rBuilder Online:rMake in the Web Interface

From rPath Wiki

As introduced in rBuilder Online:rMake, rBuilder incorporates rMake functions in its interface and makes those available from a link on the project panel. Rather than requiring a manually written recipe, rMake in rBuilder will assemble a recipe by selecting packages as with Group Builder.

For extensive professional appliance development work, rPath recommends using rMake at a command line rather than within the rBuilder interface. See the Appliance Development pages for more information.

Preparing to Use rMake in rBuilder

Before using rMake in rBuilder on your single-user workstation, you must have rMake installed on the system used to access rBuilder. This means that rMake must be packaged for use on that system. If you are using a Conary-based system such as rPath Linux or Foresight Linux, you can install rmake with a conary update command:

#> conary update rmake

After installing rMake, start the rMake service:

#> service rmake start

Like the rMake command line tool (available after installing the rMake package), rMake in rBuilder uses a chroot operation and runs as a user called rmake on your local system.

rBuilder displays an rMake panel on the right side of each rBuilder page while the rMake build is constructed.

Building Packages with rMake in rBuilder

There are three basic steps to building a package with rMake in rBuilder:

1. Add packages to the rMake build
2. Build the rMake build
3. Commit the rMake build

The actual build process takes place on the user's local machine (in contrast to Group Builder which uses the rBuilder machine). By using "commit" after the rMake build, you are copying the newly built software back to the repositories from which the packages were originally selected.

Use the following steps to initiate a new rMake build in rBuilder:

1. Click rMake from the project panel.
2. Click Create a new rMake Build.
3. Type the title for your new rMake build.
4. Click Apply Changes.

If you have not installed rMake on your local system, the rMake link in the project panel will lead to an information page containing information on downloading and installing rMake.

Add Packages to an rMake Build

A developer can select packages for an rMake build in the same way as selecting packages for Group Builder. However, rMake requires the developer to have write access on the repository in which the selected package resides. In rBuilder, write permission is provided to all project members by default.

Use the following steps to add a package from an rBuilder project's repository:

1. If necessary, use the Search options at the top of any rBuilder page to search for a project or package.
2. Navigate to the project's Repository pages in rBuilder.
3. Use the linked letters to find a package by the first letter of its package name.
4. Click Add to <rMake_build_name> beside the package to add it to the current project.

If the Add to <rMake_build_name> link is not displayed, it is because the current user does not have write access on the repository.

Repeat this "search-and-select" process for all existing packages you wish to add to your rMake build. Confirm your new additions are listed in the rMake panel.

Build an rMake Build

After selecting all the desired packages for the rMake build in rBuilder, build the rMake build by doing one of the following.

• Click the BUILD link in the rMake panel.
• Click the linked rMake build name in the rMake panel to access the Edit rMake Build page, and click Build rMake Job.

Verify you are directed to the rMake build status page.

If you need to navigate away from the status page while the rMake build is building, you can do so without interrupting the process. When you navigate away, the rMake panel shows the building process as it continues.

Click the STOP link in the rMake panel to stop the building process at any time.

When the build is complete, the status page will show the status Finished, or the rMake panel will display a COMMIT link in place of the BUILD link.

If the building of any package is unsuccessful, the status page will display an error, or the rMake panel will display a RESET link. If you have navigated away, return to the status page by clicking the linked name of the rMake Build in the rMake Builder panel. Use information in other Conary documentation to learn how to handle the errors you receive.

Commit an rMake Build

To commit (or "check in") your rMake build to the repositories where the selected packages reside, click the COMMIT link in the rMake panel. Verify you are directed to the rMake build status page.

If you need to navigate away from the status page during the commit, you can do so without interrupting the process. When you navigate away, the rMake panel shows the commit process as it continues.

If required, rBuilder will prompt you for your rBuilder username and password. If you encounter this prompt, type your username and password as you would when signing in to rBuilder, and click submit.

When the commit is complete, the status page will show the status Finished. If you are not looking at the status page, you will see a RESET link in place of the COMMIT in the rMake panel. However, since the RESET link does not indicate success, you should click the linked rMake Build name to return to the status page. If there was a failure, the status page will indicate where the commit failed.

From any rBuilder project, you can create and cook a group using the newly committed package. Find the package to add to a group recipe by searching any one of the repositories from which its contents were selected for the rMake build.