        raise ConfigurationError("the configurations supplied are invalid") from e
diff --git a/dts/framework/config/common.py b/dts/framework/config/common.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fea8af4a11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/framework/config/common.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright (c) 2025 Arm Limited
+
+"""Common definitions and objects for the configuration."""
+
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, TypedDict, cast
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, ValidationInfo
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from framework.settings import Settings
+
+
+class ValidationContext(TypedDict):
+    """A context dictionary to use for validation."""
+
+    #: The command line settings.
+    settings: "Settings"
+
+
+def load_from_settings(data: Any, info: ValidationInfo):
+    """Before field validator that injects values from :attr:`ValidationContext.settings`."""
+    context = cast(ValidationContext, info.context)
+    assert info.field_name is not None, "This validator can only be used as a field validator."
+    if settings_data := getattr(context["settings"], info.field_name):
+        return settings_data
+    return data
+
+
+class FrozenModel(BaseModel):
+    """A pre-configured :class:`~pydantic.BaseModel`."""
+
+    #: Fields are set as read-only and any extra fields are forbidden.
+    model_config = ConfigDict(frozen=True, extra="forbid")
diff --git a/dts/framework/config/node.py b/dts/framework/config/node.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a7ace514d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/framework/config/node.py
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright(c) 2010-2021 Intel Corporation
+# Copyright(c) 2022-2023 University of New Hampshire
+# Copyright(c) 2023 PANTHEON.tech s.r.o.
+# Copyright(c) 2024 Arm Limited
+
+"""Configuration models representing a node.
+
+The root model of a node configuration is :class:`NodeConfiguration`.
+"""
+
+from enum import Enum, auto, unique
+from typing import Annotated, Literal
+
+from pydantic import Field
+
+from framework.utils import REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS, StrEnum
+
+from .common import FrozenModel
+
+
+@unique
+class OS(StrEnum):
+    r"""The supported operating systems of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
+
+    #:
+    linux = auto()
+    #:
+    freebsd = auto()
+    #:
+    windows = auto()
+
+
+@unique
+class TrafficGeneratorType(str, Enum):
+    """The supported traffic generators."""
+
+    #:
+    SCAPY = "SCAPY"
+
+
+class HugepageConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    r"""The hugepage configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
+
+    #: The number of hugepages to allocate.
+    number_of: int
+    #: If :data:`True`, the hugepages will be configured on the first NUMA node.
+    force_first_numa: bool
+
+
+class PortConfig(FrozenModel):
+    r"""The port configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
+
+    #: The PCI address of the port.
+    pci: str = Field(pattern=REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS)
+    #: The driver that the kernel should bind this device to for DPDK to use it.
+    os_driver_for_dpdk: str = Field(examples=["vfio-pci", "mlx5_core"])
+    #: The operating system driver name when the operating system controls the port.
+    os_driver: str = Field(examples=["i40e", "ice", "mlx5_core"])
+    #: The name of the peer node this port is connected to.
+    peer_node: str
+    #: The PCI address of the peer port connected to this port.
+    peer_pci: str = Field(pattern=REGEX_FOR_PCI_ADDRESS)
+
+
+class TrafficGeneratorConfig(FrozenModel):
+    """A protocol required to define traffic generator types."""
+
+    #: The traffic generator type the child class is required to define to be distinguished among
+    #: others.
+    type: TrafficGeneratorType
+
+
+class ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig(TrafficGeneratorConfig):
+    """Scapy traffic generator specific configuration."""
+
+    type: Literal[TrafficGeneratorType.SCAPY]
+
+
+#: A union type discriminating traffic generators by the `type` field.
+TrafficGeneratorConfigTypes = Annotated[ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig, Field(discriminator="type")]
+
+#: Comma-separated list of logical cores to use. An empty string or ```any``` means use all lcores.
+LogicalCores = Annotated[
+    str,
+    Field(
+        examples=["1,2,3,4,5,18-22", "10-15", "any"],
+        pattern=r"^(([0-9]+|([0-9]+-[0-9]+))(,([0-9]+|([0-9]+-[0-9]+)))*)?$|any",
+    ),
+]
+
+
+class NodeConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    r"""The configuration of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
+
+    #: The name of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
+    name: str
+    #: The hostname of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`. Can also be an IP address.
+    hostname: str
+    #: The name of the user used to connect to the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
+    user: str
+    #: The password of the user. The use of passwords is heavily discouraged, please use SSH keys.
+    password: str | None = None
+    #: The operating system of the :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`.
+    os: OS
+    #: An optional hugepage configuration.
+    hugepages: HugepageConfiguration | None = Field(None, alias="hugepages_2mb")
+    #: The ports that can be used in testing.
+    ports: list[PortConfig] = Field(min_length=1)
+
+
+class DPDKConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    """Configuration of the DPDK EAL parameters."""
