build_cloud_with_hosts(create_json=True) or build_cloud(create_json=True) will create h2o-nodes.json which is python-test-world-visible h2o.nodes state (not all used after cloud building, but it's there. we can prune the state down over time). Can be ingested by a non-cloud--building python test*.py to create a h2o.nodes object so that test stuff will just run (as if that test*.py created the cloud, when it didn't. psutil behaviors, and paramiko channel behaviors will have to be disabled. (mostly just in terminate() and is_alive() methods. I was playing with 'fake_cloud=True' state to do that, so maybe the ingest can set h2o.nodes[*].fake_cloud or something. maybe call it external_cloud. will noodle some more.