Understand the Integration Points
Identify which CI tools are being used, such as Jenkins, Travis CI, or GitLab CI.
Understand how Mercurial repositories are integrated—whether they're fetched directly by the CI tool or through a custom script or hook.
Assess how the firmware builds are triggered—is it on every commit, on a schedule, or manually triggered?
Check Repository Configuration
Ensure the Mercurial repository configuration in the CI tool is correct, particularly the repository URL and branch parameters.
Test repository access from the CI environment manually to ensure there are no access issues.
Examine Authentication and Access Control
Verify whether the CI tool has the necessary read (and possibly write) permissions on the Mercurial repository. This might involve setting up an SSH key or an OAuth token.
Check for any IP whitelisting or firewall rules that may block the CI server from accessing the Mercurial repository.
Review SCM Plugin or Integration Settings
If the CI tool uses a plugin to interface with Mercurial, ensure that the plugin is correctly configured and up-to-date.
Verify that plugin settings, such as the frequency of repository polling or change detection, align with your workflow requirements.
Inspect Build Scripts and Pipelines
Make sure that any build scripts invoked by the CI pipeline are compatible with the directory structure and files within the Mercurial repository.
Review environment variables and their usage within scripts to ensure proper path and context are available for firmware building.
Look for hardcoded paths and configurations that might cause issues when updates or changes happen.
Analyze Build Logs and Artifacts
Thoroughly review logs generated by the CI tool for errors related to fetching the repository, checking out branches, or other SCM operations.
```
#!/bin/bash
# Example script snippet to debug Mercurial clone in a CI environment
if ! hg clone https://example.com/repo -b default; then
echo "Failed to clone repository"
exit 1
else
echo "Repository cloned successfully"
fi
- <ul>Ensure that the correct branch or tag is being built. If the CI tool doesn't support Mercurial branches natively, use specific shell scripts or commands to checkout the desired branch explicitly.</ul>
<strong>Investigate Version Compatibility</strong>
- <ul>Ensure that the Mercurial version installed in the CI environment is compatible with your repository and any extensions in use.</ul>
- <ul>If there are updates to Mercurial, ensure these are reflected in both developer environments and CI environments to prevent discrepancies.</ul>
<strong>Debugging Errors and Performance Bottlenecks</strong>
- <ul>If the integration process becomes slow or fails, increase verbosity in logging to better identify where time is being consumed or where failures occur.</ul>
- <ul>Consider setting up a local test environment that mimics the CI server to reproduce and debug issues directly, which can help isolate variables.</ul>
<strong>Establish a Feedback Loop with Development Team</strong>
- <ul>Communicate with the dev team about ongoing issues and ensure that code changes or updates in the repository align with CI expectations.</ul>
- <ul>Ensure regular updates to the repository, including branch names and directory structures, are documented and communicated across teams to avoid disconnection between development and CI processes.</ul>