Re: Configuration Management for Ada on Unix

["James A. Squire" <m193884@CSEHP3.MDC.COM>]

Jim Kingdon wrote:
>
> > My point is that there was no explicit mechanism for saying, "stick
> > <this> version I just checked in in <that> baseline."
>
> In CVS, one way to do this would be with branches.  One branch would
> be the baseline, and non-baseline changes would happen on other
> branches.  It is a *big* step up from RCS or SCCS in this respect,
> because of its ability to operate on an entire directory tree in one
> operation.

Well, right there in your description - you have to use make the word
"branch" double as the word "baseline".  It seems to me that the concept
would break down, unless of course you can version control the directory
itself.  <today> you can call it a baseline.  But once I establish that
the baseline is correct, it becomes frozen.  I need to be able to
retrieve it later, plus I need to get on with the latest version - which
will mean changes right there in that same branch and directory.

> Unfortunately, there is no standard terminology.  From "Spectrum of
> Functionality in Configuration Management Systems", CMU/SEI-90-TR-11,
> http://www.sei.cmu.edu/~case/scm/tech_rep/TR11_90/1.4_TermClarification.html:
>
>     As to what constitutes a CM system, there is no agreement. . . . But
>     it should be noted that existing CM systems provide their own
>     combination of functionality rather than a standard set.

Thanks for the reference.  I'll go check it out.  I'm a little
disappointed, I would have thought someone would have defined this
better.  However, I did not make up the distinction between CM and VC,
I've seen it elsewhere.

To me, one of the aspects of a CM product should be that one of the many
objects it operates on is called "baseline" - and this should be a
separate construct apart from branches or labels or whatever.  It's
cleaner and safer.
--
James Squire
MDA Avionics Tools & Processes
ja_squire@csehp3.mdc.com
Opinions expressed here are my own and NOT my company's
"one of these days I'm going to better myself by going to Knight school"
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