Urbancode has released version 3.6 of its AnthillPro, a tool that automates Continuous Integration builds, nightly builds, tests, deployments, releases, and other process in the application lifecycle. A new Distributed Web Interface lets enterprises define their development environments based on geographic location, improve responsiveness for users connecting over the WAN, and store large, often-used files on the same LAN where they are consumed. The Relay Server acts as a proxy for agents behind a firewall or in another location, making the network configuration for agents painless.
In addition, version 3.6 introduces Preflight Builds which lets developers invoke the standard build process with their local changes on the official build machines. Because they allow developers to identify build failures before a code change is committed, Preflight Builds are helpful in preventing build failures.
AnthillPro 3.6 also introduces extensive new test trending and metrics. The new test history reports tracks changes in the rate of successful tests and the number of tests run for a given project. AnthillPro 3.6 also identifies the problematic tests that can torpedo efforts to adopt automated testing. By highlighting which tests take the most time and what tests frequently fail, AnthillPro allows users to address these problems, saving them time that would otherwise be spent chasing phantom test failures. The new test and trending metrics feature provide powerful new tools for managing the testing effort.
According to Urbancode's Maciej Zawadzki, "AnthillPro 3.6 was designed to solve the most common problems faced by large enterprises, especially those with distributed development environments."
