Configuration Management

1
Configuration Management

• By Guy Davis,
• Stephane Saleh and Kejin Huang

2
Abstract

• The concept (Kejin)
• Basic principles (Guy)
• SCM Automation and Tools (Stephane)
• SCM in the Future (Stephane)
• Tools comparison (Kejin)

3
Introduction

• Configuration Management(CM) is a
• documentation system for tracking the
• work.

4
History

• 1980, Bersoff, E. H., Henderson, V.D., and
  Siegel, S. G. Software Configuration Management.
  Prentice-Hall.
• 1984, The British Standard BS 6488
• 1987, IEEE Guide to Software Configuration
  Management 1987. IEEE/ANSI Standard 1042-1987.
• 1987, U. S. Department of Defense. DoD 2167a
  Standard 1987. DoD.

5
Why SCM is needed

• The project body
• The project may be big. When a change is made in
  a shared component, the user may not be notified.
  (The change may be a bug fix or an improvement.)
• The time
• The development progress steps may last long.
  When the versions become a tree, the bugs could
  appear or disappear in different nodes.
• The people
• A lot of people may be involved. A simultaneous
  update may destroy the others work.

6
The goal (why)

• To have change activity converge
• Controlling ad-hoc change creates a stable
  software development environment
• Control of change is a major part of baseline
  management
• SCM co-ordinates access to change of the software
  work products which is particularly important
  when there is more than one individual work on a
  software work product

7
Concept

• Configuration management involves the collection
  and maintenance of data concerning the hardware
  and software of computer systems that are being
  used. SIMON DENNIS - Ref 1
• CM embodies a set of techniques used to help
  define, communicate and control the evolution of
  a product or system through its concept,
  development, implementation and maintenance
  phases. SWEETMAN - Ref 2
• CM, a key concept in the Information Age, is a
  set of systematic controls to keep information up
  to date and accurate. MORRIS - Ref 3

8
Concept (contd)

• A discipline applying technical and
  administrative direction and surveillance to.
  (IEEE)
• A collection of hardware, software, and/or
  firmware, which satisfies an end-use function and
  is designated for configuration management." (ISO)

9
What is not

• Just version management
• Just change management
• Just a build-and-release tool
• An administration tool

10
The Scope
11
Principles of SCM

• Configuration Identification
• Baselines
• Change Control
• Configuration Status Accounting
• Configuration Audits and Reviews
• SCM metrics

12
Configuration Identification

• SCM Planning document
• Objectives, responsibilities, and methods
• Identify configuration items
• Independent components of the system
• Logical configuration hierarchy
• Object-based view
• Directory-based view

13
Baselines

• Complete status of a CI at a given time
• Know quality and functionality
• Unchangeable and able to recreate

Mozilla SCM Roadmap
14
Change Control

• Control change between baselines
• Various levels of control
• Open policy (no control, just tracking)
• Informal code review by module owner
• Change Control Board (CCB)
• Tailor level to organization and project

15
Configuration Status Accounting

• Monitor status of CIs and change requests
• Complete listing of all changes since last
  baseline (including who, what, when)
• Ideally changes should be traceable to rationale
• Allows tracking of progress to next baseline
• Allows for previous releases/versions to be
  extracted for testing

16
Configuration Audits and Reviews

• Validation of completeness and consistency
• SCM audits occur during project transitions
• Requirements, design, implementation, test,
• Ensures that SCM plan is being followed
• Useful to review SCM metrics gathered
• Feedback allows process improvement

17
Implementation Issues

• Requires champions, sponsors, agents
• Requires planning (SCMP)
• Requires training and documentation
• Requires maintenance
• Can be measured and improved

18
SCM Automation

• Why Automation?
• Difficult to manage developments
• by large teams operating at different
• remote sites
• Projects are becoming bigger and more complex

19
SCM Automation (contd)
(A. Brown, S. Dart, P. Feiler, K. Wallnau, 1991)
20
SCM Automation (contd)

• Components Concepts
• Component concepts help identify and access
  components of a software product.
• Requirements covered version control,
  configuration, repository, etc.
• Example of tools or systems Revision Control
  System (RCS), Sherpa Design Management System
  (DMS)

