Configuration Management
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Software configuration management (SCM) involves managing evolving software and its associated items throughout development. It establishes processes for initiating, evaluating, and controlling changes to software products. SCM activities include data management, version control, change management, and concurrent development management. SCM helps manage the thousands of items associated with large software projects and ensures all changes are properly tracked and approved.
Configuration Management
- 1. CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT Today we talk about Software Configuration Management (SCM for short): - What? - Why? - How?
- 2. WHY CM? Multiple people are working on changing software More than one version of the software needs to be supported: Different releases Different installations with different functionalities Development versions Software needs to run on different operating systems and different hardware
- 3. WHAT IS SCM? Configuration management is a way to manage evolving software Configuration management is a set of disciplines and techniques for initiating, evaluating, and controlling change to software products. Configuration management covers the lifecycle of software development
- 4. SCM Activities CM data management Version management - Release versions - Development versions Concurrent development management Change management
- 5. SCM Items Design documents Code files Test data Test drivers Manuals System configuration data Etc. A meaningful combination of above, meant to be treated as a single entity Also hardware items can be considered CM Items
- 6. Managing SCM Items There may easily be thousands of SCM items A naming scheme should be introduced to identify these The hierarchical arrangement of software project items should be supported Should all CM items be managed When to start management for an item? If you start too early, you get bureaucracy. If you start too late, you get chaos.
- 7. Baselines Baseline: A specification or a product, which is formally reviewed and agreed on, and which can only be changed through formal change procedures Before an item becomes a baseline, changes can be made quickly and informally. Baseline is a kind of a milestone in software development Baseline typically creates new versions in SCIs.
- 8. Version control Procedures and tools to manage different versions of configuration objects Versions may not always be created in sequential order, e.g. you create 1.0 -> 1.1 -> 1.2 -> 2.0 and then you need to create 1.3 for some customers who can not run 2.0 but need some changes or improvements. With big software, you may e.g have 4.0 as the official current version. You work on 5.0 to release it as the next official version, but you have already started to create 6.0, as it takes so long to get it ready.
- 9. Change Control / 1 Need for change is recognised Someone (like a user) makes a change request Developer evaluates Change report is generated Change control authority decides Change is denied -> User is informed Change is accepted -> go to next slide :)
- 10. Change Control / 2 6. Change request is queued for action and and engineering change order (technical descr) is made 7. Assign individuals to make changes to configuration objects 8. ”Check out” configuration items from project repository 9. Make the change 10. Review (audit) the change 11. ”Check in” the changed configuration items 12. Establish a baseline for testing the change go to next slide :)
- 11. Change Control / 3 13. Perform quality assurance (QA) and testing activities 14. ”Promote” changes for inclusionin next release 15. Rebuild appropriate version of software 16. Review (audit) the change to all configuration items 17. Include changes in new version 18. Distribute the new version
- 12. SCM Audit / 1 The following questions should be answered Has the change specified in the ECO been made? Have any additional modifications been incorporated? Has formal technical review been conducted to assess technical correctness? Has the software process been followed and SE standards been applied? Has the change been appropriately recorded in the SCIs?
- 13. SCM Audit / 2 More questions to be answered: 5. Have Software Configuration Management procedures for the change been followed? 6. Have all related SCIs been properly updated?