Using SoftBench Configuration Manager

Understanding SoftBench CM

Understanding SoftBench CM

SoftBench CM helps you manage software development projects that consist of many versions and configurations. Using SoftBench CM, you can retrieve and build any version of an application in a consistent, repeatable manner.

SoftBench CM is fully integrated with the SoftBench environment. You can access the tool through the SoftBench main window or from the SoftBench vi Editor, SoftBench XEmacs Editor, SoftBench Debugger, and SoftBench Class Graph/Editor (see Figure 3-1). The SoftBench main window and related tools include menu selections for checking files into and out of an archive, creating initial file versions, cancelling file check outs, showing the revision history of files, and comparing file revisions.

Figure 3-1

Integration of SoftBench CM with SoftBench

Each SoftBench CM server is configured to manage one or more archives — a directory hierarchy consisting of versioned files. You can access archives on multiple local or remote servers, support an unlimited number of licensed users per server, and store as many files as archive disk space allows. SoftBench CM uses GNU RCS ™ as its versioning system, so each versioned file is an RCS file that contains file revision information, multiple revisions of content, descriptive text, and control attributes.

To access files contained within a given archive, you establish a mapping between the archive file system and your local file system. This lets you create local copies of the files you need to access or browse

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Chapter 3