This document discusses setting up an iOS build server with the following components: macOS, Jenkins, Xcode, MacPorts, Visual Studio/Xamarin, NAnt, NAntContrib, and Fastlane. It provides instructions for installing each component and configuring them to automate iOS builds. Tips are also provided such as creating a USB installer, setting up a test Mac system, dealing with unpartitionable external hard drives, creating disk images, and being careful when rearranging desks during the setup process.

1. Building an iOS Build Server
Part I

2. Who Am I?
• Attila Tamás Zimler
• Senior .NET Software Developer
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/atzimler
• Blog: http://highvaluecode.com.au

3. Agenda
• The goal
• Components
• Building it up
• Tips and tricks

4. The System

5. The End Goal

6. Components

7. macOS
• For building iOS app, macOS required
• Simple installation
• Tipps on building it later

8. Jenkins
• Automating build pipeline
• https://jenkins.io
• JDK is needed
• Jenkins seems to have problem with JDK version 9
• https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/
javase/downloads/index.html
• Both JDK and Jenkins is installable from
install packages

9. Xcode
• Visual Studio components uses it
• MacPorts needs console tools from it
• Installation is from app store
• sudo xcodebuild –license
• sudo xcode-select –install

10. MacPorts
• For using shell scripts
• Can be installed from package
• Then as root update the package list
(port –v selfupdate)
• Installation of packages: port install <package>

11. Visual Studio / Xamarin
• Installing the .NET development environment
• Downloadable from
https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/visual_studio_mac
• Takes long time to install
• If Intel HAXM fails with download error,
try again

12. NAnt
• Scripting build processes
• MacPorts contains a mono environment, which is
unable to build for iOS
• MacPorts contains a NAnt, but because the mono,
we have to install from source
• If you have problems with resgen,
try to compile with different PATH
environment

13. NAnt
• http://nant.sourceforge.net/
• For the Xamarin environment, small modifications
are needed
• https://github.com/atzimler/Patches/blob/master/
NAnt/xamarin.patch
• If you have problems with resgen,
try to compile with different PATH
environment

14. NAnt
• Download the source code
• Unpack it
• Patch it
• make install prefix=/opt/local
• Remember – if having compilation problem,
try as non-root to compile then
install as root
• make prefix=/opt/local

15. NAntContrib
• Helpful tools: NAntContrib
• http://nantcontrib.sourceforge.net/
• Technically, you can download the binaries and drop
them into the NAnt installation folder after unzipping
(/opt/local/share/NAnt)
• Installation from source is failing,
working on it

16. Installing Fastlane
• This component allows you to install signing
certificates easily into the Visual Studio ecosystem
• https://download.fastlane.tools
• Unzip it and Control + Click on install – because it is
from an unindentified developer

17. Testing compilation
• https://github.com/atzimler/JenkinsHelloWorld.iOS
• Some small corrections needed
• Once it is building under VS, try it on console:
msbuild /p:Configuration=Ad-Hoc
/p:Platform=iPhone

18. Jenkins Plugins
• Locale Plugin
• MSBuild Plugin
• Git Plugin
• In Global Tool Configuration, add MSBuild
• Path:
/Library/Frameworks/Mono.framework/Versions/
Current/Commands/msbuild

19. And then
• After this it is relatively easy to configure the new
project
• MSBuild params: /p:Configuration=Ad-Hoc
/p:Platform=iPhone
• And the build is going to fail, because the project has
no signing identity configured

20. TIPS AND TRICKS
Tips and Tricks

21. Tips and tricks
• Creating a USB installer
• Creating a test system
• Dealing with unpartionable new external HDDs
• Creating images
• Being careful

22. Creating a USB installer
• Download the macOS installer
• Attach USB drive with 8GB
• Make sure the partition table is GUID
• From Disk Utility erase and rename the partition of the
USB drive
• As root:
​/Applications/Install macOS High
Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia
--volume /Volumes/Untitled
--applicationpath
/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app
--nointeraction

23. Creating a Test System
• Problems with Virtual Machines
• Easiest solution is to use a Mac
– With external drive
– macOS installed on the external drive

24. What to do with unpartitionable new external
HDDs
• New External HDDs might show up as grayed out,
no partitioning allowed
• diskutil erasedisk hfs+ External GPT /dev/disk2
• You can find your device with
diskutil list

25. Creating Images
• When you partition your external HDD create a
partition for storing images
• There are plenty of good apps for creating disk
images:
– SuperDuper!
– DropDMG
– Carbon Copy Cloner

26. Creating Images
• From console as root:
– hdiutil create x.dmg –srcdevice /dev/disk2s4
• APFS is a problem at the moment for most GUI apps
• With APFS try to image the container, not the volume

27. Final tip
• If you decide to rearrange your desk during the
experiment, do not connect external HDD power
adapter to external USB Hub

28. Possible next parts
• Publishing to test systems
• Publishing for AppStore

29. Questions & Answers
• Attila Tamás Zimler
• https://linkedin.com/in/atzimler
• http://highvaluecode.com.au
• @atzimler
• https://github.com/atzimler
• https://www.nuget.org/packages?q=ATZ