ClearCase(tm) Advanced Configuration Management

ClearCase is a powerful UNIX software engineering toolset for version control, configuration management, and process control that does not change the way you or your current environment works.

ClearCase is designed for large-scale and long-lived software development projects. It is targeted at teams of developers working in a UNIX local area network. ClearCase manages multiple versions of evolving software and tracks which versions were used in software builds. It performs builds and rebuilds of individual programs or entire releases according to user-defined version specifications, and enforces project-defined development policies.

Enhanced Version Control

A complete evolution history for any UNIX file and directory is kept along with the versions. ClearCase controls versions of requirements, designs, tests, and documentation. Every UNIX file system object, including source, text, binaries, executables, libraries, bitmaps, and the directories that name these objects, is stored and versioned in a highly reliable repository.

Rule-Based Configurations

Developers can easily create development environments with simple, concise version selection rules. The resulting "view" is created quickly and with minimum storage overhead.

Transparent Access

Any UNIX application or command, without modification, can transparently access versioned objects in a repository. A ClearCase repository is implemented as an extensible part of the UNIX file system. Access to objects in the repository is through standard file system calls.

Binary Sharing

Different configurations share binaries automatically and correctly, minimizing rebuilds and unnecessary copies or links. ClearCase manages numerous development configurations automatically - 20 engineers working on three releases of a software system are not working on three configurations, they are working on 20 or more configurations that have many versions of sources and binaries in common.

Build Auditing

File system level auditing captures and records complete configuration information for every build, guaranteeing complete rebuildability and improving maintainability.

Parallel Building

Parallel, distributed builds can be performed using several processors, either on a single multiprocessor host or on multiple hosts in a network.

Investment Protection

ClearCase allows existing UNIX tools and applications to have complete access to versioned objects without modification.

Scalability

ClearCase uses the power of distributed system and network computing technologies to allow the software to work efficiently for both small projects, and large projects involving hundreds of people with millions of lines of code.

Flexibility

ClearCase enables developers to work efficiently as a team, allowing them-to finetune the balance between sharing each other\qs work and isolating themselves from destabilizing changes.

Effective Maintenance

ClearCase tracks the entire build process so engineers can determine what was built and how it was built. ClearCase can instantly recreate the source base from any point in time, allowing software to be rebuilt, debugged and updated - all without interfering with other programming work.

Effective Management

ClearCase offers a set of powerful tools to enable project administrators to define a customized development policy and procedures, and automate their enforcement.

Who Should Use ClearCase?

UNIX programming teams working on substantial software development projects who wish to manage this software, over time, as a critical asset of the business
Programmers familiar with make, RCS,SCCS, or DSEETM who are looking for an unrivaled version control and configuration management solution
Programmers and development teams looking to move to version control and configuration management for the first time and who need the solution to work with currently installed tools and methodologies
Companies wishing to gain control over the software development process by automating specific policies and procedures

Consulting

Silicon Graphics offers on-site ClearCase consulting to assist customers in becoming more productive, more quickly with their Silicon Graphics software tools. The consulting programs cover the following areas:

End user and administrator education and training
Product installation - end user and administrator technical assistance
Project migration
Customized solution planning - in addition, general consulting will be available to provide customized solution development and integration

ClearCase and Tracker

ClearCase is tightly integrated with Tracker. Tracker is able to automatically put attributes on ClearCase files. This makes it easy to associate bugs with files, and to associate sets of files with bug fixes.

Using ClearCase and Tracker in this way also allows reports to be generated on the status of bugs on a software project, and the files affected by them.

Key Features

Version Control

Delta compression
Versions ASClI text files, binaries, libraries, executables, third-party software file formats, directories and subdirectories
Maintains annotated history of source changes
Check-in/check-out development model
Branching within version history
Multiple version labels
Graphical n-way compare/merge

Environment Management

Direct, transparent access to all versioned objects; rule-based version selection
Multiple active views of configurations
Manages numerous configurations automatically, without copies or links

Configuration Management

Make-compatible build facility
Heterogeneous, parallel, distributed builds
No need to specify header-file dependencies
Automated build audit
Binary sharing and re-use
Automatic merge of versions built in parallel

Process Control Tools

Triggers - execute user-defined pro-grams or shell scripts prior to, or in response to, ClearCase events (e.g. check-in)
Attributes - are user-defined data attachable to any version or object
Hyper links - connect diverse objects maintain logical relationships for requirements tracking
Application programming interface

General

RCS, SCCS, DSEE, and UNIX file con-version utilities
X/ Motif and UNIX shell command user interface
Client/server architecture

Minimum Team Configuration

Client machines: 16MB RAM,240MB disk
Server machines: 64MB RAM,1GB disk

Product Support

ClearCase comes with a comprehensive set of user documentation that describes the operation of the system. Additionally, a full program of customer support is available including software updates, education, training, and hotline product help service.