diff --git a/github_action_xcat_test.pl b/github_action_xcat_test.pl
index 23e18154b..34fc6b675 100644
--- a/github_action_xcat_test.pl
+++ b/github_action_xcat_test.pl
@@ -33,9 +33,8 @@ my $GITHUB_API = "https://api.github.com";
 # before building and run the unit tests out of the copy.
 #
 # The copy is tidiness, not a requirement: builddebs.pl writes under dist/debs
-# inside the checkout and restores every file it edits, so it isolates the tests
-# from build residue and nothing more. Its predecessor deleted the checkout's
-# parent directory, which is why the copy was added.
+# inside the checkout and restores every file it edits, so the copy only keeps
+# build residue away from the tests.
 my $srcdir = getcwd();
 my $unitsrc = ($ENV{'RUNNER_TEMP'} ? $ENV{'RUNNER_TEMP'} : "/tmp") . "/xcat-core-unitsrc";
 
diff --git a/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/el/module-setup.sh b/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/el/module-setup.sh
index 541e19c55..f4c22c318 100755
--- a/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/el/module-setup.sh
+++ b/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/el/module-setup.sh
@@ -48,8 +48,7 @@ install() {
     dracut_install mount.nfs sshd vi reboot lspci parted tmux mkfs mkfs.ext4 mkfs.xfs xfs_db
     #dracut_install libvirtd /usr/share/libvirt/cpu_map.xml /usr/bin/qemu-img /usr/libexec/qemu-kvm
     dracut_install mkswap df ifenslave ssh-keygen scp clear
-    # getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp. Without it the node reports no
-    # destiny, so xcatd never moves nodelist.status past powering-on.
+    # getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp.
     dracut_install mktemp
     dracut_install lldpad
 
@@ -69,7 +68,7 @@ install() {
     fi
 
     # OpenSSH 9.8 moved the per-connection work into sshd-session, which sshd execs by
-    # absolute path. Without it every connection to Genesis is refused.
+    # absolute path.
     for _sshd_helper in \
         /usr/libexec/openssh/sshd-session \
         /usr/libexec/openssh/sshd-auth \
diff --git a/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/ubuntu/module-setup.sh b/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/ubuntu/module-setup.sh
index 96c608dc9..367439ce4 100755
--- a/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/ubuntu/module-setup.sh
+++ b/xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/ubuntu/module-setup.sh
@@ -53,13 +53,12 @@ install() {
     dracut_install mount.nfs sshd vi reboot lspci parted screen mkfs mkfs.ext4 mkfs.btrfs
     #dracut_install libvirtd /usr/share/libvirt/cpu_map.xml /usr/bin/qemu-img /usr/libexec/qemu-kvm
     dracut_install mkswap df ifenslave ssh-keygen scp clear
-    # getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp. Without it the node reports no
-    # destiny, so xcatd never moves nodelist.status past powering-on.
+    # getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp.
     dracut_install mktemp
     dracut_install dhclient lldpad
 
     # OpenSSH 9.8 moved the per-connection work into sshd-session, which sshd execs by
-    # absolute path. Without it every connection to Genesis is refused.
+    # absolute path.
     for _sshd_helper in \
         /usr/libexec/openssh/sshd-session \
         /usr/libexec/openssh/sshd-auth \
diff --git a/xCAT-genesis-builder/verify-genesis-payload b/xCAT-genesis-builder/verify-genesis-payload
index 3765e27e2..1f44898c1 100755
--- a/xCAT-genesis-builder/verify-genesis-payload
+++ b/xCAT-genesis-builder/verify-genesis-payload
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
 # verify-genesis-payload [--commands-from <module-setup.sh>] <payload-root> [required-path ...]
 #
 # dracut_install() reports a missing binary and returns, so the module install function keeps
-# going and the image ships without it. Four such holes reached a release: no dhclient, no
-# openssl, no sshd-session and no UTF-8 locale. Check the extracted payload before it becomes
-# an rpm.
+# going and the image ships without it. Check the extracted payload before it is packaged.
 #
 # Paths given on the command line are relative to <payload-root>. --commands-from reads back
 # what the dracut module installs: a bare command name is looked for in the four binary
diff --git a/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/genesis/test.sh b/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/genesis/test.sh
index 542d065d2..904eea1d4 100755
--- a/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/genesis/test.sh
+++ b/xCAT-test/autotest/testcase/genesis/test.sh
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@ function runcmd(){
 # We should be using private networks
 TESTNODE=testnode
 TESTNODE_IP="192.168.3.1"
-# nodeset resolves the genesis kernel by the node arch. A hardcoded ppc64le node fails on
-# every other management node with "Could not find genesis.kernel.ppc64".
+# nodeset resolves the genesis kernel by the node arch, so the node takes this machine's.
 TESTNODE_ARCH="$(uname -m)"
 # The boot-loader configuration lives under the tftp root. Overridable so the check can run
 # against a scratch tree.
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/autotest_check_lines_are_understood.t b/xCAT-test/unit/autotest_check_lines_are_understood.t
index b589be314..1f4e54861 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/autotest_check_lines_are_understood.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/autotest_check_lines_are_understood.t
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ use Test::More;
 
