Autobuild Features

Build Features

  • Build files are generated automatically based on the project's directory structure and Eclipse/RAD project properties. In the majority of cases, you won't need to write any Ant scripts, XML, or property files to get your project built and deployed.
  • Dependency information is extracted from Eclipse/RAD project properties. This includes library and project dependencies.
  • Convention over configuration -- most of the build/deployment parameters are inferred from the project itself and the deployment environment. Any such parameter can still be overridden.
  • Many different build and deployment parameters to fine-tune builds and deployments. The parameters are specified using simple property files.
  • Support for building JARs, WARs, EARs, portlets, EJBs 2/3.
  • Any Autobuild target can be invoked from a regular Ant file. This makes it easy to integrate Autobuild with existing Ant scripts.
  • Any configuration property can be made environment-specific using simple "name=dev->value1, test->value2, uat->value3" notation. There is also support for shared properties that are common to all or some environments.
  • Support for FindBugs code analysis tool.
  • Support for building directly from project interchange files.
  • Easy integration with build servers.

Support for WebSphere Application Server

  • Automated application deployment to WebSphere Application Server 6.0, 6.1, 7.
  • Application can be deployed as part of the build or separately via dedicated deployment targets.
  • Support for Network Deployment and standalone configurations.
  • Support for complex topologies (multiple nodes, clusters, Web server instances)
  • All deployments are executed remotely from a build machine. The only required connection is SOAP/HTTP connection to the deployment manager. No FTP or SSH connectivity is required. This eliminates the need for any firewall changes.
  • WebSphere Application Server binaries don't need to be installed on the build machine.
  • Target servers/clusters are determined automatically for single-cluster configurations.
  • Automated configuration of Web servers during deployment. Autobuild can identify Web servers in a cell and assign applications to these Web servers. Users don't need to provide any sever names. This ensures that Web server plugin configuration is always up-to-date.
  • Support for health check of target severs before deployment. Autobuild can verify that target application servers and node agents are running and that application servers have enough heap memory.
  • Application is started automatically on all target servers.
  • Application could be optionally un-installed before the deployment. This makes deployments more consistent and reliable.
  • Support for optional restarting of all affected application servers after deployment.
  • Support for deploying multiple applications as part of a single deployment command. This saves time otherwise required to establish multiple Deployment Manager connections.
  • Deployment configuration properties could be defined in multiple project-specific files or in a single file for easier management. Deployment configuration properties could take different values for different environment.

Support for WebSphere Portal

  • Automated deployment to WebSphere Portal 6.0, WebSphere Portal 6.1 based on WebSphere Application Server 6.1 and WebSphere Portal 6.1 based on WebSphere Application Server 7.
  • All portlets are deployed as "pre-deployed" portlets using regular EAR deployment. You have full control over application name and web context root. No more cryptic auto-generated names.
  • Automated generation and execution of XMLAccess files for portlet registration based on portlet.xml.
  • Automated generation of a portal page configuration containing your portlets. The portlets are automatically placed on the page. URL map is also generated automatically. This drastically reduces the need for manually exporting/editing/importing XMLAccess files.
  • Any number of custom XMLAccess configuration files can be executed as part of a deployment. Just check in your files under project_root/PortalConfiguration and Autobuild will pick them up automatically.
  • Support for multi-clustered cells. You can have "common" portlets deployed to all clusters or cluster-specific ones.
  • Automated cleanup of a page hierarchy before running XMLAccess. Autobuild removes pages based on include/exclude patterns. This allows for starting from a known state for every deployment. At the same time, user-customizable pages are preserved. This feature can be configured on per environment basis.
  • Support for WebSphere Portal 6.0-style custom themes embedded in wps.ear (not recommended for 6.1).
  • Canoo WebTest tests are executed as part of portlet deployment. Autobuild comes with WebTest macros for logging in to portal using built-in portal login page or WebSEAL login page.

Support for WebSphere Enterprise Service Bus and WebSphere Process Server

  • Support for automated deployment to WebSphere Process Server and WebSphere ESB 6.1 and 6.2
  • Support for building SCA modules.
  • The build is headless, WebSphere Integration Developer installation is not required.
  • Module libraries are automatically packaged with the project. Information about dependencies is extracted from ".project" file, there is no need to define it separately.
  • Ability to redefine import and export binding information using environment-specific properties. For example, you can define different Web services import endpoint depending on an environment. Autobuild supports a special "baseURL" property to allow you to redefine only hostname and port number information of an endpoint so that the path of the endpoint is always preserved.
  • Ability to redefine promoted SCA properties using environment-specific properties. For example, you set "retry count" promoted property to different values in different environments.
  • Import/export binding information and promoted SCA properties can be updated as part of a deployment or as part of a separate Ant target.

Support for Open-Source Canoo WebTests and soapUI Testing Tools

  • Tests can run automatically as part of a build or a deployment. Tests can also be executed separately using "test.deployed" target.
  • Tests can be parameterized using environment properties.
  • Canoo "scaffolding" to run the tests is generated automatically. All you need to do is to check in your tests under "canootest" folder.
  • Support for running different test suits for different environment.
  • Automatic generation of HTML reports.

WebSphere Administration

  • Ability to restart some of all application servers in a cell.
  • Automated application server "health check" (could be used for monitoring).