`git annex test` is not allowed to make network connections. (It does do some
mocking to eg, test ssh special remotes without actually using ssh.)

`git annex testremote` is allowed to use the network, but only when the
user has set up a remote to test. Some parts of git-annex involve network
connections, but not as part of accessing a remote, or are specific to a
particular special remote. There outght to be a test suite for that stuff
as well.

A motivating example is `git annex p2p --pair`, which was 
[[broken for years due to lack of testing|apparent_regression_in_git_annex_p2p_--pair_usage_of_magic_wormhole_invocaction]]. 
Fully testing that would involve setting up tor hidden services which is far
too extreme for a test suite (and needs root), but it should at least be
possible to test the interface to magic-wormhole, allowing it to make a
connection to the wormhole server.

More examples: 

* git-annex multicast (would need two hosts on a lan ideally but
  could at least try to multicast back to the same host)
* git-annex addurl and git-annex importfeed with http urls.
  And testing the various security configs that affect them.
* The reversions where git-annex forgot to encrypt content stored
  on gcrypt and git-lfs remotes could have been detected if there was a
  test suite that tested them.

This could be done as a new command or a flag to `git annex test`.
In any case, the new test suite would need to be run somewhere;
running it on at least some of the autobuilders might be a good way.

--[[Joey]] 

[[!tag confirmed]]
