Basic Terminology of ClearCase



UNIFIED CHANGE MANAGEMENT

(Rational Clear Case)

Table of Contents

Basic Terminology of ClearCase 4

Unified Change Management Terminology 8

Overview of the Unified Change Management Process 10

Setting up the Project (Manager’s perspective) 12

Creating the Project (Windows) 13

Creating the Project VOB (Windows) 13

Creating a Component for Storing the Project Baseline 14

Creating a VOB That Stores Multiple Components (Windows) 15

Creating One Component Per VOB (Windows) 16

Creating the Project 16

Creating an Integration View 18

Creating the Directory Structure (Windows) 20

Setting up the working environment (Developer’s perspective) 20

Starting the Join Project Wizard 22

Choosing a Project 22

Verifying Stream Names 22

i) Development Stream 22

ii) Integration Stream 23

Setting Up Your Views 23

a) Determining the View Types 23

b) Locations for Snapshot Views 24

c) Locations for Snapshot View Storage Directories 25

d) To Override the Default Snapshot View Storage Location 25

Choosing Components to Load into Snapshot Views 26

Refining the List of Source Files 26

Accessing Your Development View 27

i) Accessing Your Development View from ClearCase Explorer 27

ii) Accessing a Snapshot View from Windows Explorer 28

iii)Accessing Dynamic Views from Windows Explorer 28

Working on Activities 28

Checking Out Files 30

From ClearCase Explorer 30

Resolving Checkout Problems 31

Canceling Checkouts 33

Checking In Files 33

Basic Terminology of ClearCase

1. File element

2. Version

3. Versioned object base (VOB)

4. Check out-edit-check in model

5. View

1) A file element is a file that contains software source code, a document,HTML code, XML

code, or other data that can be stored in a file system.

A directory element contains file elements and other directory elements.

2) A version is a specific revision of an element. For instance, instead of overwriting the

same copy of your draft each time you work on it, you store a copy of the first version,

the second version, and so on (Figure 1).

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3) A versioned object base, or VOB, is a repository that stores versions of file elements and

directory elements (Figure 2).

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4) A check out-edit-check in modelmanages changes to your project. When you check out an element, ClearCase creates an editable copy in your view. When you check in an element, a new version of it is added to the VOB. For instance, you check out a chapter of a book from the documentation VOB. You work on a copy of the chapter in your view. When you want your changes to become a part of a new version of the chapter, you save the changes and check in the chapter (Figure 3).

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5) A view, which is represented as a directory, provides access to a specific version of one or more elements in a VOB. It lets you select a set of versions of elements without having to specify the versions explicitly. It provides a workspace in which you can work on assignments in isolation from other developers (Figure 4). For example, as you work on the latest version of a Web page, no one can see the changes you made until you check in that work to the VOB.

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Unified Change Management Terminology

1. Project

2. Component

3. Activity

4. Integration Stream

5. Development Stream

1) A project is a specific product of a development effort, such as a corporate Web site or an order fulfillment process for an e-business. In UCM, a project is an object that contains the configuration information (for example, components, activities, policies) needed to manage and track the work on a product. A typical UCM project in ClearCase consists of one shared work area andmany private work areas (one for each developer).

2) A component is any group of source code and other relevant elements or files, such as a license module or a customer GUI, that the team develops, integrates, and releases as a unit. Components constitute parts of a project, and projects often share components.

3) An activity is an object that records the set of files (change set) that a developer creates or modifies to complete and deliver a development task, such as a bug fix (Figure 5). Examples of other activities could include an update to a help file or the addition of a menu item to a GUI component.

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4) A project contains one integration stream, which records the project’s baselines and enables access to versions of the project’s shared elements. The integration stream and a corresponding integration view represent the project’s primary shared work area.

5) Each developer on a project has a private work area, which consists of a development stream and a corresponding development view. The development stream maintains a list of the developer’s activities and determines which versions of elements appear in the developer’s view.

Although the integration stream is the project’s primary shared work area, project managers can designate a development stream to be a shared work area for several developers who are working on the same feature.

Overview of the Unified Change Management Process

In UCM, your work follows a cycle that complements an iterative software development process. Members of a project team work in a UCM project. A project is the object that contains the configuration information needed to manage a significant development effort, such as a product release. A project contains one main shared work area and typically multiple private work areas. Private work areas allow developers to work on activities in isolation. The project manager and integrator are responsible for maintaining the project’s shared work area.Work within a project progresses as follows:

1. You create a project and identify an initial set of baselines of one or more components. A component is a group of related directory and file elements, which you develop, integrate, and release together. A baseline is a version of one or more components.

