Build Diagnostics & Deployment Verification

Phase 1: Prove New Binary is Deployed

1.1 Build Identity Generation

Create a unique build identifier that includes:

NativeScript component version - semantic version tag
Git commit SHA - 40-character commit hash
Build timestamp - ISO 8601 format
Build type - debug/release
Location compatibility revision - semantic version
XMLHttpRequest implementation revision - semantic version

1.2 Startup Log Output

Every NativeScript startup should produce exactly this log:

[NS_BUILD_ID] version=1.0.0 commit=a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0k1l2m3n4o5p6 build=2026-08-21T15:31:00Z buildType=release locationRev=2.0 xhrRev=3.1

1.3 Boot Sequence Logging

Immediately after build ID, log the initialization order:

[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 01 context-created contextId=ctx-main
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 02 globals-installed
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 03 location-installed protocol=file: host= origin=null
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 04 xhr-installed version=3.1
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 05 bundle-loaded bundle.js
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 06 playerplatform-preload
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 07 freewheel-ready

1.4 Device Verification

To verify correct binary is deployed:

Via Console:

// Open RDK Inspector console and run:
window.NS_BUILD_INFO  // Should return object with all build metadata

Via Logs:

# Device SSH
ssh root@<device-ip>

# Check deployment location
ls -lh /opt/apps/*/librdknativescript.so  # Or equivalent binary path

# Check version metadata
strings /opt/apps/*/librdknativescript.so | grep "NS_BUILD_ID"

# Watch live logs
journalctl -fu sky-vipa  # Or equivalent service name

Via Package Manager:

# Check version
dpkg -l | grep rdknativescript
# OR
rpm -q rdknativescript
# OR
opkg info rdknativescript

Phase 2: Verify Location Installation

Before any third-party code (PlayerPlatform, FreeWheel) loads:

[NS_LOCATION_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-main globalId=window
  protocol=file:
  host=
  hostname=
  port=
  origin=null
  href=file:///index.html
  pathname=/index.html
  search=
  hash=
  computed=file://
  status=success

Validation Checklist:

// Should all be true
window.location.protocol === "file:"
window.location.host === ""
window.location.hostname === ""
window.location.port === ""
window.location.origin === "null"
window.location.pathname === "/index.html"
window.location.protocol + "//" + window.location.host === "file://"
globalThis.location === window.location
typeof window.location.toString === "function"

// URL encoding validation
encodeURIComponent(window.location.protocol + "//" + window.location.host) === "file%3A%2F%2F"

Phase 3: Verify XHR Installation

[NS_XHR_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-main version=3.1
  properties: response, responseURL, timeout, statusText
  methods: open, send, abort, addEventListener, setTimeout
  events: readystatechange, load, error, timeout, abort, loadend
  status=success

Validation Checklist:

// Should all exist
typeof window.XMLHttpRequest === "function"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.response !== "undefined"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.responseURL !== "undefined"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.timeout !== "undefined"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.statusText !== "undefined"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.setTimeout === "function"
typeof XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener === "function"

// Test event dispatch
var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
var events = [];
xhr.addEventListener("readystatechange", function() { events.push("readystatechange"); });
xhr.addEventListener("load", function() { events.push("load"); });
xhr.addEventListener("loadend", function() { events.push("loadend"); });
// Events should dispatch in correct order after send()

Phase 4: Monitor FreeWheel Requests

4.1 First Request Validation

When a FreeWheel request initiates, check:

[NS_FW_ENV] contextId=ctx-main
  protocol=file:
  host=
  computed=file://
  xhr=3.1
  playerPlatform=5.140.0
  freewheel=6.55.0

4.2 Request Execution Timeline

For each FreeWheel ad request:

[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=abc123 contextId=ctx-main
  start=15:31.127
  url=https://604fc.v.fwmrm.net/ad/g/1?...&orig=file%3A%2F%2F...
  timeout=5000ms
  expectedCompletion=<start + 5000ms>

[NS_XHR_CONSTRUCT] requestId=abc123 timestamp=15:31.127
[NS_XHR_OPEN] requestId=abc123 method=GET host=604fc.v.fwmrm.net timestamp=15:31.128
[NS_XHR_SEND] requestId=abc123 timestamp=15:31.130

[NS_HTTP_CONNECT] requestId=abc123 elapsed=45ms
[NS_HTTP_TLS] requestId=abc123 elapsed=120ms
[NS_HTTP_REQUEST] requestId=abc123 elapsed=165ms

[NS_HTTP_HEADERS] requestId=abc123 
  status=200 
  contentType=application/json
  contentLength=12345
  elapsed=245ms

[NS_HTTP_BODY] requestId=abc123 
  chunkCount=3
  totalBytes=12345
  elapsed=310ms

