Software Configuration Management Essay Example

Software Configuration Management Essay Example Software Configuration Management Essay Software Configuration Management Essay In this world of rapidly changing technology, it has become a need for IT companies to have people working in parallel on Software projects across different geographical locations. Under these circumstances, using Software Configuration Management tools to keep track of all the changes in the code is the need of the times. This essay outlines the definition and primary characteristics of a Software Configuration Management system, and its role in any organization. It also explains the SCM Technology used by IBM ClearCase as an example of how SCM tools actually work.Full Text (907 words)In this era of rapid advancements in the world of Software Technology, there are Software developers working together on the same project across continents and geographical locations due to the evolution of the Global Delivery Model.   Projects now involve global teams working in parallel and modifying the same code base from different locations at the same time .Under these circumstances, the absenc e of a version control system would have caused the most unimaginable catastrophes. In the event of two programmers made changes to the same part of the code simultaneously, changes made by the second developer could undo or break the changes by the former, affecting the project dramatically. Tested features would disappear mysteriously, and the entire development could be marred by many such crippling and frustrating problems.To circumvent these problems however, all IT companies use a Software Configuration Management tool to keep track of all the changes in the code. According to the definition of SCM, â€Å"Configuration management is the discipline of developing uniform descriptions of a complex product at discrete points in its lifecycle with a view to controlling systematically the manner in which the product evolves.†Ã‚   (K.Narayanaswamy and W. Scacchi, Maintaining configurations of evolving software systems, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering March 1987, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 323-334.)   As the definition clearly explains, Software Configuration Management keeps a track of all the changes made to all components, recording the way they contribute to every release. It is a boon for parallel development, and also for the growth of sub projects within a project..SCM tools primarily create a different version of the entire system for every user, and isolate the changes made by a developer from the rest of the code until the differences are resolved. The code is merged to the main label only after all conflicting merge points are taken care of, and it is ensured that the present changes will not have any undesired adverse effect on any other part of the code. They keep a track of the history of the source code, isolate files relevant to a particular task and reproduce the past releases. This is essential because software development goes through evolutionary phases. Initially after it’s release to the customer, there come in the defect fixing and enhancement requests for the next release. Hence if a bug is found at any point, it needs to be fixed in all the older versions also. For this we need to keep an exact snapshot of the previous versions which is done by SCM tools. These tools control the entire software and the release. They also provide security by having an authentication mechanism to validate the user before granting access the code repository.The kind of SCM tools used depends on the company’s requirements and the compatibility of the SCM tool with its code base. There are may SCM tools available in the market, like ClearCase , Microsoft Visual Souce Safe, CVS, RCS, PVCS and Synergy to name a few. Out of them, probably the most widely used and acclaimed is IBM’s Clearcase Version control system.   The ClearCase Version control system supports parallel development and inbuilt Build Management. Its strategy works equally well for LAN based or geographically distributed development environ ments. ClearCase has an inbuilt utility called â€Å"Multisite† which is used to create a copy of an entire repository across geographical locations. In this case, apart from support for parallel development, there is also a periodic sync up to keep the changes up to date across locations You could also call this WAN based ClearCase support. The various components of the ClearCase version management system are:-Version Object Base:The ClearCase system creates a Version Object Base (VOB) which is read-only repository storing information about the directories and files under its control. This is also a globally accessible database which requires proper authentication to access it. It keeps a record and reports actions, and its history records provide reproducibility and traceability. It has powerful concepts of branching and merging, which are extremely useful for parallel development.View:In the ClearCase system, every user has a private workspace, which is derived from a part icular set of rules defined in his/her configuration specification. This private workspace is called a view. Every view has a private data storage, and is isolated from the activities in other views.   All views have access to the VOB, and the access to the versions transparently and automatically.Metadata:The data which is related to VOB objects, but distinct from the contents of these objects is called Metadata. It consists of Event records created whenever any change is made to the VOB object. It keeps track of who modifies what data when and where in the VOBs. This is done by permanently stored and logically assessed information related to a particular object. Metadata also comprises of Labels and Branches. Labels are user defined tags used to identify files and directories. Branches are also tags, but they are used for parallel development and can be merged back to the main stream using the merge utility.By default, all files in ClearCase are read-only and you would need to c heck-out the files to make any modifications in them.   Once the changes are made, the files are checked in and integrated with the VOB. In Windows operating system, ClearCase gets automatically integrated with Internet Explorer so the VOBS can be viewed just like any other directory.

Work Ethic Essay Sample

Work Ethic Essay Sample Essay on Work Ethic Work ethics is believed to be an idea that work, hard work and diligence, has a positive outcome. They also believe that a person should prioritize work and work only in order to live a successful life. Some may disagree on this but there are people who really make their lives revolve around working. Being a workaholic is not bad but on some point, this trait can become a problem because too much work can lead to sickness. It is okay to work as long as you take good care of yourself. A strong work ethic is needed in order to survive a life that is centered in doing your job. The following are the top ten work ethics. When you enter a job the first impressive move you will take is being always on time and never be absent. Attendance is one of the most important factors when an employer looks for an employee. When a person is late many things are wasted and it is not good for the business. You will never find a boss who wants his or her employee to be always late. This will impress and inspire your co-workers and your boss. Every company believes in the saying that the early bird catches the worm so an early employee will be the most productive. The second one is the character of an employee. The character of a person is important in the workplace because it will determine his or her connection with his colleagues. It is so important that a person has a good attitude so that he can get along with his co-workers and the job will be done easily. The third one is team work; this is applicable to an individual or a group of people. Team work is definitely needed because some job requires coordination b etween more people. It will also show how a person will communicate to the other to finish a certain task. The fourth quality is the appearance; sometimes looks really matters. If you will notice, some job posts include pleasing personality as a requirement. People in the business world needs people who are presentable looking in order to persuade the clients and convince them that their company has real business because their employees look presentable enough to be believed. It does not necessarily mean that the person should pass the standard of beautiful; he or she just needs to be presentable. Next one is an attitude, just like character it shows how a person acts towards the others. Tough times will also test someone’s attitude on how he or she will react in a problem. The sixth quality is productivity; it is something that makes an employer keeps his or her employee. A productive person always gets the job done even before the deadline. The kinds of people who are productive are good for the company because the salary given to them are all worth it. The other qualities include organizational skills, communication, cooperation, and respect. Organizational skills are needed because it will make a person do his or her job in the easiest way possible. Communication is needed in any field of the workplace because this is what makes people understand each other. If an employee does not know how to communicate, he or she will not be able to impart his or her ideas and that may cause the company a big loss. Cooperation is important because when an employee is not cooperat ing the job will not be done. Last but not the least is a respect for each other. Without respect, the job will not be done successfully. Everybody should respect each other regardless of their race, age, gender, and religion. Respect should be given and not demanded because it is something that is offered to a person without anything in return. All of the mentioned qualities should be exhibited by a person who wants to work with strong ethics. If a person has all of those qualities, he or she will surely stay in the job he or she loves. The drive of a person to make something successful will make him or her goals come true. The strong work ethics is nothing without hard work and patience in doing the job.