2. Developers join the project by creating their private work areas and populating them with the contents of the project’s baselines.

3. Developers create activities and work on one activity at a time. An activity records

the set of files that a developer creates or modifies to complete a development task,

such as fixing a bug. This set of files associated with an activity is known as a

change set.

4. When developers complete activities, and build and test their work in their private work areas, they share their work with the project team by performing deliver operations. A deliver operation merges work from the developer’s private work area to the project’s shared work area.

5. Periodically, the integrator builds the project’s executable files in the shared work area, using the delivered work.

6. If the project builds successfully, the integrator creates new baselines. In a separate work area, a team of software quality engineers performs more extensive testing of the new baselines.

7. Periodically, as the quality and stability of baselines improve, the integrator adjusts the promotion level attribute of baselines to reflect appropriate milestones, such as Built, Tested, or Released. When the new baselines pass a sufficient level of testing, the integrator designates them as the recommended set of baselines.

8. Developers perform rebase operations to update their private work areas to include the set of versions represented by the new recommended baselines.

9. Developers continue the cycle of working on activities, delivering completed activities, updating their private work areas with new baselines.

Figure 2 illustrates the connection between the project management, development, and integration cycles. Thismanual describes the steps performed by projectmanagers and integrators. See Developing Software for information about the steps performed by developers.

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Setting up the Project (Manager’s perspective)

Creating the Project (Windows)

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Creating the Project VOB (Windows)

To create a PVOB:

1. Click Start > Programs > Rational Software > Rational ClearCase > Administration >

Create VOB. The VOB Creation Wizard appears.

2. In Step 1 of the VOB Creation Wizard, enter a name for the PVOB. Enter a comment to describe the purpose of the PVOB. Leave the This VOB will contain UCM components check box clear. Although you can use one VOB as the PVOB and a component, we recommend against doing so unless your project is very small and you anticipate that it will remain small. Select the Create as a UCM project VOB check box.

3. In Step 2, specify the PVOB’s storage directory. A PVOB storage directory is a directory tree that serves as the repository for the PVOB’s contents. A PVOB’s storage directory contains the same subdirectories as a VOB’s storage directory. (For details about VOB storage directory structure, see the Administrator’s Guide for Rational ClearCase.) You can choose one of the recommended locations or enter the universal naming convention (UNC) path of a different location. Click Browse

to search the network for shared resource locations.

4. Step 3 prompts you to choose an administrative VOB to be associated with the PVOB. Because you are creating a project from scratch and do not currently use an administrative VOB, scroll to the top of the list and select none. When you create components, ClearCase makes AdminVOB hyperlinks between the components and the PVOB, and the PVOB assumes the role of administrative VOB.

If you are creating multiple PVOBs and anticipate that projects in those PVOBs may need to modify some of the same components, choose one PVOB to act as the administrative PVOB and create it first. When you create the other PVOBs, use this step in the wizard to specify the PVOB that will serve as administrative VOB.

Creating a Component for Storing the Project Baseline

This task is optional but is strongly recommended. Using a composite baseline to represent the project is easier than keeping track of a set of baselines, one for each component. Although you can store a composite baseline and elements in the same component, it is cleaner to dedicate one component for storing the project baseline. To ensure that nobody creates elements in this component, create the component without a VOB root directory. A component that has no VOB root directory cannot store its own elements. To create a component without a VOB root directory:

1. On Windows, in the ClearCase Explorer, click UCM and click Project Explorer. The Project

Explorer is the graphical user interface (GUI) through which you create, manage, and view information about projects.

2. The left pane of the Project Explorer lists folders for all PVOBs in the local ClearCase domain. Each PVOB has its own root folder. ClearCase creates the root folder using the name of the PVOB. Navigate to the PVOB that you created.

3. ClearCase also creates a folder called Components, which contains entries for each component in the PVOB. Right-click the Components folder and select New > Component Without a VOB from its shortcut menu.

4. In the Create ComponentWithout aVOB dialog box, enter a name and description for the component. Click OK.

Creating a VOB That Stores Multiple Components (Windows)

To create a VOB that can store multiple components in ClearCase:

1. Start the VOB CreationWizard.

2. In Step 1, enter a name for the VOB. Enter a comment to describe the purpose of the VOB. Select the This VOB will contain UCM components check box.

