Get an in-depth look at the life of a pre-commit build at Samsung using Perforce Helix Streams and Electric Cloud’s Electric Commander with Helix Swarm for code review.

1. Pre- Commit Builds with
Perforce Helix Streams
Rakhee Kulkarni

2. Continuous Integration Builds
 Pre-Commit CI builds gate checkins into CM for a set of pre-
defined smoke tests. This ensures software quality on the
branch. These can be serialized and slow.
 Post Commit builds can be triggered on a bundle of commits.
Since the test are run post commit, the time for failure
resolution on these is critical. Finding the bad changelist and
backing it out or fixing in a short time is necessary.

3. Pre-Commit CI Implementation
Usage of streams to manage code base for HW and SW builds
 Virtual streams for defining build types
 Restricting client specs
Pre-Commit Builds restrict submits to depot for changelists that are not tested
for smoke test
 Advantages
• Keep TOT clean
• Global teams – advantage managing cross site build failures
• Smoke test coverage is protected
 Disadvantages
• Serialized and slow

4. Tools and Resources Used
 CI tool from Electric Cloud
• Setting up CI based on a configurable property
• High Availability feature
 Proof of concept
 Load sharing facility for job launching
• C++, VCS builds
• Tests

5. CI Queue Implementation Highlights
 Builds defined using virtual streams
 Extensive use of P4Python API for automation
 Gathers shelves based on a keyword in shelve description
 Aggregates shelves for speedup on throughput
 Conflicting files blocked by triggers
 Configurable for branches

6. CI build Implementation Flowchart
• High level Flowchart
• Bundling of non
conflicting CLs
• Automated submits of
bundled CLs
• Increased througput
using bundling
• Serialized in case of
bundle failure

7. Highlights of Implemented CI Queue
 Aggregate shelves – bundling algorithm for non-conflicting
changelists
 Error handling at all steps, tests
 Configurable design to run on other perforce branches
 Cleaner artifact storing policy
 Cleaner clients creation using streams
 Use of keywords to manage shelves, EC_COMMIT,
EC_PASSED, EC_FAILED

8. Submit Code
• Submit done through
automation
• Multiple p4 sessions as p4
superuser and owners of
CLs
• Added check for up-to-date
files at shelve with shelve-
submit trigger
• Added checks for bad
shelves
• Added checks for conflicting
files in queue
• Added check for unit test on
HW side

9. Perforce Triggers to support submit
automation
 Added shelve-submit triggers
• Checking out of date files in user WS
• Checking conflicts with the files in queue
• Additional checking for empty shelves
 Post Submit Triggers
• Block submits for code with certain keywords

10. CI Statistics
The chart below describes the number of passing builds for bundling in a week.

11. Multiple CI queues on main/release
branches

12. Build Statistics
 Number of CLs shipped - ~4500
 Number of CLs on a day Max ~72 with smoke test of
~50minutes
 Aggregating produced better results than serializing

13. Conclusion
 Aggregating CLs improved throughput on the serialized
builds
 Use of perforce streams was helpful with automation to build
 Use of p4python was helpful in achieving automation
 Perforce triggers supported automated submits
 Pre-commit CI builds ensure stability of the main stream at
the cost of Serializing

14. Thank you!