[NS_XHR_STATE] requestId=abc123 readyState=2 status=200 elapsed=245ms
[NS_XHR_STATE] requestId=abc123 readyState=3 status=200 elapsed=250ms
[NS_XHR_STATE] requestId=abc123 readyState=4 status=200 elapsed=310ms

[NS_XHR_EVENT] requestId=abc123 event=readystatechange timestamp=15:31.437
[NS_XHR_EVENT] requestId=abc123 event=load timestamp=15:31.437
[NS_XHR_EVENT] requestId=abc123 event=loadend timestamp=15:31.437

[NS_HTTP_COMPLETE] requestId=abc123 
  result=success
  category=SUCCESS
  status=200
  elapsed=310ms
  timestamp=15:31.437

[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=abc123 
  status=success
  adsCount=1
  duration=310ms
  completed=15:31.437

4.3 Failure Timeline

If request fails:

[NS_XHR_CONSTRUCT] requestId=xyz789
[NS_XHR_OPEN] requestId=xyz789
[NS_XHR_SEND] requestId=xyz789

[NS_HTTP_CONNECT] requestId=xyz789 elapsed=5012ms
[NS_HTTP_FAILURE] requestId=xyz789
  category=NATIVE_TIMEOUT  (or DNS, TLS, CALLBACK_DELAY, SDK_TIMEOUT)
  status=0
  error=Connection timeout
  elapsed=5012ms

[NS_XHR_EVENT] requestId=xyz789 event=timeout timestamp=15:36.142
[NS_XHR_EVENT] requestId=xyz789 event=loadend timestamp=15:36.142

[NS_HTTP_COMPLETE] requestId=xyz789
  result=failure
  category=NATIVE_TIMEOUT
  elapsed=5012ms

Phase 5: Check Multiple Contexts

If device creates multiple JavaScript contexts:

[NS_CONTEXT_CREATED] contextId=ctx-main
[NS_CONTEXT_CREATED] contextId=ctx-fw-1
[NS_CONTEXT_CREATED] contextId=ctx-fw-2
[NS_CONTEXT_CREATED] contextId=ctx-fw-3
...
[NS_CONTEXT_CREATED] contextId=ctx-fw-29

// Each context should get independent initialization:
[NS_LOCATION_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-fw-1 protocol=file: host= computed=file://
[NS_XHR_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-fw-1 version=3.1

[NS_LOCATION_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-fw-2 protocol=file: host= computed=file://
[NS_XHR_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-fw-2 version=3.1

Phase 6: Test Cases

6.1 Unit Tests (Automated)

# Run tests
npm test

# Expected output:
# ✓ 37/37 XHR tests passed
# ✓ 11/11 Location tests passed  
# ✓ 5/5 Encoding tests passed
# Total: 53 tests, 0 failures

6.2 Integration Test: Initial Tune

Setup: Device running with new binary Action: Tune to channel with CDAI (e.g., Sky UK Channel 107) Expected Results:

[NS_BUILD_ID] version=... commit=... # Correct new version
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 01 context-created
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 02 globals-installed
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 03 location-installed
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 04 xhr-installed
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 05 bundle-loaded
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 06 playerplatform-preload
[NS_BOOT_ORDER] 07 freewheel-ready

[NS_LOCATION_INSTALL] contextId=ctx-main protocol=file: host= computed=file://

[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=req-1
  url=https://604fc.v.fwmrm.net/ad/g/1?...&orig=file%3A%2F%2F...

[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=req-1
  status=success
  adsCount=1  # CRITICAL: Was "undefined" before fix
  duration=245ms
  completed=<timestamp>

[Bundle Log] Ad request succeeded, Received 1 ads in the slot

Failure Indicators:

orig=undefined%2F%2Fundefined in request URL
status=timeout in FreeWheel response
Log contains "Ad request failed, Returned slot object is undefined"
readyState never reaches 4 (DONE)
No load event dispatched

6.3 Integration Test: SCTE-35 Midroll

Setup: Live channel playing, waiting for SCTE-35 cue Action: Trigger SCTE-35 cue manually Expected Results:

[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=req-2 type=midroll duration=30000ms
  url=https://...&orig=file%3A%2F%2F&slid=9605&slau=midroll...

[NS_XHR_HEADERS] requestId=req-2 status=200 elapsed=156ms
[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=req-2 status=success adsCount=1 duration=156ms

# CRITICAL: Ads should play, not timeout after 5 seconds
[Bundle Log] Playing ad break (duration: 30s)
[Bundle Log] Ad 1/1 playing...