+
+    #: A comma delimited list of logical cores to use when running DPDK. ```any```, an empty
+    #: string or omitting this field means use any core except for the first one. The first core
+    #: will only be used if explicitly set.
+    lcores: LogicalCores = ""
+
+    #: The number of memory channels to use when running DPDK.
+    memory_channels: int = 1
+
+    @property
+    def use_first_core(self) -> bool:
+        """Returns :data:`True` if `lcores` explicitly selects the first core."""
+        return "0" in self.lcores
+
+
+class SutNodeConfiguration(NodeConfiguration):
+    """:class:`~framework.testbed_model.sut_node.SutNode` specific configuration."""
+
+    #: The runtime configuration for DPDK.
+    dpdk_config: DPDKConfiguration
+
+
+class TGNodeConfiguration(NodeConfiguration):
+    """:class:`~framework.testbed_model.tg_node.TGNode` specific configuration."""
+
+    #: The configuration of the traffic generator present on the TG node.
+    traffic_generator: TrafficGeneratorConfigTypes
+
+
+#: Union type for all the node configuration types.
+NodeConfigurationTypes = TGNodeConfiguration | SutNodeConfiguration
diff --git a/dts/framework/config/test_run.py b/dts/framework/config/test_run.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f08e034e25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/framework/config/test_run.py
@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright(c) 2010-2021 Intel Corporation
+# Copyright(c) 2022-2023 University of New Hampshire
+# Copyright(c) 2023 PANTHEON.tech s.r.o.
+# Copyright(c) 2024 Arm Limited
+
+"""Configuration models representing a test run.
+
+The root model of a test run configuration is :class:`TestRunConfiguration`.
+"""
+
+import tarfile
+from enum import auto, unique
+from functools import cached_property
+from pathlib import Path, PurePath
+from typing import Any, Literal
+
+from pydantic import Field, field_validator, model_validator
+from typing_extensions import TYPE_CHECKING, Self
+
+from framework.utils import StrEnum
+
+from .common import FrozenModel, load_from_settings
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from framework.test_suite import TestSuiteSpec
+
+
+@unique
+class Compiler(StrEnum):
+    r"""The supported compilers of :class:`~framework.testbed_model.node.Node`\s."""
+
+    #:
+    gcc = auto()
+    #:
+    clang = auto()
+    #:
+    icc = auto()
+    #:
+    msvc = auto()
+
+
+def resolve_path(path: Path) -> Path:
+    """Resolve a path into a real path."""
+    return path.resolve()
+
+
+class BaseDPDKLocation(FrozenModel):
+    """DPDK location base class.
+
+    The path to the DPDK sources and type of location.
+    """
+
+    #: Specifies whether to find DPDK on the SUT node or on the local host. Which are respectively
+    #: represented by :class:`RemoteDPDKLocation` and :class:`LocalDPDKTreeLocation`.
+    remote: bool = False
+
+
+class LocalDPDKLocation(BaseDPDKLocation):
+    """Local DPDK location base class.
+
+    This class is meant to represent any location that is present only locally.
+    """
+
+    remote: Literal[False] = False
+
+
+class LocalDPDKTreeLocation(LocalDPDKLocation):
+    """Local DPDK tree location.
+
+    This class makes a distinction from :class:`RemoteDPDKTreeLocation` by enforcing on the fly
+    validation.
+    """
+
+    #: The path to the DPDK source tree directory on the local host passed as string.
+    dpdk_tree: Path
+
+    #: Resolve the local DPDK tree path.
+    resolve_dpdk_tree_path = field_validator("dpdk_tree")(resolve_path)
+
+    @model_validator(mode="after")
+    def validate_dpdk_tree_path(self) -> Self:
+        """Validate the provided DPDK tree path."""
+        assert self.dpdk_tree.exists(), "DPDK tree not found in local filesystem."
+        assert self.dpdk_tree.is_dir(), "The DPDK tree path must be a directory."
+        return self
+
+
+class LocalDPDKTarballLocation(LocalDPDKLocation):
+    """Local DPDK tarball location.
+
+    This class makes a distinction from :class:`RemoteDPDKTarballLocation` by enforcing on the fly
+    validation.
+    """
+
+    #: The path to the DPDK tarball on the local host passed as string.
+    tarball: Path
+
+    #: Resolve the local tarball path.
+    resolve_tarball_path = field_validator("tarball")(resolve_path)
+
+    @model_validator(mode="after")
+    def validate_tarball_path(self) -> Self:
+        """Validate the provided tarball."""
+        assert self.tarball.exists(), "DPDK tarball not found in local filesystem."
+        assert tarfile.is_tarfile(self.tarball), "The DPDK tarball must be a valid tar archive."
+        return self
+
+
+class RemoteDPDKLocation(BaseDPDKLocation):
+    """Remote DPDK location base class.
+
+    This class is meant to represent any location that is present only remotely.
+    """
+
+    remote: Literal[True] = True
+
+
+class RemoteDPDKTreeLocation(RemoteDPDKLocation):
+    """Remote DPDK tree location.
+
+    This class is distinct from :class:`LocalDPDKTreeLocation` which enforces on the fly validation.
+    """
+
+    #: The path to the DPDK source tree directory on the remote node passed as string.
+    dpdk_tree: PurePath
+
+
+class RemoteDPDKTarballLocation(RemoteDPDKLocation):
+    """Remote DPDK tarball location.
+
+    This class is distinct from :class:`LocalDPDKTarballLocation` which enforces on the fly
+    validation.
+    """
+
+    #: The path to the DPDK tarball on the remote node passed as string.
+    tarball: PurePath
+
+
+#: Union type for different DPDK locations.
+DPDKLocation = (
+    LocalDPDKTreeLocation
+    | LocalDPDKTarballLocation
+    | RemoteDPDKTreeLocation
