• Introduction
• Overview
• Setting up a Hive
• + Quick Start Guide
• + Best Practices
• + Examples
• Plugins
• + Android Plugin
• + iOS Plugin
• + TV Plugin
• + Device API
• Software Links
• Glossary
• FAQ

Overview

Hive CI is a CI Platform for on-device testing. It encompasses a number of applications, tools and libraries that we use at the BBC for testing our applications and websites on devices.

Setting up a Hive

There are three main components that you will need to deploy to set up a Hive:

• Hive Scheduler

  This is the hive web application for scheduling tests and viewing results

• Hive Runner

  This is the component that detects devices and runs the tests. You can install runners on multiple machines and they will all run tests from the scheduler and report results back in.

• Hive Mind

  This is the device database. Though not essential for the running of Hive CI it enables better monitoring and control of devices.

The complete setup containing these three components looks like this:

Both Hive Scheduler and Hive Mind are web services that provide a web interface and an API for communicating with devices and hives. The Hive Runners, normally referred to simply as ‘Hives’ are servers to which the devices are connected. These may be located at multiple locations provided they are able to have a network connection to Hive Scheduler and Hive Mind.

Hive Scheduler

The scheduler is the main hive application. It contains the definitions of your tests and allows you to schedule those tests to run on devices that are connected to your runners.

It is also where the results of your test runs are reported back.

Hive Runner

The Hive Runner, or Hive, is the component that executes the tests and submits results. It is also responsible for monitoring and looking after devices.

The core of the Hive is the hive-runner gem and it is configured with one or more runner plugins depending on the device types that are to be connected. Currently there are plugins for:

• Android mobile devices, from the hive-runner-android gem
• iOS mobile devices, from the hive-runner-ios gem
• TV and set top boxes, from the hive-runner-tv gem
• Shell scripts, built into the core Hive Runner

Each plugin comprises a single controller that manages all devices of the particular type and workers for each device that are created as the devices are connected and terminated as they are disconnected.

When you install the runner, you will be guided to install additional gems to support the devices you want to test.

HiveMind

Hive Mind is a database application for monitoring devices and device state.

Testmine

Testmine is an optional results engine for HiveCI. It is a seperate application that stores detailed reports of your test runs, and lets you investigate trends in test performance.

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