IBM Rational Build Forge Training Guide: Curriculum, Workflow, and Hands-On Labs

Originally published on 2015-11-21; fully revised and updated.

IBM Rational Build Forge is an enterprise build and release orchestration platform often used in large, process-heavy environments. This page is for DevOps engineers, build and release managers, and corporate training coordinators who need a structured training path: what to teach, in what order, and what hands-on exercises should look like.

What a complete Build Forge training should cover

A solid Build Forge course should move from fundamentals to repeatable project delivery, then into administration and operational controls.

• Foundations: projects, steps, environments, servers, selectors, collectors.
• Execution: running builds, scheduling jobs, viewing results, and understanding BOM outputs.
• Scale and reuse: libraries, project copy patterns, and pass/fail flow design.
• Operations: user/group access control, log filtering for Ant builds, and environment-variable strategy.
• Advanced controls: practical use of Build Forge dot commands.

Build Forge workflow used in training labs

flowchart TD
    A[Define servers and selectors] --> B[Create project and steps]
    B --> C[Add environment variables]
    C --> D[Configure adaptors and tools]
    D --> E[Run project on demand]
    E --> F{Run succeeds}
    F -- No --> G[Inspect logs and filters]
    G --> B
    F -- Yes --> H[Schedule recurring runs]
    H --> I[Review results and BOM]

This is the core lifecycle trainees should practice repeatedly: define infrastructure targets, model the project, execute, troubleshoot, and automate with scheduling.

Core Build Forge objects and how they differ

Expanded training agenda

1) Introduction and project fundamentals

• Build Forge architecture and terminology.
• Creating projects, environments, and steps.
• Configuring servers, selectors, and collectors.
• Optimizing project flow with chaining and threading.
• Using IDE plug-ins and Quick Report basics.

2) Creating, running, and scheduling projects

• Create server authentication and target selector setup.
• Create and execute a project run.
• Configure scheduling for periodic execution.

3) Reuse with Build Forge libraries

• Create and maintain libraries.
• Copy projects safely for team reuse.
• Inline library content and use it in pass/fail chains.

4) Administration and access control

• Create users and access groups.
• Separate notification groups from project-edit groups.
• Use subgroup hierarchies for layered permissions.

5) Log filters and environment strategies

• Create and apply log filters for Ant builds.
• Define standard environment variables.
• Run the same project with different environment profiles, including pulldown-style variable choices.

6) Dot command usage

• Retagging and metadata handling.
• System information commands.
• File movement commands and selector changes.
• Project export and sourcing command content from variables.

Hands-on lab command examples

The original post references Ant builds and command-based execution. The examples below are realistic step-level commands trainees can use in labs.

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

export APP_ENV=qa
export BUILD_TAG=release_candidate

ant -f build.xml clean compile package 2>&1 | tee build.log
mkdir -p artifacts
cp dist/*.zip artifacts/Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

For Build Forge dot commands, verify exact syntax against the version running in your environment before production use.

# Common dot commands mentioned in training agendas
.date
.retag
.put
.get
.bset
.export
.sourceCode language: CSS (css)

Execution options compared: chaining, threading, and scheduling

Best practices and common pitfalls

• Start with one simple project and make it stable before adding threading or complex chains.
• Standardize environment variable naming early to avoid drift across teams.
• Treat libraries as versioned shared assets, not ad-hoc snippets.
• Separate operator, editor, and notification permissions to reduce accidental changes.
• Make log filtering part of project design, not a post-failure cleanup step.
• Document every dot command used in production projects with purpose and rollback guidance.

Legacy registration link from the original post: DevOps Training Registration.

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

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