+    | RemoteDPDKTarballLocation
+)
+
+
+class BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    """The base configuration for different types of build.
+
+    The configuration contain the location of the DPDK and configuration used for building it.
+    """
+
+    #: The location of the DPDK tree.
+    dpdk_location: DPDKLocation
+
+    dpdk_location_from_settings = field_validator("dpdk_location", mode="before")(
+        load_from_settings
+    )
+
+
+class DPDKPrecompiledBuildConfiguration(BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration):
+    """DPDK precompiled build configuration."""
+
+    #: If it's defined, DPDK has been pre-compiled and the build directory is located in a
+    #: subdirectory of `~dpdk_location.dpdk_tree` or `~dpdk_location.tarball` root directory.
+    precompiled_build_dir: str = Field(min_length=1)
+
+    build_dir_from_settings = field_validator("precompiled_build_dir", mode="before")(
+        load_from_settings
+    )
+
+
+class DPDKBuildOptionsConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    """DPDK build options configuration.
+
+    The build options used for building DPDK.
+    """
+
+    #: The compiler executable to use.
+    compiler: Compiler
+    #: This string will be put in front of the compiler when executing the build. Useful for adding
+    #: wrapper commands, such as ``ccache``.
+    compiler_wrapper: str = ""
+
+
+class DPDKUncompiledBuildConfiguration(BaseDPDKBuildConfiguration):
+    """DPDK uncompiled build configuration."""
+
+    #: The build options to compiled DPDK with.
+    build_options: DPDKBuildOptionsConfiguration
+
+
+#: Union type for different build configurations.
+DPDKBuildConfiguration = DPDKPrecompiledBuildConfiguration | DPDKUncompiledBuildConfiguration
+
+
+class TestSuiteConfig(FrozenModel):
+    """Test suite configuration.
+
+    Information about a single test suite to be executed. This can also be represented as a string
+    instead of a mapping, example:
+
+    .. code:: yaml
+
+        test_runs:
+        - test_suites:
+            # As string representation:
+            - hello_world # test all of `hello_world`, or
+            - hello_world hello_world_single_core # test only `hello_world_single_core`
+            # or as model fields:
+            - test_suite: hello_world
+              test_cases: [hello_world_single_core] # without this field all test cases are run
+    """
+
+    #: The name of the test suite module without the starting ``TestSuite_``.
+    test_suite_name: str = Field(alias="test_suite")
+    #: The names of test cases from this test suite to execute. If empty, all test cases will be
+    #: executed.
+    test_cases_names: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list, alias="test_cases")
+
+    @cached_property
+    def test_suite_spec(self) -> "TestSuiteSpec":
+        """The specification of the requested test suite."""
+        from framework.test_suite import find_by_name
+
+        test_suite_spec = find_by_name(self.test_suite_name)
+        assert (
+            test_suite_spec is not None
+        ), f"{self.test_suite_name} is not a valid test suite module name."
+        return test_suite_spec
+
+    @model_validator(mode="before")
+    @classmethod
+    def convert_from_string(cls, data: Any) -> Any:
+        """Convert the string representation of the model into a valid mapping."""
+        if isinstance(data, str):
+            [test_suite, *test_cases] = data.split()
+            return dict(test_suite=test_suite, test_cases=test_cases)
+        return data
+
+    @model_validator(mode="after")
+    def validate_names(self) -> Self:
+        """Validate the supplied test suite and test cases names.
+
+        This validator relies on the cached property `test_suite_spec` to run for the first
+        time in this call, therefore triggering the assertions if needed.
+        """
+        available_test_cases = map(
+            lambda t: t.name, self.test_suite_spec.class_obj.get_test_cases()
+        )
+        for requested_test_case in self.test_cases_names:
+            assert requested_test_case in available_test_cases, (
+                f"{requested_test_case} is not a valid test case "
+                f"of test suite {self.test_suite_name}."
+            )
+
+        return self
+
+
+class TestRunConfiguration(FrozenModel):
+    """The configuration of a test run.
+
+    The configuration contains testbed information, what tests to execute
+    and with what DPDK build.
+    """
+
+    #: The DPDK configuration used to test.
+    dpdk_config: DPDKBuildConfiguration = Field(alias="dpdk_build")
+    #: Whether to run performance tests.
+    perf: bool
+    #: Whether to run functional tests.
+    func: bool
+    #: Whether to skip smoke tests.
+    skip_smoke_tests: bool = False
+    #: The names of test suites and/or test cases to execute.
+    test_suites: list[TestSuiteConfig] = Field(min_length=1)
+    #: The SUT node name to use in this test run.
+    system_under_test_node: str
+    #: The TG node name to use in this test run.
+    traffic_generator_node: str
+    #: The names of virtual devices to test.
+    vdevs: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list)
+    #: The seed to use for pseudo-random generation.
+    random_seed: int | None = None
+
+    fields_from_settings = field_validator("test_suites", "random_seed", mode="before")(
+        load_from_settings
+    )
diff --git a/dts/framework/runner.py b/dts/framework/runner.py
index e46a8c1a4f..9f9789cf49 100644
--- a/dts/framework/runner.py
+++ b/dts/framework/runner.py
@@ -25,17 +25,22 @@
 from types import MethodType
 from typing import Iterable
 
