How to Run Jenkins Stages in Parallel with Repeated Execution Until Completion

Discover how to execute Jenkins stages A and B in parallel, where stage B runs repeatedly until stage A finishes using a global variable solution.
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Managing Jenkins Stages: Running Parallel Tasks Until Completion

Jenkins is a powerful automation server that helps developers automate parts of their software development processes. One common scenario developers face is needing to run multiple stages in parallel, with one stage needing to repeat its execution until another stage finishes. This guide will delve into how to achieve this in Jenkins pipelines effectively.

The Problem at Hand

In your Jenkins pipeline, you may want to run two stages - let's call them Stage A and Stage B - where:

Stage A runs a long-lasting process (like executing tests) that may take several hours to complete.

Stage B needs to zip the latest reports from those tests and push them to a remote location. However, this stage must run repeatedly every minute until Stage A finishes.

Key Challenges

Running Stage B repeatedly: Stage B should initiate a process that keeps running to retrieve the updates from Stage A.

Syncing execution: Stage B needs a way to check if Stage A has completed its execution before it stops.

The Solution: Utilizing a Global Variable

To implement the desired behavior where Stage B runs repeatedly until Stage A completes, we can introduce a global variable. This variable will act as a signal for the state of Stage A:

Using a global variable: We will define a global variable to keep track of whether Stage A is still running.

Monitoring Stage A: Stage A will update this variable to signal when it is done.

Stage B's logic: Stage B will contain a loop that continues executing until Stage A is no longer running.

Implementation Steps

Here’s how you can implement this logic in your Jenkins pipeline:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Code

Defining the global variable: The variable running is initialized to true to indicate that Stage A is still running.

Parallel execution: In the parallel block, we define two stages: 'A' and 'B'.

Stage A execution: Here, you would place your code for whatever task you want to run (e.g., testing). Once the task completes, we set running to false.

Stage B's continuous operation: This stage runs a loop while running remains true. Inside the loop, you would include the necessary code to zip the reports and upload them. The sleep 60 command pauses execution for 60 seconds between iterations, effectively making it repeat every minute.

Conclusion

By leveraging a global variable in your Jenkins pipeline, you can effectively run Stage A and Stage B in parallel, with Stage B continuing to execute its task repeatedly until Stage A completes. This setup not only optimizes your pipeline execution but also ensures that critical tasks, such as reporting, are not missed during lengthy processes.

Now, you have a reliable method to synchronize the execution of your Jenkins stages, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of your CI/CD pipeline!

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