The document outlines the integration of Genymotion with Jenkins for Android testing, focusing on implementing Genymotion devices in headless mode and managing challenges such as IP address retrieval and port conflicts. It provides detailed workarounds for various issues encountered during setup, including managing concurrent builds and ensuring test APK installation. The final implementation steps are highlighted, alongside a repository link for a working script.

1. Genymotion with
Jenkins
Using genymotion device as
emulator for Jenkins test

2. Contents
• Quick intro to Genymotion
• Genymotion in Headless mode
– Implementation steps
– Challenges faced
– Workarounds
• Overview of final implementation
• Repository URL for working script

3. Quick intro to Genymotion
• Genymotion is a fast and easy-to-use
Android emulator to run and test Android
apps
• Based on Oracle VirtualBox, can be
operated using Vbox commands as well

4. Genymotion
& Jenkins

5. Implementation steps
1) Run Genymotion devices in a headless
mode
2) Retrieve IP addresses of GM devices
3) Connect adb to IP of device
4) Logic for selection of free/available
genymotion device for multiple build devices
5) Ensure test apk is installed on correct
devices even for multiple/concurrent builds

6. Starting genymotion in
headless mode
[Problem]
Using genymotion built-in player command throws Open-GL errors when used
with X-Forwarding
eglMakeCurrent failed FrameBuffer::post
eglMakeCurrent failed
zsh: segmentation fault
http://blog.genymobile.com/genymotion-jenkins-android-testing/
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/28871412/genymotion-device-boots-
up-and-disappears-after-showing-a-black-screen
[Workaround]
Use VBoxManage startvm <VM-UUID> --type headless command

7. Identifying IP address
[Problem]
• IP address of genymotion devices is required to
connect adb to device
• However, genymotion virtual device IP address does
not show up in usual system commands like “arp”
[Workaround]
VBoxManage guestproperty get $VM_SELECTED androvm_ip_management
This command shows the IP only when device is running

8. ADB port connection
[Problem]
• Adb start-server usually starts ADB server on
default port of 5037
• However for concurrent build if all servers start on
same port adb installation for test apk fails
[Workaround]
• set env variable
ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_PORT
• this changes the default adb server port to desired
value for that particular shell session

9. Setting default genymotion device
[Problem]
• Setting ADB server port is not enough since gradle
connectedCheck internally starts adb in default port 5037
• As a result, gradle does not find connected genymotion devices
when running tests. Installation of test apk fails with “No connected
devices”
[Workaround]
• Set env variable ANDRIOD_SERIAL to specify which genymotion
device to be used as default as test
• This was introduced as feature in android Gradle plugin 0.14.0 (AS
1.0)
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=59894
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=75407
https://android-review.googlesource.com/#/c/108985/1/build-
system/builder/src/main/java/com/android/builder/testing/ConnectedDe
viceProvider.java

10. Making builds thread safe (locking)
[Problem]
• For concurrent builds, the logic to select Genymotion
device must be thread safe
• Else more than one build would select the same
device and gradle tests would fail
[Workaround]
• Create temporary lock directory using mkdir command
• Name of lock directory same as that of genymotion
device
• mkdir being atomic in operation mkdir would fail for
concurrent build in case directory already exists

11. Handling build abort scenarios
[Problem]
• In case build is aborted in between using
Jenkins interfaces, its important to delete all
lock directories. Else, build would never run
on those geny motion devices
[Workaround]
• A simple workaround was to catch INT,
TERM trap signals in shell script and delete
all temp files

12. Overview of Final Implementation
1) Start genymotion devices in headless mode
2) Select random ADB server port
3) Select free genymotion device with thread safe logic (in case
of concurrent Jenkins build jobs)
4) Set env variable ANDROID_ADB_SERVER_PORT to set
the default ADB server port selected in Step (2)
5) Set env variable ANDROID_SERIAL to desired target
genymotion device for gradle test
6) Run gradle tests
Note: genymotion devices are kept running in the background.
Alternatively they can be booted up and shutdown in the build
script using Vbox commands

13. Repository URL for working script
https://github.com/vishyrich/GenymotionJenkin
sBuild.git

14. THANK YOU!! 