I have seen lots of comparisons for TeamCity vs CCNet, but not much for TeamCity vs FinalBuilder Pro's CI.
Forgive me if I am not comparing apples to apples, I am familiar with TeamCity however the company I work for has already purchased FinalBuilder Pro which has a CI Server included.
I'm hoping to get some comparisons, opinions. If TeamCity does not offer more above FinalBuilder we do not want to have to support two systems.
Thanks in advance.
Here are some features present in TeamCity and unlikely present in FinalBuilder:
True client server-architecture with multiple build agents - TeamCity provides a central point of accessing and managing all of your build agents. Build agents can be enabled/disabled/restarted from single Web-UI, you can also view logs or view thread dumps of builds running on different build agents.
Support of Amazon EC for build agents grid
Pre-tested commit and remote run features (no more broken code in VCS. Well, almost :)
Integration with Visual Studio and other IDEs - a dedicated plugin for that
Extensible reporting, you can include your own HTML-based reports into build results
Comments/Pin/Tags for builds
Cross-build search
Integrated code coverage and duplicates finder for Java and .NET
FinalBuilder has support of some VCS systems, which are not supported by TeamCity, though.
Disclaimer: I'm one of TeamCity developers.
We are using TeamCity for the build orchestration, but using FinalBuilder to actually carry out the individual builds.
I love FinalBuilder for the ease of scripting and maintainability, but I also love TeamCity for all the points in KIR's answer.
In our setup, each TeamCity buildconfig is configured to use the commandline runner, and finalbuilder's fbcmd.exe is invoked with the name of a script to run.
All sweetness and light.
I have done a comparison of the 2 products for a continuous integration talk in the Uk - basically my findings were that TeamCity was more intuitive to use. FinalBuilder seemed to me to be ambigious in its language and seemed to be clunky to set up builds
Once the work was done it was a very good system - but for me TeamCity was much more intuitive and had a better user experience than Final Builder
this is very subjective though - each tool is very good. It comes down to what you are comfortable with and I was much more comfortable with TeamCity
Related
Can anyone advise what is the equivalent of hudson for c# application?
I used to use hudson as a build server for java performing auto deployment for java web and batch job application at scheduled timing and email notify technical team
I like to ask how can i do the same for c# application.
And is there any standard plugins like static code analysis tool in the build server which i can used to scan through the codes
In addition to the great tools mentioned by jamesj, TeamCity works pretty well too. I prefer it to CruiseControl, from a configuration usability perspective, and it is free given you stay within certain constraints.
If you've already invested in TFS as a source control, though, make sure you are getting your money's worth and use it for your builds and deployments too.
If you like Hudson, take a look at Jenkins. I've seen folks using it for .NET builds as well, though I haven't personally used it, and according to their page Jenkins used to be called Hudson, so it would probably be familiar to you.
TFS is great for continuous integration, but you can also use CruiseControl.NET with NAnt. Both of these should be able to run batch jobs, send emails and run automated deployments
StyleCop and FxCop both do static checking and both can be integrated into your build process.
at my work we are presently looking for a automated build tool. We have googled quite a bit, but there are so many possibilities we are not sure which tool is the best option, to be honest.
We are not even sure there is one that fits our needs. It should have as many as possible from following features:
Integration with Subversion, meaning it should be able to do both updates and commits.
Diff tool or ability to integrate with one, and capability of auto-merging files (well, at least not the problematic ones).
Delphi build automation, using the command line compiler.
Integration with Oracle, meaning having the ability to run SQL scripts and compiling PL/SQL packages, functions, etc.
Sending of e-mails with build status (I guess this is something all of them have).
Additional functionalities would be welcome but are not needed at the moment. Anything in the line of getting at least points 1 and 2 would be great.
If anyone could point us to some particular tool we would be very grateful.
Thanks in advance and best regards
For my Delphi projects, I was using FinalBuilder (itself a Delphi app) way back when. I was always very happy with the product, and it worked very well.
In the meantime, they also launched a Server version of the build tool, so you can set up a full build server and have your code built there.
Another worthy contender back in those days used to be Visual Build - feature by feature the two almost match up, but the "feel" of the app, the ease of use, was with Finalbuilder, in my personal opinion.
I'm not sure if any of the two has direct and specific Oracle support, but at least Finalbuilder can run anything that can be run from the command line, so that should give you plenty of options, really.
I've been using CruiseControl.NET as a Continuous Integration server for our Delphi builds, which integrates quite nicely with NAnt as a build scripting language.
Forgetting about CC.NET, simply using NAnt would provide most/all of what you need, I think.
Combined with the extra NAnt-Contrib library of extra tasks, I have implemented everything you mention with the exception of the Oracle integration. However, you can easily invoke commandline stuff from within NAnt scripts, or write your own NAnt tasks using any .NET language.
NAnt has tasks for integrating with Subversion, or you can simply invoke the svn command line client.
I have invoked BeyondCompare as a diff tool from within my NAnt scripts, used NAnt to send customised HTML emails and execute Installshield builds, along with obviously executing the commmand line Delphi compiler and resource compiler.
NAnt is free and open-source, it's worth checking out.