+from framework.config.common import ValidationContext
 from framework.testbed_model.capability import Capability, get_supported_capabilities
 from framework.testbed_model.sut_node import SutNode
 from framework.testbed_model.tg_node import TGNode
 
 from .config import (
     Configuration,
+    load_config,
+)
+from .config.node import (
     SutNodeConfiguration,
+    TGNodeConfiguration,
+)
+from .config.test_run import (
     TestRunConfiguration,
     TestSuiteConfig,
-    TGNodeConfiguration,
-    load_config,
 )
 from .exception import BlockingTestSuiteError, SSHTimeoutError, TestCaseVerifyError
 from .logger import DTSLogger, DtsStage, get_dts_logger
@@ -81,7 +86,7 @@ class DTSRunner:
 
     def __init__(self):
         """Initialize the instance with configuration, logger, result and string constants."""
-        self._configuration = load_config(SETTINGS)
+        self._configuration = load_config(ValidationContext(settings=SETTINGS))
         self._logger = get_dts_logger()
         if not os.path.exists(SETTINGS.output_dir):
             os.makedirs(SETTINGS.output_dir)
diff --git a/dts/framework/settings.py b/dts/framework/settings.py
index 873d400bec..cf82a7c18f 100644
--- a/dts/framework/settings.py
+++ b/dts/framework/settings.py
@@ -14,10 +14,15 @@
 