6.4 Integration Test: Concurrent Requests

Setup: Multiple FreeWheel contexts active Action: Trigger 3+ simultaneous ad requests Expected Results:

[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=req-3a
[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=req-3b
[NS_FW_REQUEST] requestId=req-3c

[NS_XHR_HEADERS] requestId=req-3a elapsed=200ms
[NS_XHR_HEADERS] requestId=req-3b elapsed=210ms
[NS_XHR_HEADERS] requestId=req-3c elapsed=205ms

[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=req-3a status=success
[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=req-3b status=success
[NS_FW_RESPONSE] requestId=req-3c status=success

# All should complete successfully without cross-context interference

Phase 7: Performance Validation

7.1 Request Timing

Expected FreeWheel request timeline:

Phase	Min	Typical	Max
DNS lookup	10ms	30ms	100ms
TLS handshake	50ms	120ms	300ms
Request send	5ms	10ms	50ms
Response headers	20ms	50ms	200ms
Response body	10ms	100ms	500ms
Total	95ms	310ms	1150ms

Timeout setting: 5000ms (5 seconds) Buffer: 3.85 seconds before timeout

7.2 Memory Impact

No memory leaks on repeated requests (check after 100 requests)
Timeout handlers properly cleaned up
Event listeners properly removed

7.3 CPU Impact

No busy-waiting (timeout uses native setTimeout, not polling)
No blocking synchronous operations
Non-blocking logging when enabled

Phase 8: Rollback Verification

If new build causes regressions:

Verify fallback binary is correct:

[NS_BUILD_ID] version=<old-version> commit=<old-commit>

Re-test VOD ads:
- VOD content should still play ads
- VMAP requests should work
- Existing ad functionality should not regress
Identify what failed:
- Was it location fix?
- Was it XHR changes?
- Was it timeout implementation?

Troubleshooting Guide

Problem: orig still shows undefined//undefined

Diagnostics:

console.log(window.location);
console.log(window.location.protocol + "//" + window.location.host);
console.log(JSON.stringify(globalThis.location));

Root Cause Check:

Build ID shows old version? → Old binary still deployed
Location object missing properties? → Initialization skipped
protocol not ending with colon? → Malformed in initialization
host is object instead of string? → Type error

Problem: FreeWheel request timeout after 5s

Diagnostics:

// Check request timeline
grep "NS_FW_REQUEST\|NS_FW_RESPONSE\|NS_XHR" device-logs.txt
grep "elapsed" device-logs.txt | tail -20

Root Cause Check:

No [NS_HTTP_HEADERS] log? → Native response not arriving
[NS_HTTP_HEADERS] logged but no [NS_FW_RESPONSE]? → Callback dispatch issue
[NS_FW_RESPONSE] after timeout? → Race condition

Problem: No diagnostic logs appearing

Check:

window.RDK_XHR_DIAGNOSTICS  // Should be true
typeof XHRDiagnostics !== 'undefined'  // Should be true

Enable from console:

window.RDK_XHR_DIAGNOSTICS = true;
// Then trigger new FreeWheel request

Success Criteria

All of the following must be true:

Post-Deployment Monitoring

After successful deployment:

Week 1: Monitor error rates
- Should drop from ~50% timeout to <5%
- Look for patterns in remaining failures
Week 2: Verify all scenarios
- Linear CDAI
- SCTE-35 midroll
- CDVR time-shift
- VOD ads
Ongoing: Check performance
- Average FreeWheel response time
- Max request duration
- Error categories

References

FreeWheel SDK: https://sdk.freewheel.com/
W3C XMLHttpRequest: https://xhr.spec.whatwg.org/
W3C URL Standard: https://url.spec.whatwg.org/
RDK Documentation: https://github.com/rdkcentral/rdkcentral.github.io

FilesExpand file tree

BUILD_DIAGNOSTICS.md

Latest commit

History

BUILD_DIAGNOSTICS.md

File metadata and controls

Build Diagnostics & Deployment Verification

Phase 1: Prove New Binary is Deployed

1.1 Build Identity Generation

1.2 Startup Log Output

1.3 Boot Sequence Logging

1.4 Device Verification

Phase 2: Verify Location Installation

Validation Checklist:

Phase 3: Verify XHR Installation

Validation Checklist:

Phase 4: Monitor FreeWheel Requests

4.1 First Request Validation

4.2 Request Execution Timeline

4.3 Failure Timeline

Phase 5: Check Multiple Contexts

Phase 6: Test Cases

6.1 Unit Tests (Automated)

6.2 Integration Test: Initial Tune

6.3 Integration Test: SCTE-35 Midroll

6.4 Integration Test: Concurrent Requests

Phase 7: Performance Validation

7.1 Request Timing

7.2 Memory Impact

7.3 CPU Impact

Phase 8: Rollback Verification

Troubleshooting Guide

Problem: orig still shows undefined//undefined

Problem: FreeWheel request timeout after 5s

Problem: No diagnostic logs appearing

Success Criteria

Post-Deployment Monitoring

References