 my $program = "$FindBin::Bin/../xcattest";
 my $casedir = "$FindBin::Bin/../autotest/testcase";
-BAIL_OUT("xcattest is not at $program")     unless -f $program;
-BAIL_OUT("no test cases under $casedir")    unless -d $casedir;
+die("xcattest is not at $program")     unless -f $program;
+die("no test cases under $casedir")    unless -d $casedir;
 
 # A check line xcattest does not understand costs the case the assertion it describes, and the
 # case says nothing about it: an unknown operator reports "Unrecognized testcase syntax", and a
@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ BAIL_OUT("no test cases under $casedir")    unless -d $casedir;
 # Read the shipped check lines and let the harness report on them.
 my @files;
 find({ wanted => sub { push(@files, $File::Find::name) if -f $File::Find::name }, no_chdir => 1 }, $casedir);
-BAIL_OUT("no case files under $casedir") unless @files;
+die("no case files under $casedir") unless @files;
 
 my (%checks, %vars);
 for my $file (sort @files) {
-    open(my $fh, '<', $file) or BAIL_OUT("open $file: $!");
+    open(my $fh, '<', $file) or die("open $file: $!");
     while (my $line = <$fh>) {
         chomp($line);
         next unless $line =~ /^check\s*:\s*(\S.*)$/;
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@ for my $file (sort @files) {
         $vars{$1} = 1 while ($check =~ /\$\$(\w+)/g);
         push(@{ $checks{$file} }, $check);
     }
-    close($fh) or BAIL_OUT("close $file: $!");
+    close($fh) or die("close $file: $!");
 }
-BAIL_OUT("no check lines under $casedir") unless keys %checks;
+die("no check lines under $casedir") unless keys %checks;
 
 # One case per shipped file, so a check that reports nothing is attributed to its own file.
 my %case_of_file = map { $_ => 'syntax_' . do { my $n = $_; $n =~ s{^\Q$casedir\E/?}{}; $n =~ s/[^A-Za-z0-9_-]/_/g; $n } } keys %checks;
@@ -55,11 +55,11 @@ for my $file (sort keys %checks) {
 # scratch tree keeps every file the run writes inside that tree.
 my $root = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
 make_path("$root/bin", "$root/cases");
-copy($program, "$root/bin/xcattest") or BAIL_OUT("copy xcattest: $!");
+copy($program, "$root/bin/xcattest") or die("copy xcattest: $!");
 chmod 0755, "$root/bin/xcattest";
-open(my $fixture_fh, '>', "$root/cases/fixture") or BAIL_OUT("write the fixture case: $!");
+open(my $fixture_fh, '>', "$root/cases/fixture") or die("write the fixture case: $!");
 print $fixture_fh $fixture;
-close($fixture_fh) or BAIL_OUT("close the fixture case: $!");
+close($fixture_fh) or die("close the fixture case: $!");
 
 # Every variable a check line names has to resolve, or xcattest drops the whole case.
 # A "local" here would be undone at the end of its own statement, before the run.
@@ -67,16 +67,16 @@ $ENV{"XCATTEST_$_"} = 'placeholder' for keys %vars;
 $ENV{XCATTEST_CASEDIR} = "$root/cases";
 # Some shipped patterns warn when perl compiles them, and the warnings say nothing about the
 # operator. The log file carries what this test reads, so the warnings go to the scratch tree.
-open(my $stderr_save, '>&', \*STDERR) or BAIL_OUT("save STDERR: $!");
-open(STDERR, '>', "$root/stderr") or BAIL_OUT("redirect STDERR: $!");
+open(my $stderr_save, '>&', \*STDERR) or die("save STDERR: $!");
+open(STDERR, '>', "$root/stderr") or die("redirect STDERR: $!");
 system($^X, "$root/bin/xcattest", '-q', '-t', join(',', sort values %case_of_file));
-open(STDERR, '>&', $stderr_save) or BAIL_OUT("restore STDERR: $!");
+open(STDERR, '>&', $stderr_save) or die("restore STDERR: $!");
 
 my ($logname) = glob("$root/share/xcat/tools/autotest/result/xcattest.log.*");
-BAIL_OUT("the harness wrote no log under $root") unless $logname;
-open(my $log_fh, '<', $logname) or BAIL_OUT("open $logname: $!");
+die("the harness wrote no log under $root") unless $logname;
+open(my $log_fh, '<', $logname) or die("open $logname: $!");
 my @log = <$log_fh>;
-close($log_fh) or BAIL_OUT("close $logname: $!");
+close($log_fh) or die("close $logname: $!");
 chomp(@log);
 