 The command line arguments along with the supported environment variables are:
 
-.. option:: --config-file
-.. envvar:: DTS_CFG_FILE
+.. option:: --test-runs-config-file
+.. envvar:: DTS_TEST_RUNS_CFG_FILE
 
-    The path to the YAML test run configuration file.
+    The path to the YAML configuration file of the test runs.
+
+.. option:: --nodes-config-file
+.. envvar:: DTS_NODES_CFG_FILE
+
+    The path to the YAML configuration file of the nodes.
 
 .. option:: --output-dir, --output
 .. envvar:: DTS_OUTPUT_DIR
@@ -102,7 +107,7 @@
 
 from pydantic import ValidationError
 
-from .config import (
+from .config.test_run import (
     DPDKLocation,
     LocalDPDKTarballLocation,
     LocalDPDKTreeLocation,
@@ -120,7 +125,9 @@ class Settings:
     """
 
     #:
-    config_file_path: Path = Path(__file__).parent.parent.joinpath("conf.yaml")
+    test_runs_config_path: Path = Path(__file__).parent.parent.joinpath("test_runs.yaml")
+    #:
+    nodes_config_path: Path = Path(__file__).parent.parent.joinpath("nodes.yaml")
     #:
     output_dir: str = "output"
     #:
@@ -316,14 +323,24 @@ def _get_parser() -> _DTSArgumentParser:
     )
 
     action = parser.add_argument(
-        "--config-file",
-        default=SETTINGS.config_file_path,
+        "--test-runs-config-file",
+        default=SETTINGS.test_runs_config_path,
+        type=Path,
+        help="The configuration file that describes the test cases and DPDK build options.",
+        metavar="FILE_PATH",
+        dest="test_runs_config_path",
+    )
+    _add_env_var_to_action(action, "TEST_RUNS_CFG_FILE")
+
+    action = parser.add_argument(
+        "--nodes-config-file",
+        default=SETTINGS.nodes_config_path,
         type=Path,
-        help="The configuration file that describes the test cases, SUTs and DPDK build configs.",
+        help="The configuration file that describes the SUT and TG nodes.",
         metavar="FILE_PATH",
-        dest="config_file_path",
+        dest="nodes_config_path",
     )
-    _add_env_var_to_action(action, "CFG_FILE")
+    _add_env_var_to_action(action, "NODES_CFG_FILE")
 
     action = parser.add_argument(
         "--output-dir",
diff --git a/dts/framework/test_result.py b/dts/framework/test_result.py
index 381f72b974..9977a9c457 100644
--- a/dts/framework/test_result.py
+++ b/dts/framework/test_result.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 
 from framework.testbed_model.capability import Capability
 