3. In Step 2, select the Allow this VOB to contain multiple components option button and the Seed the VOB with these components check box. Select a view from the View list, and click Add.

Enter the component’s name and root directory in the Add Component dialog box, and click OK. The component appears in the list in the wizard. Click Add to create additional components. The component’s name must be unique within its PVOB.

4. In Step 3, specify where to store the VOB. You can choose one of the recommended locations or enter the UNC path of a different location. Click Browse to search the network for shared resource locations.

5. Step 4 prompts you to identify the PVOB that will store the project information about the components. Click the arrow to see the list of available PVOBs. Select the PVOB that you previously created.

Creating One Component Per VOB (Windows)

To create a VOB and its one component in ClearCase:

1. Start the VOB CreationWizard.

2. In Step 1, enter a name for the component. The component’s namemust be unique within its PVOB. Enter a comment to describe the purpose of the component. Select the This VOB will contain UCM components check box.

3. In Step 2, select the Create VOB as a single VOB-level component check box. The wizard needs a view in which to perform the operation. Select a view from the View list.

4. In Step 3, specify where to store the component. You can choose one of the recommended locations or enter the UNC path of a different location. Click Browse to search the network for shared resource locations.

5. Step 4 prompts you to identify the PVOB that will store the project information about the component. Click the arrow to see the list of available PVOBs. Select the PVOB that you previously created. ClearCase creates the component with an initial baseline that points to the \main\0 version of the component’s root directory.

Creating the Project

This section shows how to create a project by using the Project Explorer and the New

ProjectWizard. For information on creating a project from the command-line interface

(CLI), see the cleartoolmkproject, mkstream, andmkfolder reference pages. To create a project:

1. OnWindows, in the left pane of ClearCase Explorer, click UCM and then click Project Explorer. On UNIX, on the command line, type clearprojexp.

2. The left pane of the Project Explorer lists root folders for all PVOBs in the local ClearCase domain. Each PVOB has its own root folder. ClearCase creates the root folder using the name of the PVOB.

ClearCase also creates a folder called Components, which contains entries for each component in the PVOB. Folders can contain projects and other folders. Select the root folder for the PVOB that you want to use for storing project information.

3. Click File > New > Folder to create a project folder. You do not need to create a project folder, but it is a good idea. As the number of projects grows, project folders are helpful in organizing related projects.

4. 4 In the left pane, select the project folder or root folder. Click File > New > Project.The New Project Wizard appears.

5. In Step 1 of the New Project Wizard, enter a descriptive name for the project and provide a comment to describe the purpose of this project. Enter a name for the project’s integration stream or accept the default name (project name_Integration). Select the type of project to create. A traditional parallel development project lets users create multiple streams so that developers can have private and shared work areas. A single-stream project contains only one stream, the integration stream. Users cannot create development streams in a single-stream project.

6. Step 2 asks whether you want to create the project based on an existing project. Because you are creating a project from scratch, click No.

7. Step 3 asks you to choose the baselines that the project will use.

Click Add to open the Add Baseline dialog box. In the Component list, select one of the components that you previously created. OnWindows, click Change > All Streams. On UNIX, click the arrow at the end of the From Stream box and select All Streams. The component’s initial baseline appears in the Baselines list. Select the baseline. Click OK. The baseline now appears in the list in Step 3. Continue to use the Add Baseline dialog box until the project contains its full set of foundation baselines, including the baseline for the component that stores the project’s composite baseline.

8. Step 4 prompts you to specify the development policies to enforce for this project. Select the check boxes for the policies you want to enforce.

9. Step 5 asks whether to configure the project to work with the ClearQuest integration. To enable the project to work with Rational ClearQuest, click Yes and select a ClearQuest user database from the list.

Creating an Integration View

When you create a project, ClearCase creates the project’s integration stream for you.

To see and make changes to the project’s shared elements, you need an integration view.

To create an integration view:

1. In the Project Explorer, navigate to the integration stream by moving down the object hierarchy:

i) Root folder

ii) Project folder

iii) Project

iv) Stream

Figure 26 illustrates this hierarchy.

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2. Select the integration stream and click File > New > View.

3. OnWindows, the View Creation Wizard opens. On UNIX, the Create View dialog box opens. Accept the default values to create an integration view attached to the integration stream.

By default, the View CreationWizard and the Create View dialog box use this convention for the integration view name: username_project-name_int.