 # Count what the harness reported for each case, and keep the lines it did not understand.
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/debian_control_arch_coverage.t b/xCAT-test/unit/debian_control_arch_coverage.t
index dc545f0bc..824df71cb 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/debian_control_arch_coverage.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/debian_control_arch_coverage.t
@@ -1,11 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
 # xCAT and xCATsn name their Debian architectures explicitly. An architecture missing from that
-# list is not a build failure -- it is a package that never exists: apt on that architecture says
-#
-#   E: Unable to locate package xcat
-#
-# and the management node cannot be installed at all. riscv64 was missing while the rest of the
-# tree already carried riscv64 install templates, DHCP boot policy and a Genesis machine config.
+# list is not a build failure: it is a package apt cannot find at all.
 #
 # The list is compared against the architectures the DEB build itself supports, taken from
 # build-utils/lib/XCAT/BuildUtils or, failing that, the documented set.
@@ -38,16 +33,12 @@ for my $ctl (@controls) {
 }
 
 # The genesis dependency must follow the architecture. xCAT and xCATsn are built once per
-# architecture from one control file, so an unrestricted "Depends: xcat-genesis-scripts-amd64"
-# reaches the ppc64el and riscv64 debs too. That package is Architecture: all, so it installs and
-# apt reports no error -- it lays down the x86_64 Genesis tree and pulls the 128 MB amd64
-# genesis-base, and the management node gets no Genesis for its own architecture. The rpm side
-# already selects per architecture through %{?genesistarch:Requires: xCAT-genesis-scripts-...}.
+# architecture from one control file, and xcat-genesis-scripts-amd64 is Architecture: all, so an
+# unrestricted Depends on it installs the x86_64 Genesis tree on every architecture.
 #
-# xCAT-genesis-scripts keeps one control file per Debian architecture, and the file name is the
-# Debian architecture. Its package name and its genesis-base dependency must carry that same
-# architecture: xcat-genesis-base-ppc64 is a name no repository publishes, while the base deb
-# that builddeb-genesis-base builds for ppc64el is xcat-genesis-base-ppc64el.
+# xCAT-genesis-scripts keeps one control file per Debian architecture, named for it. Its package
+# name and its genesis-base dependency must carry that same architecture: the base deb
+# builddeb-genesis-base builds for ppc64el is xcat-genesis-base-ppc64el, not -ppc64.
 
 # Return the folded value of a control field, or undef.
 sub control_field {
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_arch.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_arch.t
index 5bcb83227..238d80c52 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_arch.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_arch.t
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ use Test::More;
 
 my $root   = "$FindBin::Bin/../..";
 my $script = "$root/xCAT-genesis-builder/debuild-xcat-genesis-base";
-BAIL_OUT("debuild-xcat-genesis-base not found at $script") unless -f $script;
+die("debuild-xcat-genesis-base not found at $script") unless -f $script;
 
 my $tmpdir = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
 my $driver = "$tmpdir/driver.sh";
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ my %superseded = (
 for my $rpm (sort keys %expected) {
     my $arch = $expected{$rpm};
     my ($dir, $control) = convert($arch, $rpm);
-    BAIL_OUT("debuild-xcat-genesis-base produced no source tree for $rpm")
+    die("debuild-xcat-genesis-base produced no source tree for $rpm")
       unless defined $dir;
 
     like($dir, qr/\Q-$arch-\E/, "$rpm builds in a $arch source tree");
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_control_rewrite.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_control_rewrite.t
index 44fb2979d..9f74ebff5 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_control_rewrite.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_base_deb_control_rewrite.t
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ plan tests => 8;
 
 my $text = slurp_repo_file('xCAT-genesis-builder/builddeb-genesis-base');
 my ($function) = $text =~ /^(rewrite_control\(\)\s*\{.*?^\})/ms;
-BAIL_OUT('rewrite_control() no longer matches in builddeb-genesis-base')
+die('rewrite_control() no longer matches in builddeb-genesis-base')
   unless defined $function;
 
 my $tmpdir = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
@@ -59,6 +59,6 @@ sub rewrite {
     my $driver = "$tmpdir/driver.$arch.sh";
     write_text($driver, "#!/bin/bash\nset -eu\n$function\nrewrite_control \"\$1\" \"\$2\"\n");
     system('bash', $driver, $copy, $arch) == 0
-      or BAIL_OUT("rewrite_control failed for $arch");
+      or die("rewrite_control failed for $arch");
     return read_text($copy);
 }
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_console_mode.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_console_mode.t
index f43e33b5d..c17ba3ac0 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_console_mode.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_console_mode.t
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@ plan tests => 5 * scalar(keys %HOOK) + 2;
 