-from .config import TestRunConfiguration, TestSuiteConfig
+from .config.test_run import TestRunConfiguration, TestSuiteConfig
 from .exception import DTSError, ErrorSeverity
 from .logger import DTSLogger
 from .test_suite import TestCase, TestSuite
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/node.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/node.py
index 6c2dfd6185..e53a321499 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/node.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/node.py
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@
 
 from abc import ABC
 
-from framework.config import (
+from framework.config.node import (
     OS,
-    DPDKBuildConfiguration,
     NodeConfiguration,
+)
+from framework.config.test_run import (
+    DPDKBuildConfiguration,
     TestRunConfiguration,
 )
 from framework.exception import ConfigurationError
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/os_session.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/os_session.py
index e436886692..6d5fce40ff 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/os_session.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/os_session.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath, PurePosixPath
 
-from framework.config import NodeConfiguration
+from framework.config.node import NodeConfiguration
 from framework.logger import DTSLogger
 from framework.remote_session import (
     InteractiveRemoteSession,
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/port.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/port.py
index 566f4c5b46..7177da3371 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/port.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/port.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 
-from framework.config import PortConfig
+from framework.config.node import PortConfig
 
 
 @dataclass(slots=True, frozen=True)
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/sut_node.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/sut_node.py
index d8f1f9d452..483733cede 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/sut_node.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/sut_node.py
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path, PurePath
 
-from framework.config import (
+from framework.config.node import (
+    SutNodeConfiguration,
+)
+from framework.config.test_run import (
     DPDKBuildConfiguration,
     DPDKBuildOptionsConfiguration,
     DPDKPrecompiledBuildConfiguration,
@@ -25,7 +28,6 @@
     LocalDPDKTreeLocation,
     RemoteDPDKTarballLocation,
     RemoteDPDKTreeLocation,
-    SutNodeConfiguration,
     TestRunConfiguration,
 )
 from framework.exception import ConfigurationError, RemoteFileNotFoundError
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/tg_node.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/tg_node.py
index 3071bbd645..86cd278efb 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/tg_node.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/tg_node.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 from scapy.packet import Packet
 
-from framework.config import TGNodeConfiguration
+from framework.config.node import TGNodeConfiguration
 from framework.testbed_model.traffic_generator.capturing_traffic_generator import (
     PacketFilteringConfig,
 )
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/topology.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/topology.py
index 0bad59d2a4..caee9b22ea 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/topology.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/topology.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 else:
     from aenum import NoAliasEnum
 
-from framework.config import PortConfig
+from framework.config.node import PortConfig
 from framework.exception import ConfigurationError
 
 from .port import Port
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/__init__.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/__init__.py
index e501f6d5ee..922875f401 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/__init__.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/__init__.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 and a capturing traffic generator is required.
 """
 
-from framework.config import ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig, TrafficGeneratorConfig
+from framework.config.node import ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig, TrafficGeneratorConfig
 from framework.exception import ConfigurationError
 from framework.testbed_model.node import Node
 
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/scapy.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/scapy.py
index d24efc44e6..7b65d31723 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/scapy.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/scapy.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 from scapy.layers.l2 import Ether
 from scapy.packet import Packet
 
-from framework.config import OS, ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig
+from framework.config.node import OS, ScapyTrafficGeneratorConfig
 from framework.remote_session.python_shell import PythonShell
 from framework.testbed_model.node import Node
 from framework.testbed_model.port import Port
diff --git a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/traffic_generator.py b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/traffic_generator.py
index a07538cc98..9b4d5dc80a 100644
--- a/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/traffic_generator.py
+++ b/dts/framework/testbed_model/traffic_generator/traffic_generator.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 from scapy.packet import Packet
 
