Archive for category Software Configuration Management
Why you’re wrong…
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Configuration Management, ITSLM, Plain Old Blog, Software Configuration Management on June 28, 2011
…if you think build, change, or release management are part of configuration management. Bob Aiello lit the blue touch paper (again) on the debate about ‘what is configuration management?’ and, once again, he seems to be trying to redefine configuration management to fit the role of Configuration Manager identified (incorrectly) in many organisations. This is absolutely the [...]
Building a CM system using Atlassian
Posted by Mark in Build Management, Change Management, CMCrossroads, Configuration Management, Plain Old Blog, Reviews, Software Configuration Management on May 7, 2011
I’m usually somewhat reluctant to make recommendations about specific tools, but every now and then something impresses me so much I feel I should at least draw attention to it. In the course of helping a client look for tools to support their development process I recalled that a couple of years ago I looked [...]
CM discussion group
Posted by Mark in Body of Knowledge, Configuration Management, ITSLM, Parallel Development Principles, Plain Old Blog, Software Configuration Management, Version Control on February 17, 2011
At the end of last year I ran an experimental ‘live discussion’ under the banner ‘The Watercooler’. This was intended to help spark conversation with the hope of encouraging people of all abilities to contribute to the body of knowledge wiki. Given the modest success of that experimental session, I have planned a series of [...]
When is a change a change?
Posted by Mark in Build Management, Change Management, Configuration Management, Plain Old Blog, Software Configuration Management, Version Control on June 12, 2010
A change can be viewed in two ways; conceptually or literally. What I mean by this distinction is that when I say the requested change is to “correct spelling mistakes in the poem” I am specifying conceptually what the change is to achieve (and after the fact, what the change achieved). On the other hand [...]
Toward a CM Ontology
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Configuration Management, Information Management, SCM Tool, Software Configuration Management on May 22, 2010
As I suggested in a previous post, I think the future of CM (and most especially SCM) lies substantially with the semantic web. My reasoning is simple; CM is about information management and this information needs to be shared, controlled and updated across increasingly more diverse organisations and systems. To provide this facility we need [...]
Items have history
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Configuration Management, Plain Old Blog, SCM Tool, Software Configuration Management, Version Control on March 17, 2010
As those of you who have been following this blog for any time will know I am currently looking in some detail at parallel development, specifically how it can be managed safely by non-expert version managers. I have used parallel development with much success on many projects but codifying my knowledge into a tool is [...]
In the beginning…
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Parallel Development Principles, Plain Old Blog, SCM Tool on February 18, 2010
…was the definition. In this article I am going to lay out my definitions for some terminology that will become increasingly important as I develop my CMS model. The terms I will be discussing are as follows. Stream Branch Configuration Item Revision Configuration Component Repository Configuration Management Database Record At this point I caution the [...]
CMS Tool: High-level architecture
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Plain Old Blog, SCM Tool, Software Configuration Management on February 11, 2010
Continuing my musings about a universal configuration management tool I’ve drafted the basic architecture. This is summarised in the following diagram (after the break).
Parallel development: theory and practice
Posted by Mark in Configuration Management, ITSLM, Parallel Development Principles, Plain Old Blog, Software Configuration Management, Version Control on February 10, 2010
Having spent the past couple of weeks with a client working through the issues that need to be carefully considered when version controlling software, and in particular how to manage and control parallel development. I have come to three conclusions: People are often more afraid of the perceived problems than the practical realities of parallel [...]
Who’s afraid of the big bad merge?
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Parallel Development Principles, Plain Old Blog, Software Configuration Management, Version Control on February 1, 2010
A common objection to using parallel development is the fear of the inevitable merging required to reintegrate the changes as the development proceeds. In this post I will take a look at some of the issues that arise from managing parallel development and, perhaps more importantly, provide some guidance on how to avoid the pitfalls [...]
