h1. Grid overview
The [build grid] can be managed by switching to _Grid_ tab as shown below:
!grid1.png!
* Active nodes are connected and authorized nodes, and can be used to run build steps. When QuickBuild server is initially installed, the grid contains only one active node - the build server itself.
* Unauthorized nodes are connected nodes, but have not been authorized. Once authorized, they will appear as active nodes.
* Additional grid nodes can be added by [installing build agents|build agent installation guide] on other build machines. Installed agents are automatically authorized and will appear as active nodes.
* To remove nodes from the grid, just select nodes you want to remove, and click the _unauthorize_ button.
h1. Configure node performance factor
QuickBuild by default assumes that all grid nodes have the same performance and distribute build tasks evenly to all matched grid nodes (controlled by node matching setting of a step). However, it is normal that some node is more powerful than other nodes and should get more loads. In this case, please edit _bin/config.(bat|sh)_ to specify performance factor of the node. By default, all nodes have the performance factor of 10.
h1. {anchor:node attributes} Grid node attributes
Node attributes can be used to filter nodes for certain steps by specifying the step property _node match condition_. For example, the condition _node.getAttribute("os.name").startsWith("Windows")_ matches only agents running Windows operating system, while condition _node.hasAttribute("ant")_ matches agents that have the attribute _ant_ defined.
There are two sets of attributes for a node: system defined attributes and user defined attributes. System defined attributes will be displayed if you select the _System Attributes_ tab in node detail page.
System defined attributes include all environment variables and all Java system properties.
{anchor:define user attributes}User attributes are custom attributes that are defined by user to identify ability/environment of the node. For example, if the agent has Ant and Maven installed, you may define user attributes to reflect this installation as below:
!grid2.png!
h1. Monitor grid node jobs
A single unit of work running on a grid node is called a grid job. In most cases, it is just a step. A grid node may have many jobs running concurrently (for example, steps from builds of different configurations). The number of concurrent jobs is limited by node resources (such as working threads). If the resources are exhausted, newly arriving jobs will be waiting in the queue. A typical job monitoring screen looks like this:
!grid3.png!
The [build grid] can be managed by switching to _Grid_ tab as shown below:
!grid1.png!
* Active nodes are connected and authorized nodes, and can be used to run build steps. When QuickBuild server is initially installed, the grid contains only one active node - the build server itself.
* Unauthorized nodes are connected nodes, but have not been authorized. Once authorized, they will appear as active nodes.
* Additional grid nodes can be added by [installing build agents|build agent installation guide] on other build machines. Installed agents are automatically authorized and will appear as active nodes.
* To remove nodes from the grid, just select nodes you want to remove, and click the _unauthorize_ button.
h1. Configure node performance factor
QuickBuild by default assumes that all grid nodes have the same performance and distribute build tasks evenly to all matched grid nodes (controlled by node matching setting of a step). However, it is normal that some node is more powerful than other nodes and should get more loads. In this case, please edit _bin/config.(bat|sh)_ to specify performance factor of the node. By default, all nodes have the performance factor of 10.
h1. {anchor:node attributes} Grid node attributes
Node attributes can be used to filter nodes for certain steps by specifying the step property _node match condition_. For example, the condition _node.getAttribute("os.name").startsWith("Windows")_ matches only agents running Windows operating system, while condition _node.hasAttribute("ant")_ matches agents that have the attribute _ant_ defined.
There are two sets of attributes for a node: system defined attributes and user defined attributes. System defined attributes will be displayed if you select the _System Attributes_ tab in node detail page.
System defined attributes include all environment variables and all Java system properties.
{anchor:define user attributes}User attributes are custom attributes that are defined by user to identify ability/environment of the node. For example, if the agent has Ant and Maven installed, you may define user attributes to reflect this installation as below:
!grid2.png!
h1. Monitor grid node jobs
A single unit of work running on a grid node is called a grid job. In most cases, it is just a step. A grid node may have many jobs running concurrently (for example, steps from builds of different configurations). The number of concurrent jobs is limited by node resources (such as working threads). If the resources are exhausted, newly arriving jobs will be waiting in the queue. A typical job monitoring screen looks like this:
!grid3.png!