 my $tmpdir = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
 
-# The failure this captures: with no UTF-8 locale in the image, tmux exits and the old
-# unconditional `while :; do tmux ...; done` never reached doxcat.
+# tmux exits under the C locale, so an unguarded tmux loop never reaches doxcat.
 my $el = read_text(repo_path($HOOK{el}{path}));
 ok($el !~ qr/^while :; do tmux attach-session/m,
     'el: no unguarded tmux loop is left at column 0');
@@ -62,7 +61,7 @@ sub extract_function {
     my ($path, $name, $label) = @_;
     my $text = read_text($path);
     my ($body) = $text =~ /^($name\(\)\s*\{.*?^\})$/ms;
-    BAIL_OUT("$label: $name() not found in $path") unless defined $body;
+    die("$label: $name() not found in $path") unless defined $body;
     return $body;
 }
 
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_dhcp_client.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_dhcp_client.t
index e50ccae40..8ddd03e00 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_dhcp_client.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_dhcp_client.t
@@ -23,9 +23,7 @@ my $ISC6   = 'dhclient -6 -pf /var/run/dhclient6.eth0.pid eth0 -lf /var/lib/dhcl
 my $source = read_text( repo_path($DOXCAT) );
 my $tmpdir = tempdir( CLEANUP => 1 );
 
-# The failure this captures: doxcat named dhclient at six call sites, so on a release that
-# packages no ISC client Genesis reported "dhclient: command not found" and no node ever got
-# an address.
+# A release that packages no ISC client has no dhclient, so doxcat must not name one directly.
 ok( $source !~ qr/^\s*dhclient\s/m,
     'doxcat starts no command line with dhclient' );
 ok( $source !~ qr/;\s*dhclient\s/,
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_payload_verification.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_payload_verification.t
index 7e4be6ba6..c14f5f045 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_payload_verification.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_payload_verification.t
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
-# Drive verify-genesis-payload against payload trees that reproduce the three holes the
-# released legacy Genesis image shipped with.
+# Drive verify-genesis-payload against payload trees that each leave out one thing the image
+# needs.
 use strict;
 use warnings;
 
@@ -25,8 +25,7 @@ my $good = build_payload(sshd_execs_session => 1, session_helper => 1, tmux => 1
 my ($rc, $err) = run($good, 'usr/sbin/dhclient');
 is($rc, 0, 'a complete payload passes') or diag($err);
 
-# doxcat calls dhclient with ISC flags. The released el9 image carried dhclient.conf and
-# dhclient-script but no dhclient, so Genesis never acquired an address.
+# doxcat calls dhclient with ISC flags. dhclient.conf and dhclient-script are not enough.
 my $nodhcp = build_payload(sshd_execs_session => 1, session_helper => 1, tmux => 1, locale => 1, dhclient => 0, mktemp => 1);
 ($rc, $err) = run($nodhcp, 'usr/sbin/dhclient');
 isnt($rc, 0, 'a payload without dhclient fails');
@@ -49,16 +48,14 @@ my $nolocale = build_payload(sshd_execs_session => 1, session_helper => 1, tmux
 isnt($rc, 0, 'a payload with tmux and no UTF-8 locale fails');
 like($err, qr{C\.utf8}, 'the missing locale is named');
 
-# getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp. Without it the node never reports its destiny,
-# so xcatd never sets nodelist.status and the node stays at powering-on.
+# getdestiny makes its request file with mktemp.
 my $nomktemp = build_payload(sshd_execs_session => 1, session_helper => 1, tmux => 1, locale => 1, dhclient => 1, mktemp => 0);
 ($rc, $err) = run($nomktemp, 'usr/sbin/dhclient');
 isnt($rc, 0, 'a payload without mktemp fails');
 like($err, qr{usr/bin/mktemp}, 'the missing mktemp is named');
 
 # dracut_install reports a missing binary and returns, so every name the dracut module
-# installs has to be checked against the payload. The el10 image shipped with no openssl and
-# getcert waited on it for the life of the node.
+# installs has to be checked against the payload.
 my $module = write_module_setup([qw(openssl wget tar)]);
 my $full = build_payload(sshd_execs_session => 1, session_helper => 1, tmux => 1, locale => 1,
     dhclient => 1, mktemp => 1, commands => [qw(openssl wget tar)]);
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_root_home.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_root_home.t
index 7ce1ca5fe..a7180b2aa 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_root_home.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_root_home.t
@@ -22,9 +22,8 @@ my @HOOKS = (
     'xCAT-genesis-builder/dracut_105/ubuntu/xcat-cmdline.sh',
 );
 