21
SCM Automation (contd)

• Structure and Construction Concepts
• Concepts that deal with capturing changes to a
  component and its structure.
• Requirements covered building, optimizing ,
  recording information to allow regeneration of
  components, etc.
• Example of tools or systems Aide-De-Camp (ADC),
  Jasmine system model, Rational

22
SCM Automation (contd)

• Team Concepts
• Concepts that help with the co-ordination and
  synchronization of software engineering teams
  working on a project.
• Requirements covered work areas for
• isolating work, synchronizing, concurrent
  work
• Example of tools or systems Shape, Software
  Management System (SMS), Network Software
  Environment (NSE)

23
SCM Automation (contd)

• Process Concepts
• Concepts that are related to process
  functionalities.
• Requirements covered lifecycle support, task
  management, communication and automatically
  recording information.
• Example of tools or systems PowerFrame, ISTAR,
  LIFESPAN, Change and Configuration Control (CCC)

24
Tool Class 1

• Code or Developer oriented CM tools only
• supply the code management, version
• control, including check-in, check-out,
• merge, etc.

25
Tool Class 2

• Process oriented CM tools also supply management
  for software development activities. It may
  cover
• Version Control
• Change Control
• Product Management
• Problem Tracking
• Activity Tracking
• Build Management
• Document Management
• Requirements Tracking.

26
SCM Challenges

• Technological Issues
• Process-Oriented Issues
• Managerial Issues
• Political Issues
• Standardization Issues

27
SCM Challenges (contd)

• Technological Issues
• Switching CM Capabilities
• Interoperability between CM
• Global Perspective on CM
• Repositories
• Distributed CM
• Perfective Maintenance Support

28
SCM Challenges (contd)

• Process-oriented Issues
• Political Issues
• Standardization Issues

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Q / A
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Tool Index (contd)

• FtpVC http//www.nisnevich.com/ftpvc/ftpvc.htm
  .
• PERFORCE http//www.perforce.com/
• PVCS http//www.merant.com/
• QEF http//www.qef.com/
• QVCS http//www.qumasoft.com/.
• RAZOR http//www.razor.visible.com/
• SABLIME http//www.bell-labs.com/project/sabli
  me
• Software Manager (MKS) http//www.verticalsky.com/
  solutions/
• Source Code Manager http//www.unipress.com/fre
  e_evals/
• StarTeam http//www.starbase.com/.
• TeamConnection (IBM) http//www.software.ibm.co
  m/ad/teamcon/
• TLIB http//www.burtonsys.com/.
• CVS
  http//www.cvshome.org/

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Comparison
32
Comparison (contd)
33
Comparison (contd)
34
Comparison (contd)
35
Comparison (contd)
36
Comparison (contd)
 
37
References

• A. Brown, S. Dart, P. Feiler, K. Wallnau. The
  State of Automated Configuration Management,
  Software Engineering Institute. Carnegie Mellon
  University. 1991.
• http//www.sei.cmu.edu/legacy/scm/abstracts/absat
  r_cm_state.html
• Berlack, R.H. Evaluation Selection of Automated
  Configuration Management Tools. 1995.
  http//www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/nov/eva
  luati.asp
• Dart, Susan. Concepts in Configuration
  Management. Software Engineering Institute.
  Carnegie Mellon University. 1991.
  http//www.sei.cmu.edu/legacy/scm/abstracts/abscm_
  concepts.html
• Eich, Brendan. Mozilla Tree Management Roadmap.
  Mozilla Organization. 2002. http//www.mozilla.org
  /roadmap.html
• Humphrey, Watts S. Managing the Software Process.
  Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Reading,
  Massachusetts. 1990
• Kelly, Marion. Configuration Management The
  Changing Image McGraw-Hill U.K., 1996.
• Menks, D. Software Configuration Management.
  University Of Calgary. 2001.
• http//www.ucalgary.ca/dbmenks/seng/seng621
  /scm.html