-from framework.config import TrafficGeneratorConfig
+from framework.config.node import TrafficGeneratorConfig
 from framework.logger import DTSLogger, get_dts_logger
 from framework.testbed_model.node import Node
 from framework.testbed_model.port import Port
diff --git a/dts/nodes.example.yaml b/dts/nodes.example.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..454d97ab5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/nodes.example.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright 2022-2023 The DPDK contributors
+# Copyright 2023 Arm Limited
+
+# Define a system under test node, having two network ports physically
+# connected to the corresponding ports in TG 1 (the peer node)
+- name: "SUT 1"
+  hostname: sut1.change.me.localhost
+  user: dtsuser
+  os: linux
+  ports:
+    # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0
+    - pci: "0000:00:08.0"
+      os_driver_for_dpdk: vfio-pci # OS driver that DPDK will use
+      os_driver: i40e              # OS driver to bind when the tests are not running
+      peer_node: "TG 1"
+      peer_pci: "0000:00:08.0"
+    # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.1 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.1
+    - pci: "0000:00:08.1"
+      os_driver_for_dpdk: vfio-pci
+      os_driver: i40e
+      peer_node: "TG 1"
+      peer_pci: "0000:00:08.1"
+  hugepages_2mb: # optional; if removed, will use system hugepage configuration
+      number_of: 256
+      force_first_numa: false
+  dpdk_config:
+      lcores: "" # use all available logical cores (Skips first core)
+      memory_channels: 4 # tells DPDK to use 4 memory channels
+# Define a Scapy traffic generator node, having two network ports
+# physically connected to the corresponding ports in SUT 1 (the peer node).
+- name: "TG 1"
+  hostname: tg1.change.me.localhost
+  user: dtsuser
+  os: linux
+  ports:
+    # sets up the physical link between "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0
+    - pci: "0000:00:08.0"
+      os_driver_for_dpdk: rdma
+      os_driver: rdma
+      peer_node: "SUT 1"
+      peer_pci: "0000:00:08.0"
+    # sets up the physical link between "SUT 1"@0000:00:08.0 and "TG 1"@0000:00:08.0
+    - pci: "0000:00:08.1"
+      os_driver_for_dpdk: rdma
+      os_driver: rdma
+      peer_node: "SUT 1"
+      peer_pci: "0000:00:08.1"
+  hugepages_2mb: # optional; if removed, will use system hugepage configuration
+      number_of: 256
+      force_first_numa: false
+  traffic_generator:
+      type: SCAPY
diff --git a/dts/test_runs.example.yaml b/dts/test_runs.example.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5b6afb153e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dts/test_runs.example.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+# Copyright 2022-2023 The DPDK contributors
+# Copyright 2023 Arm Limited
+
+# Define one test run environment
+- dpdk_build:
+    dpdk_location:
+      # dpdk_tree: Commented out because `tarball` is defined.
+      tarball: dpdk-tarball.tar.xz
+      # Either `dpdk_tree` or `tarball` can be defined, but not both.
+      remote: false # Optional, defaults to false. If it's true, the `dpdk_tree` or `tarball`
+                    # is located on the SUT node, instead of the execution host.
+
+    # precompiled_build_dir: Commented out because `build_options` is defined.
+    build_options:
+      # the combination of the following two makes CC="ccache gcc"
+      compiler: gcc
+      compiler_wrapper: ccache # Optional.
+    # If `precompiled_build_dir` is defined, DPDK has been pre-built and the build directory is
+    # in a subdirectory of DPDK tree root directory. Otherwise, will be using the `build_options`
+    # to build the DPDK from source. Either `precompiled_build_dir` or `build_options` can be
+    # defined, but not both.
+  perf: false # disable performance testing
+  func: true # enable functional testing
+  skip_smoke_tests: false # optional
+  test_suites: # the following test suites will be run in their entirety
+    - hello_world
+  vdevs: # optional; if removed, vdevs won't be used in the execution
+    - "crypto_openssl"
+  # The machine running the DPDK test executable
+  system_under_test_node: "SUT 1"
+  # Traffic generator node to use for this execution environment
+  traffic_generator_node: "TG 1"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dts/tests/TestSuite_smoke_tests.py b/dts/tests/TestSuite_smoke_tests.py
index bc3a2a6bf9..5b50c0477b 100644
--- a/dts/tests/TestSuite_smoke_tests.py
+++ b/dts/tests/TestSuite_smoke_tests.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 import re
 
-from framework.config import PortConfig
+from framework.config.node import PortConfig
 from framework.remote_session.testpmd_shell import TestPmdShell
 from framework.settings import SETTINGS
 from framework.test_suite import TestSuite, func_test
-- 
2.43.0