Choosing a launch method
Jenkins true power lies in its ability to operate, and scale across OS platforms and architectures. Launching a slave node agent and attaching it to the Jenkins mater can be accomplished in a number of ways. Each method has its own use cases, benefits, and potential drawbacks. The one we select will be largely dependent on the target operating system, or environment. When creating a Jenkins slave node we will want to choose wisely. The Jenkins new slave node configuration screen provided us with the following available launch methods.
Launch slave agents via Java Web Start (preferred)
Launch slave agents on Unix machines via SSH
Let Jenkins control this Windows slave as a Windows service (using DCOM and WMI is sometimes error prone)
Launch slave via execution of command on the Master
Two of the most commonly used launch methods for slave nodes include SSH and Java Web Start. These two options are the least error-prone and offer the quickest implementation path. While...