-# dracut 99base writes the root entry itself. Up to dracut 057 the password field is
-# always x. From dracut 060 the x arrives only with --hostonly, and the Genesis image is
-# built with -N, so el10 (dracut 107) ships an empty password field.
+# dracut 99base writes the root entry itself. Up to dracut 057 the password field is always
+# x; from dracut 060 the x arrives only with --hostonly, and the Genesis image is built -N.
 my %SHIPPED = (
     'dracut 049/057 (el8, el9)' => "root:x:0:0::/root:/bin/sh\n",
     'dracut 107 (el10)'         => "root::0:0::/root:/bin/sh\n",
@@ -62,7 +61,7 @@ sub extract_passwd_block {
     my ($path, $label) = @_;
     my $text = read_text($path);
     my ($block) = $text =~ m{^(sed [^\n]*/etc/passwd\ncat >>/etc/passwd <<"__ENDL"\n.*?^__ENDL)$}ms;
-    BAIL_OUT("$label: the /etc/passwd rewrite was not found") unless defined $block;
+    die("$label: the /etc/passwd rewrite was not found") unless defined $block;
     return $block;
 }
 
@@ -80,11 +79,11 @@ sub run_rewrite {
 
     my $script = $block;
     my $hits = ($script =~ s{/etc/passwd}{$passwd}g);
-    BAIL_OUT("$label: expected 2 references to /etc/passwd, found $hits") unless $hits == 2;
-    BAIL_OUT("$label: a reference to the real /etc/passwd survived") if index($script, '/etc/passwd') >= 0;
+    die("$label: expected 2 references to /etc/passwd, found $hits") unless $hits == 2;
+    die("$label: a reference to the real /etc/passwd survived") if index($script, '/etc/passwd') >= 0;
 
     write_text("$dir/rewrite.sh", "set -e\n$script\n");
     system('/bin/bash', "$dir/rewrite.sh") == 0
-      or BAIL_OUT("$label: the /etc/passwd rewrite failed to run");
+      or die("$label: the /etc/passwd rewrite failed to run");
     return read_text($passwd);
 }
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_spec_target_arch.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_spec_target_arch.t
index 8f9ea785a..fa69c4c19 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_spec_target_arch.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_spec_target_arch.t
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
 # The genesis specs name their package after the target arch: xCAT-genesis-scripts-<tarch> and
 # xCAT-genesis-base-<tarch>. %{tarch} comes from an %ifarch ladder, and an arch missing from that
-# ladder leaves the macro UNEXPANDED instead of failing: rpm then builds a package literally named
-# "xCAT-genesis-scripts-%{tarch}", buildrpms.pl cannot find the srpm it asked for, and the whole
-# target build dies with a "Cannot find/open srpm" that names the right file.
+# ladder leaves the macro unexpanded instead of failing, so rpm builds a package whose Name
+# carries the macro.
 #
 # Expand each spec with rpmspec for every arch xCAT supports and assert the Name carries that arch.
 use strict;
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_testcase_helpers.t b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_testcase_helpers.t
index b07c51594..2747bf314 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_testcase_helpers.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/genesis_testcase_helpers.t
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ is(os_for("NAME=\"Ubuntu\"\nID=ubuntu\n"),           'ubuntu', 'Ubuntu is still
         1, 'report_genesis_files propagates the failure to its caller');
 }
 
-# Genesis generates new host keys at every boot and each case boots the node several times, so
-# the second boot met "REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED" and xdsh could not reach it.
+# Genesis generates new host keys at every boot, and each case boots the node several times.
 {
     no warnings 'once';
     eval_subs($source, qw(forget_host_keys testxdsh));
@@ -65,8 +64,7 @@ is(os_for("NAME=\"Ubuntu\"\nID=ubuntu\n"),           'ubuntu', 'Ubuntu is still
 }
 
 # xCAT sets nodelist.status from the destiny the node reports with getdestiny: "shell" for the
-# shell destiny, "configuring" for runcmd. A Genesis node never reaches "booted" -- that status
-# belongs to an operating system install reporting through updateflag.
+# shell destiny, "configuring" for runcmd. "booted" belongs to an operating system install.
 {
     no warnings 'once';
     local $GenesisTest::noderange = 'xcat71-cn';
@@ -147,11 +145,11 @@ sub eval_subs {
     $code .= "sub send_msg { push \@GenesisTest::MSG, \$_[1]; return 0; }\n";
     foreach my $name (@names) {
         my ($body) = $text =~ /^(sub \Q$name\E \{.*?^\})$/ms;
-        BAIL_OUT("sub $name() not found in $helper") unless defined $body;
+        die("sub $name() not found in $helper") unless defined $body;
         $code .= "$body\n";
     }
     $code .= "1;\n";
-    eval $code or BAIL_OUT("cannot compile the extracted helpers: $@");
+    eval $code or die("cannot compile the extracted helpers: $@");
 }
 
