Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration

Stephen P. Berczuk, Brad Appleton, Kyle Brown9780201741179, 0201741172

Effective software configuration management (SCM) strategies promote a healthy, team-oriented culture that produces better software. Software Configuration Management Patterns alleviates software engineers’ most common concerns about software configuration management-perceived rigidity and an overemphasis on process.Through the use of patterns, the authors show that a properly managed workflow can avert delays, morale problems, and cost overruns. The patterns approach illustrates how SCM can be easily and successfully applied in small- to mid-size organizations. By learning how these patterns relate to each other, readers can avoid common mistakes that too often result in frustrated developers and reduced productivity.Key coverage includes instruction on how to:# Develop the next version of a product while fixing problems with the current one.# Develop code in parallel with other developers and join up with the current state of codeline.# Identify what versions of code went into a particular component.# Analyze where a change happened in the history of a component’s development.# Use current tools more effectively, and decide when to use a manual process.# Incrementally introduce good practices into individual workspaces and throughout the organization.# Identify crucial aspects of the software process so that team projects can run smoothly.# Build and foster a development environment focused on producing optimal teamwork and quality products.Software Configuration Management Patterns also includes a detailed list of SCM tools and thoroughexplanations of how they can be used to implement the patterns discussed in the book. These proven techniques will assist readers to improve their processes and motivate their workforce to collaborate in the production of higher quality software.

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Table of contents :
Table of Contents……Page 3
Preface……Page 9
Why I wrote this book……Page 10
How to read this book…….Page 11
About the Photos……Page 12
Why I co-wrote this book with Steve……Page 13
Acknowledgements……Page 15
Key Concepts and Terminology……Page 17
Codeline and Branching Diagrams……Page 22
Further Reading……Page 23
Background……Page 25
Putting a System Together……Page 27
Balancing Stability and Progress……Page 28
The Role of SCM in Agile Software Development……Page 30
SCM in Context……Page 31
SCM as a Team Support Discipline……Page 34
What Software Configuration Management Is……Page 35
This Book’s Approach……Page 38
Further Reading……Page 39
General Principles……Page 41
What Software is About……Page 43
Architecture……Page 46
The Organization……Page 49
The Big Picture……Page 51
Further Reading……Page 52
Patterns……Page 53
About Patterns and Pattern Languages……Page 54
Patterns in Software……Page 55
Configuration Management Patterns……Page 56
The Pattern Language……Page 58
Overview of the Language……Page 60
Further Reading……Page 66
The Patterns……Page 69
Mainline……Page 71
Simplify your Branching Model……Page 75
Unresolved Issues……Page 77
Further Reading……Page 78
Active Development Line……Page 79
Define your goals……Page 82
Further Reading……Page 85
Private Workspace……Page 87
Isolate Your Work to Control Change……Page 92
Unresolved Issues…….Page 96
Further Reading……Page 97
Repository……Page 99
One Stop Shopping……Page 102
Further Reading……Page 105
Private System Build……Page 107
Think Globally by Building Locally……Page 110
Further Reading……Page 114
Integration Build……Page 117
Do a Centralized Build……Page 120
Further Reading……Page 122
Third Party Codeline……Page 123
Use the tools you already have……Page 126
Further Reading……Page 129
Task Level Commit……Page 131
Coarse Grained Tasks……Page 132
Do One Commit per small-grained task……Page 133
Unresolved Issues……Page 134
Codeline Policy……Page 135
Define the Rules of the Road……Page 138
Further Reading……Page 139
Smoke Test……Page 141
Verify Basic Functionality……Page 142
Further Reading……Page 144
Unit Test……Page 145
Test The Contract……Page 147
Further Reading……Page 148
Regression Test……Page 149
Test for Changes……Page 151
Further Reading……Page 152
Private Versions……Page 153
A Private History……Page 156
Release Line……Page 159
Further Reading……Page 163
Release-Prep Code Line……Page 165
Branch instead of Freeze……Page 167
Unresolved Issues……Page 168
Handling Long Lived Tasks……Page 169
Parallel Lines……Page 171
Use Branches for Isolation……Page 172
Daily Build and Smoke Test……Page 175
Bibliography……Page 177
CM Crossroads – Online Community and Resource Center for CM Professionals……Page 183
The Software Engineering Institute’s SCM Publications……Page 184
Pascal Molli’s “CM Bubbles” SCM resources page……Page 185
The Usenet newsgroup comp.software.config-mgmt……Page 186
Tool Support for SCM Patterns……Page 187
VSS – Visual Source Safe……Page 189
CVS – The Concurrent Version System……Page 191
Perforce……Page 193
BitKeeper……Page 195
AccuRev……Page 197
ClearCase – base functionality (non-UCM)……Page 199
ClearCase – Unified Change Management (UCM)……Page 201
CM Synergy……Page 202
StarTeam……Page 203
PVCS Dimensions……Page 205
PVCS Version Manager……Page 206
MKS Integrity (Enterprise edition)……Page 207
Further Reading……Page 208
Photo Credits……Page 209
About the Photos……Page 211
List of Figures……Page 215