ClearCase supports two kinds of views:

1. Dynamic views, which use the ClearCase multiversion file system (MVFS) to provide immediate, transparent access to files and directories stored in VOBs. OnWindows, ClearCase maps a dynamic view to a drive letter inWindows Explorer.

2. Snapshot views, which copy files and directories from VOBs to a directory on your computer.

Creating the Directory Structure (Windows)

Because you are creating the project from scratch, you need to create the directory elements within the project’s components to implement the directory structure that you define during the planning phase.

To add a directory element to a component:

1. InWindows Explorer, navigate to the integration view. Double-click the component to display its contents. If the component is in a VOB that you created to store multiple components, the component appears as a folder under the VOB.

2. Create a folder.

3. Right-click the folder to display the shortcut menu. Click ClearCase > Add toSource Control.

4. When prompted, specify an activity to be associated with the addition of the new directory element.

Setting up the working environment (Developer’s perspective)

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To set up work areas, you must complete the following tasks:

1. Starting the Join Project Wizard

2. Choosing a project

3. Verifying stream names

4. Setting up views

5. Choosing components to load into snapshot views

6. Accessing your development view

Starting the Join Project Wizard

The Join Project Wizard assists you in each step of joining a project. Start Rational ClearCase Explorer and the Join Project Wizard.

Start ClearCase Explorer by navigating through Start > Programs > Rational ClearCase > ClearCase Explorer.

In the ClearCase Explorer Shortcut pane, click Toolbox. Then click UCM > Join Project.

The Choose a Project dialog box opens.

Choosing a Project

In this page of the Join Project Wizard, choose a project. Navigate the list of PVOBs, folders, and projects and click the project you want to join

Verifying Stream Names

After you choose a multiple-stream project, this step of the Join Project Wizard opens the Create a Development Stream dialog box, which presents the two streams that Rational ClearCase uses to keep track of your work on this project. Take note of the stream names when the wizard presents them; they are permanent objects that keep track of your work on the project.

1 Development Stream

If you do not have any streams defined in the selected project, the Join ProjectWizard gives your development stream a name based on the following convention: userID_project-name. For example, Pat’s development stream for the 1.4 release of the Cropcircle project is titled pat_1.4_cropcircle. If you want to add a comment to describe the stream that you are creating, click Advanced Options and, in the Comment

box, enter your description. If you have development streams in the selected project, a dialog box lists the stream names. If you want to work on activities in an existing development stream, click Advanced Options, click Use existing development stream, and select a development stream.

If ClearCase cannot determine your user ID, it substitutes the name of the ClearCase host from which you are creating the stream.

2 Integration Stream

The project manager creates the integration stream as part of creating the project. This is the stream to which you typically deliver your work and from which you update your work area.

The Join Project Wizard presents the name of the project integration stream as a default. The integration stream becomes your parent stream for this project.

It is the stream to which your integration view will be attached. This stream also is the default target to which you deliver your work and from which you update your work area.

After you verify your stream names, you set up your views.

Setting Up Your Views

In the next steps of the Join Project Wizard, you set up your development view and integration view (multiple-stream project) or simply set up your integration view (single-stream project) by specifying the following information:

• Which type of view to create for your development view and integration view

• Locations for snapshot views

• Drive mapping for a dynamic view folder (optional)

• Locations for dynamic view storage directories

1 Determining the View Types

As described in Streams and Views on page 16, you can use either a snapshot view or a

dynamic view to create a directory tree of source files. Your project manager

determines the default view types that the Join Project Wizard presents.

Work in a snapshot view when any of these conditions is true:

• Your computer does not support dynamic views.

• You want to optimize build performance to achieve native build speed.

• You want to work with source files under ClearCase control when you are disconnected from the network that hosts the VOBs.

• You want to access a view from a computer that is not a ClearCase host.

• Your development project does not use the build auditing and build avoidance features of ClearCase.

Work in a dynamic view when any of these conditions is true:

• Your development project uses build auditing and build avoidance.

• You want to access elements in VOBs without copying them to your computer.

• Because a dynamic view can show changes in its attached stream at all times without requiring an update, we recommend that you use dynamic views for your integration views whenever they are available.

The two view types behave slightly differently, so remember the type of view you create.

2 Locations for Snapshot Views

When creating a snapshot view, you must specify a view directory into which

ClearCase loads, or copies, versions of source files from VOBs into the snapshot view

at the directory you specify.

