Restarting failed build or release pipeline jobs and stages
Summarize
Summary of Restarting Failed Build or Release Pipeline Jobs and Stages
This guide outlines how to rerun or redeploy Azure DevOps build and release pipelines that have failed or been canceled. Reruns are processed as continuous runs within the same pipeline execution in ServiceNow DevOps, allowing for efficient management of build and release processes.
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Key Features
- Rerun Capability: Users can rerun entire pipelines or specific failed or canceled jobs and stages.
- Change Request Reusability: Instead of creating a new change request each time, you can reuse an existing one if it is in an implement or post-implement state.
- Attempt Tracking: An attemptNumber parameter can be added to payloads to track reruns effectively.
- UI Synchronization: ServiceNow DevOps synchronizes changes made during reruns, displaying them in the DevOps pipeline UI for easy tracking.
Key Outcomes
By implementing these features, ServiceNow customers can expect:
- Streamlined rerun processes, reducing time and effort in managing failed jobs.
- Maintained association of existing test summaries and scans with reused change requests, ensuring continuity in tracking.
- Enhanced transparency and visibility of rerun attempts directly within the DevOps pipeline UI.
Rerun or redeploy Azure DevOps build, release changes, or pipelines that are failed or canceled in that stage or pipeline. The reattempts display on the DevOps pipeline UI as continuous runs instead of creating new executions.
Rerun Azure DevOps pipelines or stages
You can rerun a failed or canceled build or release pipelines or change jobs in Azure DevOps. The reruns are processed as part of the same pipeline execution as the first run in ServiceNow DevOps. You can rerun entire pipelines or specific failed or canceled jobs and stages. You can now choose to reuse a change request instead of creating a new change request each time you restart a stage or a pipeline.
An attemptNumber parameter is added to the payload which helps us track reruns. Associated test summary, software quality scan results, commits, work items corresponding to every rerun attempt is also updated in ServiceNow DevOps.
If you are using the Configuring change control using the Azure Invoke REST API you must add the attempt number parameter to your payload body in the specified syntax format for build and release pipelines. If you do not specify the attempt number parameter, the default attempt number is set to 1.
"attemptNumber": "$(system.jobAttempt)""attemptNumber": "$(Release.AttemptNumber)"Reusing Change Requests
If a change enabled job is rerun, and a change request exists for the previous run/attempt, you can choose to reuse the previous change request or create a new change request, using the base system ‘DevOps Change Request Reusability Decision Subflow’. The default implementation of this subflow, allows you to reuse a change request from the previous attempt if the change request is in implement, or post-implement states. If the Change request is in any other state, by default, a new change request is created when you rerun the job. Per existing behavior, all associated details such as test summaries, and scans, are newly generated while commits and work items are retained unchanged for new change requests.
For example, when a pipeline fails at a specific stage after the change request is approved, and you rerun that stage. The change request is reused, the associated test summary and software quality scans, and the commits and work items associated to the artifact are associated with the same change request which you approved.
To apply a custom logic for reusability, you can copy the existing subflow, make the changes, publish it, and update the new subflow name under .
In the regular base system flow when a change is created, ‘ Using DevOps Change Request Manual Approval flow’ is used to update the State field of step execution record after a decision is taken on the change request. However, when you reuse a change, the first trigger condition of a change request being created is not met. A base system subflow ‘DevOps Change Request Reusability Model Subflow’ is triggered instead, whenever a change request is reused when a job is a rerun. The default implementation of this subflow is similar to the DevOps Model Change Request flow. You can create a custom subflow and update the subflow name at .
Pipeline UI changes
- Click a card to view the latest attempt of that stage.
- Click the View all attempts link to see all the step executions and related information associated to the step or stage that is run more than once.
- The View change link displays the change request associated with the latest attempt.