Software Configuration Management Tools

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Software Configuration Management Tools

• Seth P Fowler seth.p.fowler_at_lmco.com
• EEL 6887
• Dr. David Workman

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References

• Choosing an SCM (Software Configuration
  Management) tool, http//www.vaccaperna.co.uk/sc
  m/choosing_tool.html
• SCM 101 Understanding Configuration Management
  in Today's Market, http//www.perforce.com/perfor
  ce/understanding. html
• Comparison of Configuration Management Solutions,
  2002-11-12, Prepared by Ralph L. Vinciguerra,
  http//www.vinci.org/rlv/d/just-cvs/

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Introduction

• What do SCM tools do?
• How to choose the right SCM tool for you and/or
  your project
• Compare and Contrast three popular SCM tools
• Summary and Conclusion

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Software Configuration Management (SCM) Tools

• SCM tools provide means to manage and track the
  evolution of software products
• SCM tools are typically part of companies
  software development processes
• Linked directly to CMM Level II

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Choosing a SCM Tool

• What are your requirements?
• Is it laid out in your companies Process?
• Does the customer require a certain product?
• Reliability and Support for the product
• Appearance (GUI front end?)
• Integration with specific Developer Environments
• Platform (Operating system)
• Cost
• Other functionality

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Benefits of SCM Tools

• Deliver a more bug-free product (Professional
  Versions)
• Automate repetitive development tasks
• Create a more predictable software development
  and release cycle
• Manage concurrent development of multiple source
  files/projects, which also contributes to
  increased productivity
• Create distributed development teams regardless
  of their location

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SCM Tools Two Main Types

• Open Source
• Vendor Supplied (paid license)
• "CM" tools and services had grown to nearly 1.5
  billion in 1999, most of which was SCM in nature
• SCM revenues have increased drastically up to 50
  per year in late 1990s and on into the 21st
  century

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Concurrent Versions System (CVS)

• Open source software
• Released under GNU General Public License (GPL)
• Implements a version control system
• Keeps track of all work and changes in a set of
  files
• Allows several developers to collaborate on a
  single project

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CVS

• Advantages
• Free
• Ease of re-synchronizing files contained in large
  directory trees
• Disadvantages
• Support (improving though)
• Merging of files can be difficult

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Razor

• Provides options for tracking change requests
  (Issues)
• Generating Builds (Threads)
• Creating reports (Versions)
• Generating analytical data
• Commercial Tool

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Razor

• Advantages
• Highly configurable
• Very robust
• Simple for small groups of files
• Disadvantages
• Complicated in some areas
• Hard to manage when multiple files/directories
  exist

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ClearCase

• An IBM, Rational product
• GUI and command line options
• Supported across multiple platforms
• Multiple CM functions
• Versioning of any object (including directories)
• Version labeling
• Versioned history files may be compressed for
  space savings
• Merging
• Parallel builds distributed over a network
• Advanced checkout mechanism

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ClearCase

• Advantages
• Industry proven
• Support and reliability
• Disadvantages
• Cost, One IBM Rational Clear Case Floating User
  License 4,125.00
• Installation and maintenance

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A Closer look
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Conclusion

• Other SCM Tools not discussed
• Microsoft Visual Source Safe (only supports
  Windows)
• Aegis (poor windows support, small community)
• Subversion (only recently at version 1.0, small
  community)
• RCS and SCCS
• CMM Level II
• Stresses the importance of controlling the
  changes made in a development project.
• SCM tools are the main factor in this control

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Summary

• No SCM tool is going to magically allow a badly
  defined process to flourish
• SCM tools are different
• Some take different approaches to do the job
• Some are more flexible than others
• Some are more powerful than others
• Some are more useful than others
• And some are just useless
• Choose your tool wisely !!!