Buildbot failure emails should include actual text of the failures

[Jonathan Lange]

Currently buildbot failure emails mention the build steps that failed. This is great, but better still would be the actual text of the failures.

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

Not sure what we'd need to do to fix this.

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

I'm talking to Michael now. We probably need to:
  * change master.cfg to point to a custom mail handler
  * write this custom mail handler, probably using the summary stuff in bzrbuildbot.test.TestObserver

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

See bug 610487.

[Robert Collins (lifeless)]

Is this fixed? If not, what are the symptoms to watch for?

[Gary Poster (gary)]

https://dev.launchpad.net/Foundations/Proposals/SimplifyMergeMachinery will make buildbot go out of the picture entirely. Then we can have new, exciting and different tarmac bugs instead.

[Jonathan Lange (jml)]

Rob, it's not fixed. The symptom is emails like this:

{{{
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:37:23 +0000
Subject: buildbot failure in Launchpad on lucid_db_lp
From: <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>, <email address hidden>

The Buildbot has detected a failed build of lucid_db_lp on Launchpad.
Full details are available at:
 https://lpbuildbot.canonical.com/builders/lucid_db_lp/builds/439

Buildbot URL: https://lpbuildbot.canonical.com/

Buildslave for this Build: lucid-db-devel

Build Reason:
Build Source Stamp: [branch bzr+ssh://bazaar.launchpad.net/~launchpad-pqm/launchpad/db-devel] 10018
Blamelist: Launchpad Patch Queue Manager <email address hidden>,Stuart Bishop <email address hidden>

BUILD FAILED: failed shell_6

sincerely,
 -The Buildbot
}}}

Notice that there is no information about the actual error, all we learn is that "shell_6" failed.

Often, people will go to the shell output, find the relevant tracebacks, copy it and then paste it into the email thread.

Gary, right. :) Let's hope that there are fewer snags like these in the new system.