Version: 2.0
Last Updated: 9/3/2016
This page provides a quick listing of the tools needed and basic install instructions for each -- which is used throughout this course. Before you get started installing all the tools and software for this course, there are a few basic requirements. After that, I provide the general instructions for each tool used. Since this page is designed to aide the "get to the point" crowd, I keep my instructions as brief as possible.
In order to support the most recent version of Windows available, these instructions were tested using Windows 10. However, with some modification, these instructions will generally work for older versions of Windows.
Install the following, use defaults unless otherwise stated:
Below is more information for those that need it. For those unfamiliar, TL;DR means "Too long; don't read" -- which I include for those that prefer to just know the list of components to install and don't require additional assistance.
You need to have Administrator rights to your system. Most modern versions of Windows come with several "flavors" of user accounts -- only Administrators can install software.
Windows comes in two flavors: 32-bit and 64-bit. What's even more confusing -- you might have a 32-bit version on hardware able to run 64-bit software.
The fastest way to find out if you have 32 or 64-bits installed:
Make a note of this -- you'll want to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of any software in order to best match your operating system and to have the best performance possible, when given the choice.
Optional.
I use Google Chrome for most of my courses. A few years ago, I would have strongly recommended or border-lined required the use of Chrome. However, most modern versions of all common browsers are adequate -- although the software engineer in me still prefers Chrome. For those wanting to follow along as closely as possible, install and use Chrome during this course. However, this is an optional step now, but I include it for completeness.
Required.
Git is the source control tool used in this course. While Jenkins supports many other control control tools, Git is the most popular these days.
Git requires your name and email address before any real work can be done. It is best to just configure Git from the start.
git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@your-place.com"
Optional.
Windows comes with a text editor called Notepad, but it doesn't do much beyond allow you to edit text and many IT professionals prefer something more. I use a free and open-source program called Notepad++ for most of my Windows based courses. If you are happy with Notepad, then this step is optional.
If you plan to use Notepad++ a lot, I highly recommend adding Notepad++ to your system's PATH environment variable. You can confirm weather or not this is needed by opening a command prompt or Git Bash and type notepade++ and press the enter key. If Notepad++ launches, then no additional work is needed. If you get a Command Not Found or similar error, then add the Notepad++ install folder to the system Path variable.
Required.
The Oracle Java Development Kit is need to compile Java projects and is used with Maven (below).
Maven (below) requires the JAVA_HOME system variable be set to the currently installed JDK location.
Required.
Maven is the build tool we use for Java projects in this course.
;%M2_HOME%\bin (this will resolve to the bin folder inside the Maven install locationmvn -version (this will confirm Maven is installed and accessible from anywhere on your system)Required.
There is no getting around this one since it is the main focus of this course.
This course was originally developed with Jenkins 1.x. With the recent arrival of Jenkins 2, the user interface has changed quite a bit and several features have moved. The author and instructor for this course is actively working on an updated course featuring Jenkins 2. However, until those revisions are ready, please use the last Jenkins 1 series LTS release (1.651.3) in order to follow along exactly.
Jenkins 1.651.3 Archive Installer: http://mirrors.jenkins-ci.org/windows-stable/jenkins-1.651.3.zip
Until this course is updated with all new videos featuring Jenkins 2, I strongly recommend staying with Jenkins 1 for the purpose of this course. After going through the course, you may decide to upgrade to the latest Jenkins 2 LTS. When you do, you'll notice some user interface changes but also several tools and options have moved or changed. This course provides documentation lectures with Jenkins 2 update notes to help support students choosing to move forward with Jenkins 2 with this course.
Required.
The install video for this is in the Deployment section of this course, but there is nothing wrong setting it up now. Keep in mind: By default, both Jenkins and Tomcat use port 8080, which means we change the default port to something else during the install process so they won't conflict with each other on the same system.
The videos in Deployment section go into further details on editing configuration files, installing Jenkins plugins, and everything else required to connect Tomcat and Jenkins together.
The install videos provide in this course will setup each tool as needed in this course. If you run into any issues with any of the above install procedures, watch the corresponding videos in the Installation section of this course (except for Tomcat -- which is in the Deployment section).