Running builds on Amazon Web Services

• Create Master VM
• Setup Master VM
• Prepare Master VM image
• Setting up custom cloud and images in AppVeyor
• Make build worker image available for configuration
• How to route build to your own cloud

Create Master VM

• Login to AWS Management Console and select EC2 under Compute.
• Navigate to Instances and press Launch instance.
  • Choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI). The following AMIs are tested at the moment:
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Base.
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Base.
  • Choose an Instance Type.
    • SSD storage is strondly recommended.
    • m4.large instance type is minimum recommended.
  • Press Next: Configure Instance Details button (not Review and Launch).
  • Configure Instance Details. Non-default settings:
    • Subnet: select any specific subnet.
    • Auto-assign Public IP: Enable.
  • Press Next: Add Storage button (not Review and Launch).
    • Set size at least 50Gb.
  • Press Next: Add Tags button (not Review and Launch). Add the following tag:
    • Key: name, value: MasterVm.
  • Press Review and Launch and then Launch.
  • Select existing key pair or create a new key pair in next dialog.
    • Save key pair file (*pem file) in secure location.
    • Press Launch instances.
  • Press Launch instances and wait until instance state for MasterVM instance is running.
  • Press Connect.
    • Press Get password and use key pair file saved earlier to retrieve a password.
    • Press Back and then Download Remote Desktop file.
    • User RDP file and password to connect to the VM.
  • Press Start button, type Computer management and navigate to Local users and groups / Users.
  • Create a new user:
    • Username: appveyor. You can use custom user name too. Just ensure that all subsequent VM configuration steps performed while being logged as this user.
    • Password: <your password>.
    • Uncheck User must change password at next logon.
    • Check Password never expires.

Setup Master VM

Login into Master VM via RDP (as user created before).

Follow these steps to configure VM and install software required for your build process. It is tested PowerShell scripts which can be simply copy-pasted to PowerShell window (started in privileged mode). Specifically:

• Basic configuration and Essential 3rd-party software - we strongly recommend to install everything from those sections.
• Build framework - you can skip one of MSBuild and Visual Studio versions or both if you don’t need them.
• Test framework - you can skip that step if you are running your own custom test script/framework.
• AppVeyor Build Agent and Configuring agent to run in “Interactive” mode - these steps are mandatory.

Install any additional software required for your builds.

Do not sysprep Master VM!

Prepare Master VM image

• Optionally restart Master VM to ensure AppVeyor build agent is started automatically interactively.
• Navigate to Instances, right-click MasterVM, select Instance state and then Stop.
• Wait till MasterVM state is stopped.
• Right-click MasterVM, select Image and press Create image.
• Provide descriptive name for the image, for example Master-image-1.
• Press Create.
• Ensure image created by checking Instances > AMIs view.

Setting up custom cloud and images in AppVeyor

• Login to AppVeyor portal.
• Navigate to your account level Settings in the top manu and select Build environment option from the drop-down
  • If Build environment option is not available, please contact support@appveyor.com and ask to enable Private build clouds feature.
• Press Add cloud, select cloud type Amazon EC2.

Complete the following mandatory settings:

• Name: Name for your private build cloud. Make it meaningful and short to be able to use in YAML configuration or AppVeyor UI.
• AWS account
  • Access Key ID: Get it My Security Credentials > Access keys (access key ID and secret access key) menu in AWS Management Console.
  • Secret access key: Get it My Security Credentials > Access keys (access key ID and secret access key) menu in AWS Management Console.
• Virtual machine configuration
  • Region: AWS region Master VM and image created in. It can be found in the top right corner of the AWS Console UI.
  • Machine size: AMI instance type you selected when created Master VM.
  • Security group ID: select or create new security group in Network & Security > Security Groups view.
  • Key pair name: key pair created or selected when VM was created. You can find it in Network & Security > Key Pairs view.
• Networking settings
  • Subnet ID: subnet created or selected when VM was created. You can find it in Network & Security > Network Interfaces view.
• Images
  • IMAGE NAME: Image name as you want to see it in AppVeyor UI and YAML, for example Windows Server 2016 on EC2
  • IMAGE ID: Id of image created earlier (AMI ID). You can find it in Images > AMIs view.
• Failure strategy:
  • Job start timeout, seconds: 360 is good enough for EC2. However, if VM creation and build start takes longer for you, please adjust accordingly
  • Provisioning attempts: 2 is good for start. Later you may need to change it according to your observations

Make build worker image available for configuration

• Navigate to Build environment > Build worker images
• Press Add image
• Enter what you set as IMAGE NAME in previous step

How to route build to your own cloud

At project level:

• UI:
  • Settings > Environment > Build cloud: Select your private build cloud name from drop-down
  • Settings > Environment > Build worker image: Select your build worker image from drop-down
• YAML:

build_cloud: <private_build_cloud_name>
image: <private_build_cloud_image>

At project level:

• Set environment variable “APPVEYOR_BUILD_WORKER_CLOUD” to your private build cloud name
  • This assumes that default and custom build clouds have build worker image with the same name (for example Visual Studio 2015)