In this chapter, we will cover the steps required to set up and use a build server. We touched upon some benefits with a build server in Chapter 11, Unit Testing, where unit tests can be executed to help reduce the risk of regression.

We shall cover two scenarios. These are cloud hosted customer implementation project deployed via LCS, and an on-premise build server, which is equivalent to an Azure server hosted under your own subscription.

Should the implementation be hosted in Azure deployed through a LCS customer implementation project, all we need to do is set up the Build Agent Pools and Queues and then supply the parameters to the set up form in LCS. The process of deploying a build machine is well documented and we won't duplicate this here, especially given the pace at which updates to LCS are being made. Even if we don't set up a build server manually, the information may prove useful in understanding issues that may arise with the server.

The recipes in this chapter should be used in conjunction with released Microsoft documentation. The aim (as always) is to provide practical hands-on guidance, intended to augment the already published documentation.