Check also Automated Build Studio from AutomatedQA, it has many of the features you ask for.
We use FinalBuilder to handle requirements 1, 3, 4 and 5 and Beyond Compare to handle requirement 2 and have been very happy with both of these tools.
Apache Ant is open source and contains many tasks out of the box, and a very feature complete scripting and dependency management environment.
Subversion integration add-on: subclipse
SQL core task is included
Apply task can run any executable on any file pattern (like *.dpr)
Mail task included
Diff Patch task included
Also available: zip/unzip, tar/untar, xmlvalidate, xslt, ftp, telnet, scp, sshexec, cab, ...
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hudson. Most build tools seem to target a specific language or platform. Hudson takes a different approach. It provides a plugin architecture so you can create a build server that fits your needs. The project itself is written in Java but is entirely self contained (with the exception that it depends on the JRE of course). It uses its own built-in web server to provide a user interface.
Embarcadero uses Hudson extensively and there are several great how to articles to get you started
http://christerblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/using-hudson-to-build-delphi-projects/
http://www.nickhodges.com/post/Getting-Hudson-set-up-to-compile-Delphi-Projects.aspx
And if you need commercial support the original author has started a company that provides a custom version as well as technical support.
I am 'relatively new' to unit-testing and TDD. Only more recently have I completed my first production application that has (at least in theory) 100% code coverage. I have done unit-testing in previous projects as well for some time, but not in true TDD fashion and with good code coverage. It had always been an after-thought. I feel I have a pretty good grasp on it now though.
I'm also trying to train the rest of the team on TDD and unit testing so that we can grow togeather and start moving forward with doing unit testing in all of our applications, and eventually progress to doing full TDD w/ automated builds & continous integration. I posted a thread here regarding my plan of attack / training agenda for comments & critisism.
One of the replies (in fact the highest voted) suggested I first setup infrastructure before I go forward with the training. Unfortunately I have no exposure to this, and googling on the topics is difficult because the pages for CruiseControl.NET / nAnt / etc do not really explain the 'why' we should set this up and the 'how' everything connects togeather.
We are a small shop (about 10 developers) and use almost exclusively microsoft technologies and do our development in VB.NET. We are looking to eventually start using C# but that's for another time. I've been using the MSTest project that comes with VS2008 for my unit tests, and I've been building my apps using Visual Studio, and deploying using MSI setup projects... We also (unfortunately) use VSS for our soure control - but that is also on the chopping block and I'd really like to get rid of it and use subversion.
I know that I need to use CruiseControl.NET for CI, and either nAnt or MSBuild for building the applications. And I probably need a build server to run all these builds. But I just can't find anything that 'connects' the dots and explains how they interact with eachother, what should be on your build server, when you should build with your build server (is it just for deployment builds, or even when you just want to compile the app you're developing after making a small change, on your local environment?). I'm also planning on axing MSTest as I've found it to be buggy and will use nUnit instead.
Can anyone perhaps illuminate this gap I have from 'knowing how to do TDD' to 'setting up the proper infrastructure so the whole team can do it and work togeather'? I do understand what continous integration is, but again, I'm not sure how a build server should be setup and how it connects with everything, and why we need one (e.g. the pitch to management).
thanks very much for your time.
What portion of finalbuilder do I need? It seems there's some overlap with final builder and teamcity. Finalbuilder server seems to be a CI server, so I'm guessing I don't need that. FinalBuilder seems to be a build server - but I thought TeamCity is also a build server... And Automise seems to be a visual windows automation tool, like some kind of development platform for winforms apps...
_I also don't see support for final builder in The Team City Supported Apps Diagram : _
Take a look at a webinar I did a few weeks ago - How To Start Unit Testing Successfully. In that webinar I've talked about tools and unit testing best practices and it was aimed at developers just like you who want to introduce unit testing in their organization.
First order of business you want to put a CI (Continuous Integration) process in place and for that you'll need three tools:
Source control
Build server
Build client/script
I hope you already have some form of source control in place so let's talk about the other two.
Build Server - checks the source control and when it changes (or some other condition met) runs a build script on some client (or same machine) there are several build server available I recommend JetBrain's TeamCity it's easy to install and use (great web interface) and is free for up to 20 developers (that's you).
Build Script - on your build client you want to run a build script that would build your solution and run your unit tests. TeamCity has some basic build & test capabilities but for more advanced options (build installer, documentation etc.) you'll need some script runner at work we use FinalBuilder - it's not free but has very good editor. If you're looking for a free alternative have a look at ANT or NANT - but be prepared to edit a lot of XML.
Other tools - Because an important part of successful unit testing is how easy it is to write and run tests on the developer's machines I suggest you check if there are better IDE's or external tools that would help the developers write & run their unit tests.
My group work for a software of simulation for plane. To achieve a faster and easier validation and verification, we decided to introduce continuous integration. But I have no idea which CI servers should we choose.
Our contraintes:
- We need to compile in different machine with different platform( Linux, HP ) in local net and in client's net.
I mean, we need to call different functions in different machine in distance. Some of them will need a authorise
- We prefer a CI servers open source
- The sources are in different languages, C, C++, Java ...
