Software Configuration Management Strategies and IBM Rational ClearCase: A Practical Introduction

"I wrote that the first edition of this book "communicates much of the experience, wisdom, and insight that was acquired along the way to discovering what SCM best practices are and how to implement/deploy them." The second edition is full of even more practical experience! It not only refines and expands upon earlier strategies and best practices, it also contains even more concrete "how-to" information about implementing and deploying them." --Brad Appleton co-author of Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration "Read this book when you're getting started with configuration management (CM); read it again in six months and once more two years later. Software Configuration Management Strategies and IBM Rational ClearCase goes beyond the basics to provide a coherent review of CM strategies for projects of all sizes and complexities." --Jennie Brown, CM Specialist IBM Corporation "This book covers practical software configuration management (SCM), ClearCase UCM and ClearCase use for project teams. Every project lead and SCM specialist should (re)read this book before starting a project."--Roger Jarrett, Senior Software Engineer IBM Rational Software "This second edition captures vital Unified Change Management (UCM) features and concepts. It brings the entire UCM feature set full circle and lays the ground work for a successful UCM implementation; Bellagio and Milligan continue where the first edition left off. The inclusion of composite baseline concepts, single stream development, performance tuning, and other features and concepts make this the core of any old or new Unified Change Management implementation. It is rare that a second edition of a book can hold your interest like the first. This publication does just that...this continues to be the standard for users interested in Unified Change Management deployment." --Adam Levensohn, Manager IBM Rational Software Software Configuration Management (SCM) can help even the largest, most complex project teams manage change, so they can deliver higher quality products faster. The First Edition of Software Configuration Management Strategies and Rational ClearCase established itself as the definitive single source for guidance on both SCM best practices and the market's leading product, IBM Rational ClearCase.This fully updated Second Edition systematically addresses the latest ClearCase and ClearQuest(R) innovations, while offering even deeper insight into SCM strategy and management. The authors each draw on more than 15 years of SCM experience, and the knowledge of working with IBM Rational field teams in customer engagements worldwide. They systematically cover SCM planning and deployment, and SCM's use throughout the entire project lifecycle: development, integration, building, baselining, release deployment, and beyond. They offer practical guidance on addressing challenges that arise as projects grow in size and complexity, from managing geographically distributed teams to tracking change requests.Coverage includes * Understanding basic SCM concepts, and the role, value, and components of SCM systems * Mastering IBM Rational's Unified Change Management (UCM) model--including today's most effective usage models, strategies, and policy configurations * Creating ClearCase repositories and establishing UCM environments, step-by-step * Working as a project manager in the ClearCase environment * Leveraging new ClearCase MultiSite and ClearQuest technologies to full advantage * Using the new ClearCase Remote Client to access centralized repositories across WANs * Monitoring ClearCase and tuning it for maximum performance This book is valuable for everyone concerned with SCM: developers who wantSCM to be as intuitive and convenient as possible; project managers and technical leaders who must efficiently manage change; tools engineers; even IT managersevaluating SCM technologies. A(c) Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

David E. Bellagio has been involved in software development for the last 25 years, ever since he got addicted to it in high school. After realizing that he would not be a professional baseball player, he went on to receive his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in computer science, with honors, from Chico State University, California. David worked previously at CSC, Tandem Computers, ADP, and HP. He first began using ClearCase in 1994, and he spent the next four years deploying ClearCase to many developers while employed at ADP and HP. In 1998, he joined Rational Software as a technical field representative in the Pacific Northwest.

David currently is a Worldwide Community of Practice Leader for Enterprise Change Management at IBM, Rational Software. He works with customers and IBM teams to ensure successful deployment and adoption of Rational SCM solutions. David works with Rational field teams delivering workshops, seminars, and assessments to help improve software process and customer results. He also works onsite with customers around the world to define and manage successful deployment of Rational Software solutions.

David has presented these topics at Rational User Conferences:

1995: "Building Software with Clearmake on Non-ClearCase Hosts"

1996: "ClearAdmin―A Set of Scripts and Processes for Administrating ClearCaseSites"

2004: "UCM Stream Strategies and Best Practices"

David has also led the UCM Hands on Workshop sessions at the 2003 and 2004 Rational User Conferences.

David currently resides in Washington with his wonderful wife and three children. When time allows, he also enjoys brewing fine ales and mead. He can be reached via e-mail at dbellagio@us.ibm.com.

Tom Milligan is a Senior SCM Technical Marketing Engineer on IBM Rational Software's Worldwide Technical Marketing team. Prior to this assignment he worked in Rational Software's Western Region Consulting Organization.

Prior to joining Atria Software in 1995, Tom worked in Electronic Design Automation, Software QA, software tools acquisition and development as well as real-time embedded software development. Tom holds a B.A (Honors College) in Computer Science from the University of Oregon (1978).

Tom has spoken at the Rational User Conference several times:

1997: "Integrating ClearCase NT with Third-Party Applications"(specifically, integrating ClearCase with Microsoft Word)

1999: "Integrating Requisite Pro and DDTs"

2001: "Using Perl with the ClearCase Automation Library (CAL)"

2003: "ClearCase Performance Analysis, Monitoring and Tuning"

2004: "Fundamentals of Good Software Configuration Management, ClearCase Performance Analysis, Monitoring and Tuning"

Tom has also published the following articles:

The Rational Edge

November 2001: "Using Perl with Rational ClearCase Automation Library (CAL)"

September 2002: "Using Perl with the Rational ClearQuest API"

July 2003: "ClearCase Performance Analysis, Monitoring and Tuning (part 1)"

September 2003: "ClearCase Performance Analysis, Monitoring and Tuning (part 2)"

Websphere Advisor

July/August 2003: "7 Attributes of Highly Effective SCM Systems"

Rational Developer Network

"ClearCase Cheat Sheet"

Tom was also keynote speaker at the 2003 Association of Configuration and Data Management (ACDM) Conference.

Tom resides on the central coast of California with his most excellent wife and three children. In his spare time Tom enjoys playing Ultimate (also known as Ultimate Frisbee), watching his kids play volleyball and soccer, and staying up late with his telescope. He can be reached via e-mail at tmilligan@us.ibm.com.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.