[Python-Dev] Strategies for debugging buildbot failures?

["Martin v. Löwis"]

> Is it acceptable to commit a change (to the trunk or py3k, not to
> the release branches) solely for the purpose of getting more
> information about a failure?
[...]
> Alternatively, is it reasonable to create a new branch solely
> for the purpose of tracking down one particular problem?

Either is ok. Committing to the trunk is "more noisy", so I would
prefer creation of a branch.

> Again, I don't see this sort of thing happening, but it seems
> like an attractive strategy, since it allows one to test one
> particular buildbot (via the form for requesting a build)
> without messing up anything else.

Buildbot also supports submission of patches directly to the
slaves. This is currently not activated, and clearly requires
some authentication/authorization; if you want to use that,
I'd be happy to experiment with setting it up, though.

> What do others do to debug these failures?

In the past, for the really difficult problems, we arranged to
have the developers get access to the buildbot slaves. Feel
free to contact the owner of the slave if you want that; let
me know if I should introduce you.

Regards,
Martin