 #---
@@ -162,7 +160,7 @@ sub waiter_name {
     foreach my $name (qw(wait_for_node_status wait_for_boot)) {
         return $name if $text =~ /^sub \Q$name\E \{/m;
     }
-    BAIL_OUT("no destiny status check found in $helper");
+    die("no destiny status check found in $helper");
 }
 
 #---
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_genesis_package_names.t b/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_genesis_package_names.t
index 844bc275f..29e37ae8d 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_genesis_package_names.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_genesis_package_names.t
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
 # go-xcat installs and uninstalls a fixed list of package names, and it keeps one list per
 # packaging format. The Genesis packages are named after the architecture, and the two formats
-# spell that architecture differently: the rpm is xCAT-genesis-scripts-ppc64, the deb is
-# xcat-genesis-scripts-ppc64el. A name that no repository publishes makes apt fail the whole
-# transaction, so one stale entry stops "go-xcat install" and "go-xcat uninstall" on that
-# architecture.
+# spell it differently: the rpm is xCAT-genesis-scripts-ppc64, the deb is
+# xcat-genesis-scripts-ppc64el.
 #
 # The lists are built by go-xcat itself here, not read as text: the deb list exists only when
 # "type dpkg" succeeds, so a shell function decides which branch each run takes.
@@ -17,7 +15,7 @@ use Test::More;
 
 my $root    = "$FindBin::Bin/../..";
 my $go_xcat = "$root/xCAT-server/share/xcat/tools/go-xcat";
-BAIL_OUT("go-xcat not found at $go_xcat") unless -f $go_xcat;
+die("go-xcat not found at $go_xcat") unless -f $go_xcat;
 
 my $tmpdir = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
 my $driver = "$tmpdir/driver.sh";
@@ -60,7 +58,7 @@ sub package_lists {
         $list{$which} = [ split /\s+/, ($packages // '') ];
     }
     close($out);
-    BAIL_OUT('go-xcat package arrays could not be evaluated')
+    die('go-xcat package arrays could not be evaluated')
       unless $list{install} && $list{uninstall};
     return \%list;
 }
@@ -82,16 +80,16 @@ sub named {
 
 my $rpm = package_lists(0);
 my $deb = package_lists(1);
-BAIL_OUT('the dpkg branch of go-xcat was not taken')
+die('the dpkg branch of go-xcat was not taken')
   unless grep { $_ eq 'xcat-client' } @{ $deb->{install} };
-BAIL_OUT('the rpm branch of go-xcat was not taken')
+die('the rpm branch of go-xcat was not taken')
   unless grep { $_ eq 'xCAT-client' } @{ $rpm->{install} };
 
 # The deb names come from the packaging: one control file per Debian architecture names the
 # genesis-scripts package, and its Depends names the genesis-base package that carries the
 # Genesis tree for that same architecture.
 my @control = sort glob("$root/xCAT-genesis-scripts/debian/control-*");
-BAIL_OUT('no xCAT-genesis-scripts Debian control files') unless @control;
+die('no xCAT-genesis-scripts Debian control files') unless @control;
 my (@deb_scripts, @deb_base);
 for my $control (@control) {
     my $text = slurp($control);
@@ -112,7 +110,7 @@ for my $which (qw(install uninstall)) {
 # architecture name.
 my %tarch = map { $_ => 1 } (slurp("$root/xCAT-genesis-builder/xCAT-genesis-base.spec")
       =~ /^%define\s+tarch\s+(\S+)/mg);
-BAIL_OUT('no Genesis target architectures in xCAT-genesis-base.spec') unless %tarch;
+die('no Genesis target architectures in xCAT-genesis-base.spec') unless %tarch;
 
 for my $which (qw(install uninstall)) {
     for my $prefix (qw(xCAT-genesis-scripts- xCAT-genesis-base-)) {
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_createstorage_model.t b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_createstorage_model.t
index 0ea406132..7128f151e 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_createstorage_model.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_createstorage_model.t
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ my @routines;
 for my $name (qw(createstorage build_diskstruct guest_arch_profile getUnits
     default_storagemodel)) {
     my ($routine) = $content =~ /^(sub \Q$name\E\s*\{.*?^\})/ms;
-    BAIL_OUT("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
+    die("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
     push(@routines, $routine);
 }
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ sub get_multiple_paths_by_url { return {}; }
 PERL
 
 eval $harness . join("\n", @routines) . "\n1;\n";    ## no critic (BuiltinFunctions::ProhibitStringyEval)
-BAIL_OUT("could not load the kvm storage routines: $@") if $@;
+die("could not load the kvm storage routines: $@") if $@;
 
