Automated Build Reporting via Container-Embedded Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current computing resource service providers lack efficient systems for automating the building and testing of software modules within virtual computing environments, with limited capabilities for automatic gathering and summarizing of test results.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a build service within a computing resource service provider that allocates virtual computing resources, configures build environments, executes build programs, and utilizes reporting agents to generate and store test results, enabling automated building, testing, and reporting of software modules within virtual computing environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated build and test systems are implemented in virtual computing environments, then productivity and resource utilization improve, but system complexity and difficulty of managing distributed reporting increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces reporting agents as intermediary components that are deployed within container instances. These agents act as local collectors that gather test results from build processes and automatically report them to a centralized build service, eliminating the need for complex distributed coordination while maintaining automated reporting functionality across multiple virtual computing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into independent, loosely-coupled components: container instances for execution, reporting agents for data collection, and a centralized build service for coordination. This segmentation allows each component to be managed independently, reducing overall system complexity while enabling scalable automated building and testing across multiple virtual resources.
2Productivity
If multiple container instances are used for parallel building and testing, then productivity increases, but tracking and aggregating test results across instances becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reporting agents implement a feedback mechanism where test results from parallel container instances are automatically collected and reported to the build service. The build service then aggregates these results and provides comprehensive feedback to users, ensuring that information from multiple parallel executions is preserved and synthesized into unified test reports.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses standardized reporting agent copies deployed in each container instance that follow identical protocols for collecting and reporting test results. This copying approach ensures consistent data formats and tracking mechanisms across all parallel instances, making aggregation straightforward while maintaining productivity benefits from parallel execution.
3Ease of operation
If manual monitoring of build processes is replaced with automated reporting, then ease of operation improves, but implementation complexity and initial setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reporting agents are designed to be self-configuring and self-reporting components that automatically integrate with build processes within container instances. Once deployed, they autonomously collect test results and report them without requiring manual configuration or intervention, providing ease of operation while keeping implementation complexity manageable through standardized automation patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for building and testing software projects within a virtual computing environment of a computing resource service provider, providing for gathering, reporting, and summarization of test results generated by test runs executed as part of the build process are disclosed. A user makes requests to a build service provided by the computing resource service provider which automates building and testing of program code for software modules and software projects including such modules. The build service receives the requests and allocates physical computing resources, such as usage of processors, memory, storage drives, computer network interfaces, and other components of hardware computing devices within a virtual computing environment to attempt to build the software modules and report results of tests performed during the build attempts. The user may supply program code to be built without otherwise needing to manage the virtual computing resources allocated to complete the requested tasks.