- Support SVN, CVS, Clearcase
- Automated tests and reports
- The tests need different machines working together
I've seen teamcity, it seems well, but it's not open source.
Hudson is for you!
Edit to be more precise about your requirements:
Hudson run on a JVM (standalone service, using Jetty, or on a Tomcat server). Thus, the plateform is not a problem.
Hudson is open-source.
Hudson manages Java projects natively, but you can ask him to compile C, C++ or .Net projects.
Support SVN, CVS natively, and a plugin for Clearcase exist (here).
Automated tests and reports: You will need to implement them, of course, but Hudson will launch them for you. For Java projects, simply use Maven for that!
The tests need different machines working together: Hudson can be launched on several machines (one master, several slaves). Each slave can be hosted by any kinf of machine.
+1 for Hudson.
We are using Hudson together with SVN (version control) and Selenium RC (functional testing).
Very easy to set up, has tons of modules for integration, and very visible to all members of the team, especially if you're using the Hudson Build Monitor Firefox plugin.
I used Jenkins earlier, but now I prefer only TC due to it is great for a lot of purposes.
If you need to work with different platforms, it has great opportunity to install a few build agents with OS specified. Also you're able to install so-called Agent Clouds.
If you need to build your applications per branch — it will be done without any extra-scripting.
A lot of VCSs are supported.
Using Maven you're provided to build even Flex applications, even with running automated test (in case of Windows build agent installed).
I have a few Visual Studio Solutions/Projects that are being worked on in my company, which now require a scheme for automatic nightly builds. Such a scheme needs to be able to check the latest versions from SVN, build the solutions, create the appropriate downloadable files (including installers, documentation, etc.), send e-mails to the developers upon errors and all sorts of other nifty things. What tool, or tool-set, should I use for this?
I used to use FinalBuilder a few years ago and I liked that a lot but I'm not sure if they support such features as nightly-builds and email messages.
At my work we use CCNET, but with builds on check-in more than nightly - although it's easily configured for either or both.
You can very easily set up unit testing to run on every checkin as well, FXCop testing, and a slew of other products.
I would also advise checking out Team City as an option, because it has a free version, and the reporting and setup is reportedly much simpler (it does look nice to me). It does have a limit of somewhere around 20 team members/projects, before it hits a pay-for window.
That said, we started with CCNET, and have grown several products too large to look at Team City on the free version and are very happy with what we have.
Features that help with CCNET include:
XML based configuration - you can usually copy and paste most of what you need.
More or less you'll be able to plug your treesurgeon script in as your build script, and point CCNET at that as an executable task to run the compilation.
Lots of documentation and very easy to set up nunit, ncover, fxcop, etc.
Taskbar app that will let you know the status of your projects at any time, and it can also fire off an email or keep an RSS feed with the same information.
But I'd definitely go with running a CI build on every check-in - for the most part will run the unit tests before checking in, but let the CCNET server handle run any applications/assemblies that would have dependencies on the assembly we're checking in, and they get re-built, and re-tested on every checkin.
Given that CCNET is free free and takes very little time to set up - I'd highly recommend just going for it and seeing if it suits you, then expanding from there.
(There's another thread here where I posted pretty much the same/with a few alterations - but some of the other comments may help too! Automated Builds)
Edit to add: You can easily set up your own deployment scheme for CCNET, and there are a tonne of blog posts out there to assist, and email notifications can really be set up fairly granularly, either on all successes, all failures, when it changes from success to fail, etc. There's also built in RSS, and you could even set up your own notifiers for other systems.
FinalBuilder does support emailing and just executing FinalBuilder each night will give you nightly builds. You don't really need other software for that if you don't want to.
You could also use CCNet to trigger a build when needed and have it execute FinalBuilder for the build. You can then decide if FinalBuilder or CCNet should email.
Finally FinalBuilder has a Server version which is sorta like CCNet in that it is a continues integration tool using FinalBuilder. See http://www.finalbuilder.com/finalbuilder-server.aspx
Of course the biggest advantage of CCNet is that it is free and open source.
Although it costs, I highly recommend Visual Build. It works with MSBuild, and old tools like Visual Basic. It is scriptable, and can do everything from making installers to simple Continuous Integration.
We just started using Hudson here at the office.
Its free and open-source, it has a very user friendly UI. Plus there are tons of options and plugins available.
I was up and running in a matter of minutes after installing it. All the other devs here are loving it.
All in all, its a very elegant solution for Continuous Integration or Nightly Builds.
I've recently started using CruiseControl.NET (http://confluence.public.thoughtworks.org/display/CCNET/Welcome+to+CruiseControl.NET). It works reasonably well, although configuration could be easier. CruiseControl.NET is free and open source, and seems to integrate with most standard tools, although I've personally only used it with CVS, SVN, NUnit and MSBuild.
Luntbuild
Supports a wide variety of source control and build systems. Very customizable. Open Source. Setup takes some time, but it's not too horrible.
Buildbot is open source and very powerful too. You should take a look at it.
Cascade supports doing a build on every single change committed to the repository.
I would not recommend doing only nightly builds -- that's a pretty long window where a build break can slip in before it's reported.