 # The name createstorage gives the volume of one node. $stale is a capture left live in this
 # block by an earlier successful match, which is the state createstorage runs in when a
@@ -81,13 +81,12 @@ is(volume_dev(storage => 'dir:///var/lib/libvirt/images/=scsi'), 'sda',
 is(volume_dev(storagemodel => 'virtio'), 'vda',
     'vmstoragemodel=virtio names a vd* volume');
 
-# createstorage on its own defaults to ide. Nothing in the product reaches this today, because
-# dohyp gives every node the default storage model first.
+# createstorage on its own defaults to ide. Nothing in the product reaches this today: dohyp
+# gives every node the default storage model first.
 is(volume_dev(), 'hda', 'createstorage alone defaults to an hd* volume');
 
-# So the sd* name of a node with no vmstoragemodel rests on that default, and a riscv64 node
-# rests on the sd* name. Drive the two together, so a change to the default fails here rather
-# than on a riscv64 node that stops booting.
+# A node with no vmstoragemodel takes its sd* name from that default, so the two are driven
+# together.
 is(volume_dev(storagemodel => KVMStore::default_storagemodel()), 'sda',
     'the default storage model names an sd* volume');
 
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_diskstruct_bus.t b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_diskstruct_bus.t
index 2087c9975..a02c1c2b3 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_diskstruct_bus.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_diskstruct_bus.t
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ close($source_fh) or die "close $source: $!";
 my @routines;
 for my $name (qw(build_diskstruct guest_arch_profile getUnits)) {
     my ($routine) = $content =~ /^(sub \Q$name\E\s*\{.*?^\})/ms;
-    BAIL_OUT("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
+    die("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
     push(@routines, $routine);
 }
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ sub get_multiple_paths_by_url { return $pool; }
 PERL
 
 eval $harness . join("\n", @routines) . "\n1;\n";    ## no critic (BuiltinFunctions::ProhibitStringyEval)
-BAIL_OUT("could not load the kvm disk builder: $@") if $@;
+die("could not load the kvm disk builder: $@") if $@;
 
 # Build the disks of a node of $arch whose vmstorage is a libvirt pool holding the volumes
 # in $pool: a path => { device, format } map, the shape get_multiple_paths_by_url returns.
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ sub pool_disks {
         local *STDOUT = $capture;
         ($disks) = KVMDisk::build_diskstruct(undef);
     }
-    BAIL_OUT('build_diskstruct returned no disks') unless ref $disks eq 'ARRAY';
+    die('build_diskstruct returned no disks') unless ref $disks eq 'ARRAY';
     return $disks;
 }
 
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_guest_arch.t b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_guest_arch.t
index 763722ef7..34ba7649a 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_guest_arch.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/kvm_guest_arch.t
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ close($source_fh) or die "close $source: $!";
 my @routines;
 for my $name (qw(build_xmldesc guest_arch_profile build_oshash build_diskstruct getUnits)) {
     my ($routine) = $content =~ /^(sub \Q$name\E\s*\{.*?^\})/ms;
-    BAIL_OUT("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
+    die("could not extract $name from kvm.pm") unless $routine;
     push(@routines, $routine);
 }
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ sub genpassword      { return 'password'; }
 PERL
 
 eval $harness . join("\n", @routines) . "\n1;\n";    ## no critic (BuiltinFunctions::ProhibitStringyEval)
-BAIL_OUT("could not load the kvm domain builder: $@") if $@;
+die("could not load the kvm domain builder: $@") if $@;
 
 # Build one domain for a node of $guest_arch on a hypervisor that reports $hyp_cpumodel.
 sub domain_xml {
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ sub domain_xml {
     };
     local $KVMArch::updatetable = {};
     my $xml = KVMArch::build_xmldesc('cn1');
-    BAIL_OUT("build_xmldesc returned no XML for $guest_arch on $hyp_cpumodel")
+    die("build_xmldesc returned no XML for $guest_arch on $hyp_cpumodel")
       unless defined $xml and !ref $xml;
     return $xml;
 }
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/mknb_genesis_staging.t b/xCAT-test/unit/mknb_genesis_staging.t
index 262401f41..81fb7ae77 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/mknb_genesis_staging.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/mknb_genesis_staging.t
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env perl
-# mknb stages the Genesis payload before it can build a netboot image. Those copies are the
-# only point at which mknb learns that an installed Genesis image is unusable, so a copy that
-# fails silently produces an initramfs built from nothing and an exit status of 0 -- the node
-# then never boots, with no error anywhere naming the cause.
+# mknb stages the Genesis payload before it can build a netboot image. Those copies are the only
+# point at which mknb learns that an installed Genesis image is unusable.
 use strict;
 use warnings;
 
