Chapter 18Using Team Foundation Build

What's in this chapter?

  • Getting to know the build automation features provided by Team Foundation Server
  • Understanding the Team Foundation build architecture
  • Installing a build controller and build agent
  • Working with builds
  • Understanding the build process
  • Editing build process parameters
  • Building both .NET and Java projects with Team Foundation Server

This chapter introduces the build automation capabilities of Team Foundation Server, the core concepts, and how to install the build server functionality. You will learn how to create your own builds based on the standard build process templates, along with how to use and manage them.

Introduction to Team Foundation Build

The build automation capabilities of Team Foundation Server have probably undergone the most significant change since the initial release of Team Foundation Server 2005. Originally, the build functionality extended MSBuild to allow for a basic level of build automation integrated with Team Foundation Version Control and work item tracking.

In the 2008 release, the build system came of age in its own right as a fully enterprise-ready build automation system. That release introduced new first-class concepts into Team Foundation Server, such as the build definition and build agent, and it also had flexible build triggering functionalities provided out of the box. However, the build process ...

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