Jenkins Jenkins build artifact retention issues.

Artifact retention settings are incorrectly configured, leading to unexpected deletion or retention of build artifacts.

Understanding Jenkins and Its Purpose

Jenkins is an open-source automation server that enables developers to build, test, and deploy their software projects reliably and efficiently. It is widely used for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, allowing teams to automate the parts of software development related to building, testing, and deploying, facilitating continuous delivery.

Identifying the Symptom: Build Artifact Retention Issues

One common issue that Jenkins users encounter is related to build artifact retention. This problem manifests when build artifacts are either not retained as expected or are deleted prematurely. Developers might notice that artifacts from previous builds are missing, which can disrupt the workflow, especially if those artifacts are needed for future builds or deployments.

Exploring the Issue: JENKINS-441

The issue identified as JENKINS-441 pertains to problems with Jenkins' artifact retention settings. This can occur due to misconfigured retention policies, leading to artifacts being retained longer than necessary or deleted too soon. Understanding and configuring these settings correctly is crucial to ensure that artifacts are available when needed and storage is not unnecessarily consumed.

Common Causes of Retention Issues

  • Incorrect retention policy settings.
  • Misunderstanding of the retention strategy (e.g., keeping artifacts for a certain number of days or builds).
  • Changes in project requirements not reflected in Jenkins settings.

Steps to Fix the Artifact Retention Issue

To resolve the artifact retention issue in Jenkins, follow these steps:

Step 1: Review Current Retention Settings

Navigate to your Jenkins job configuration page:

  1. Go to the Jenkins dashboard.
  2. Select the job experiencing retention issues.
  3. Click on Configure.

In the configuration page, locate the Build Discarder section. This is where you can define how long to keep builds and their artifacts.

Step 2: Adjust Retention Policies

Ensure that the retention policies align with your project requirements. You can specify:

  • Max # of builds to keep: Limits the number of builds retained.
  • Days to keep builds: Specifies the number of days to retain builds.
  • Max # of builds to keep with artifacts: Limits the number of builds with artifacts retained.
  • Days to keep builds with artifacts: Specifies the number of days to retain builds with artifacts.

Step 3: Apply Changes and Monitor

After adjusting the settings, save the configuration and monitor the job to ensure that artifacts are retained as expected. You can verify this by checking the build history and ensuring that artifacts are available for the specified retention period.

Additional Resources

For more detailed guidance on configuring Jenkins, refer to the official Jenkins User Documentation. If you encounter further issues, consider reaching out to the Jenkins community mailing lists for support.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage build artifact retention in Jenkins, ensuring that your CI/CD pipeline runs smoothly and efficiently.

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