@@ -18,7 +16,7 @@ BEGIN { $INC{'xCAT/Utils.pm'} = 1; $INC{'xCAT/MsgUtils.pm'} = 1;
 require "$FindBin::Bin/../../xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/mknb.pm";
 
 can_ok('xCAT_plugin::mknb', 'stage_genesis_payload')
-    or BAIL_OUT('mknb has no stage_genesis_payload to drive');
+    or die('mknb has no stage_genesis_payload to drive');
 
 # Drive the routine with a runner that fails exactly one copy, so each assertion names the
 # copy it is about rather than the pair.
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/xcat_probe_package_payload.t b/xCAT-test/unit/xcat_probe_package_payload.t
index 58ff90990..bbd363e6c 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/xcat_probe_package_payload.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/xcat_probe_package_payload.t
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ sub copy_tree {
     my ($source, $destination) = @_;
     my $rc = system('cp', '-R', $source, $destination);
     is($rc, 0, "copied $source into the package fixture")
-        or BAIL_OUT("unable to create package fixture from $source");
+        or die("unable to create package fixture from $source");
 }
 
 sub run_command {
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/xcattest_report_every_check.t b/xCAT-test/unit/xcattest_report_every_check.t
index 4479de6ab..2dd3e9824 100644
--- a/xCAT-test/unit/xcattest_report_every_check.t
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/xcattest_report_every_check.t
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
 use Test::More;
 
 my $program = "$FindBin::Bin/../xcattest";
-BAIL_OUT("xcattest is not at $program") unless -f $program;
+die("xcattest is not at $program") unless -f $program;
 
 #---
 =head3 run_harness
@@ -29,29 +29,29 @@ sub run_harness {
     # under the scratch tree keeps every file the run writes inside that tree.
     my $root = tempdir(CLEANUP => 1);
     make_path("$root/bin", "$root/cases");
-    copy($program, "$root/bin/xcattest") or BAIL_OUT("copy xcattest: $!");
+    copy($program, "$root/bin/xcattest") or die("copy xcattest: $!");
     chmod 0755, "$root/bin/xcattest";
 
-    open(my $case_fh, '>', "$root/cases/fixture") or BAIL_OUT("write the fixture case: $!");
+    open(my $case_fh, '>', "$root/cases/fixture") or die("write the fixture case: $!");
     print $case_fh $case_text;
-    close($case_fh) or BAIL_OUT("close the fixture case: $!");
+    close($case_fh) or die("close the fixture case: $!");
 
     local $ENV{XCATTEST_CASEDIR} = "$root/cases";
     system($^X, "$root/bin/xcattest", '-q', '-t', join(',', @names));
 
     my $slurp = sub {
         my ($path) = @_;
-        open(my $fh, '<', $path) or BAIL_OUT("open $path: $!");
+        open(my $fh, '<', $path) or die("open $path: $!");
         my @lines = <$fh>;
-        close($fh) or BAIL_OUT("close $path: $!");
+        close($fh) or die("close $path: $!");
         chomp(@lines);
         return @lines;
     };
 
     my ($log) = glob("$root/share/xcat/tools/autotest/result/xcattest.log.*");
-    BAIL_OUT("the harness wrote no running log under $root") unless $log;
+    die("the harness wrote no running log under $root") unless $log;
     my ($failed) = glob("$root/share/xcat/tools/autotest/result/failedcases.*");
-    BAIL_OUT("the harness wrote no failed-cases report under $root") unless $failed;
+    die("the harness wrote no failed-cases report under $root") unless $failed;
 
     return ([ $slurp->($log) ], [ $slurp->($failed) ]);
 }
diff --git a/xCAT-test/xcattest b/xCAT-test/xcattest
index 835788c03..25eaf9d6c 100755
--- a/xCAT-test/xcattest
+++ b/xCAT-test/xcattest
@@ -1417,9 +1417,8 @@ sub run_case {
             log_this($running_log_fd, ("ElapsedTime:$diffduration sec", "RETURN rc = $rc", "OUTPUT:", @output));
             push(@caselog, ("ElapsedTime:$diffduration sec", "RETURN rc = $rc", "OUTPUT:", @output));
 
-            # $checkfail is the result of this check, $failflag the result of the case. They
-            # were one variable, so a failed check made every later check read as failed, and
-            # the guard that hid that also hid the checks (issue #76).
+            # $checkfail is the result of this check, $failflag the result of the case. One
+            # variable for both makes a failed check read as failing every later check.
             my $checkfail = 0;
             foreach my $check (@{ $cases_ref->[ $case_name_index_map_ref->{$case} ]->{check}->[$j] }) {
                 $checkfail = 0;