The controller's last-heard word for a machine comes from the watchman's presence in nodes, node, status and the watchdogs (issue 1183, AC1, AC2)

cmd/mesh-controller/nodes.go

@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func nodeCommand(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 		return addNode(ctx, inv, args[1:])
 
 	case "list":
-		nodes, err := inv.Nodes(ctx)
+		nodes, err := open.heardNodes(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -755,22 +755,8 @@ func consumerReset(ctx context.Context, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// heardFrom says when a node was last heard from, in a form somebody can act on.
-//
-// "never" and "an hour ago" are different answers and are kept different. A node that has never
-// spoken did not finish joining; a node last heard from an hour ago is running an hour-old
-// picture of the mesh.
-func heardFrom(n inventory.Node) string {
-	silent, ever := n.Silent()
-	switch {
-	case !ever:
-		return "never spoken"
-	case silent > SilentFor:
-		return "out of touch " + roughly(silent)
-	default:
-		return "here"
-	}
-}
+// heardFrom is heardFromAt for now.
+func heardFrom(n inventory.Node) string { return heardFromAt(n, time.Now()) }
 
 // roughly is a duration a person reads rather than parses.
 func roughly(d time.Duration) string {
@@ -795,7 +781,7 @@ func roughly(d time.Duration) string {
 // assignment carries `card1-DP-1`, and a person composing settings for that machine needs it.
 func showNode(ctx context.Context, stored *stores, name string) error {
 	inv := stored.inventory
-	node, err := inv.NodeByName(ctx, name)
+	node, err := stored.heardNode(ctx, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}