Contingent Configuration Management
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Configuration Management on March 21, 2011
We find, among all the terminology in the configuration management arena, many terms being added to the basic CM acronym; Agile CM, Product CM, Software CM, Traditional/Classic CM, and so on. Well, I’d like to offer my own—Contingent CM. The problem with many of the other terms is their absolutism; ‘this is the right way’, [...]
Configuration management and licensing in the Internet age
Posted by Mark in Plain Old Blog on March 11, 2011
In writing it is important to maintain a careful record of your citations. It can be tough, especially as you dash around the Internet gathering information, to keep track of where you get each idea or piece of text. It is, however, vital that you do so in order to properly cite your sources, giving [...]
What problem does it solve?
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Tools 'n' Tips on March 8, 2011
This simple question will save you hours of pain. Whenever you are looking at a new methodology or technology. Whenever you are designing a new process or procedure. Ask yourself, ‘what problem does it solve?’. If you can’t come up with a clear well defined answer then the chances are you should not proceed with [...]
Teaching and learning configuration management—some observations
Posted by Mark in Plain Old Blog on March 3, 2011
One of the frustrations I have with configuration management training and literature is the focus on facts. Too often training courses, books, and websites lay out the facts of configuration management. The dry details about what configuration management ‘should be’. Worse still, people often want a rote solution; ‘Teach me the steps for X’. This [...]
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 [...]
Challenges in community communication
Posted by Mark in Body of Knowledge, CMCrossroads on February 17, 2011
I do not think I am alone in finding it challenging to keep up with communities, even one as apparently specialised as software configuration management. This challenge is doubled when one is trying to contribute to these communities (and hold down a paying job). Perhaps my greatest personal challenge is a need to respond in [...]
Conversations and workshops
Posted by Mark in Body of Knowledge, CMCrossroads, General, ITSLM, Plain Old Blog, Principia Notifications, Tools 'n' Tips on December 10, 2010
I have, for some time, considered the possibilities of the Internet for the real-time exchange of ideas around the lifecycle management subject (config, change, release, problem, and project management, among others). In particular I have been pondering how to start a useful dialogue about the Lifecycle Management Body of Knowledge. I suspect that one of [...]
Keeping configuration separate in ANT
Posted by Mark in ANT, Build Management, Plain Old Blog on October 21, 2010
Actually, this advice holds for any software system, but in this article I am focussing on ANT. One often sees, in ANT scripts, something like this at the head of the build.xml file. So far, so good. The author of this ANT script has thought to define properties that control the script’s behaviour at the [...]
Back on the writing treadmill
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, Plain Old Blog, Subversion on October 18, 2010
Well, after a break to work with a client for the past nine months I am back on the writing treadmill determined to complete two projects before 2010 rolls over into 2011. First, complete the Subversion Guru training course. There’s been a lot of interest but most people are deferring the buy option until the [...]
How do you copy 60m files?
Posted by Mark in CMCrossroads, General, Tools 'n' Tips on September 25, 2010
It is a problem you are bound to face sooner or later in your CM career, How do you copy 60m files?. Okay, you may not need to copy 60 million files, but anyone who has tried to copy millions of files between servers knows that it can be fraught with problems, especially if those [...]