When choosing a directory, consider these constraints:

• The view root directory must be located on a disk with enough space for the files loaded into the view and any other files you add.

• Your organization may restrict where you can create a view. For example, you may be required to use a disk that is part of a data-backup scheme.

• If you want to access the view from other computers, it must be located in a shared directory.

3 Locations for Snapshot View Storage Directories

Usually, your ClearCase administrator sets up a storage location, which is a directory on a ClearCase server host on UNIX or Windows, and by default ClearCase locates snapshot view storage directories in the storage location. If your ClearCase administrator sets up more than one storage location, ClearCase selects one of these locations as the default location when you create a view.

If your ClearCase administrator does not set up storage locations, ClearCase sets a directory under the root directory of the snapshot view as the default location for the view storage directory. This is called a co-located view storage directory. You can override the default location. If your administrator sets up multiple storage locations, you can select one explicitly. If your ClearCase host is set up to store view storage directories (which happens when you install ClearCase), you can place the view storage directory under the root directory of the snapshot view.

4 To Override the Default Snapshot View Storage Location

1. When creating a view, on the step of the wizard that asks you to choose a location for a snapshot view, click Advanced Options.

2. In the Advanced View Options dialog box, do one of the following:

• If Use Server Storage Location is selected and your administrator created multiple locations, ClearCase selects one of the locations for you. To choose a different one, click the name of the location.

• If your computer is set up to hold view storage locations and you want to place the view storage directory in the root directory of the snapshot view or choose another location, select Use explicit path. Do not select this option if you plan to use the view while disconnected from the network.

3. If you select Use explicit path, do one of the following:

• Accept the default path displayed in View storage location.

• Edit the path in View storage location to specify a valid location.

• Click Browse and choose a valid location.

4. Click OK to return to the view location step of the wizard.

Choosing Components to Load into Snapshot Views

If you choose to create any snapshot views, the Join Project Wizard prompts you to choose the components to load.

Refining the List of Source Files

To save disk space, to reduce the time needed for the initial loading operation, and to reduce time needed for rebase operations, clear the check box for any components that you do not need to complete your work (Figure 16).

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To further refine the list of files and directories that are loaded into your view, select Start component browser after creating the view.With the Component Browser, you can specify individual directory and file elements to load.

Accessing Your Development View

ClearCase Explorer provides access to the projects that you join and the views that you create with the Join Project Wizard or View Creation Wizard.

1 Accessing Your Development View from ClearCase Explorer

The Views tab in ClearCase Explorer Shortcut pane provides access to your projects

views (Figure 17).

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3 Accessing a Snapshot View from Windows Explorer

A snapshot view is a directory tree in a standard file system (plus some hidden, administrative files). You can access it through Windows Explorer as you would access any other directory tree in a file system.

4 Accessing Dynamic Views from Windows Explorer

You can access any view that you have started on your computer from the dynamic-views-drive (by default, drive M:) inWindows Explorer. If you assign the folder for the view to a drive, you can also access the view from the drive in Windows Explorer.

To start the view, navigate to the view in your network folder and expand the view. For

example, on Windows 2000:

• Click My Network Places > Entire Network > ClearCase Dynamic Views > All Views.

• Navigate to the folder for the view and expand the folder. When you select a folder in the view, the UNC path appears in the title bar.

Working on Activities

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Working on activities involves the following tasks:

1. Checking out files

2. Working with checkouts

3. Canceling checkouts

4. Checking in files

5. Testing your work

6. Indicating your progress

Checking Out Files

To modify files under source control, you must check them out and make sure that you have set your view to an activity. Checking out adds versions to the activity change set. You can check out files and set activities in a ClearCase context or using a ClearCase shortcut menu.

From ClearCase Explorer

To check out files and set activities in a ClearCase context, use ClearCase Explorer.

1. In ClearCase Explorer, navigate to the directory in your development view that contains the files you want to check out. Then select the files.

2. Right-click one of the selected files and click Check Out. ClearCase opens the Check Out dialog box with the currently set activity selected in the Activity list.

3. To set a different activity (or, if you have not set the view to an activity), do the

following:

a) Select one from the Activity list. To filter the list, click Browse.

b) If an appropriate activity does not exist, create and set a new one by clicking New. If your project is enabled for ClearQuest, select a record-type from the shortcut menu that appears when you click New. The activity state changes to an Active state type, and ClearCase adds the version you check out to the activity change set.

4. Describe the modifications you plan to make in the Checkout Comment box. Use

comments to describe modifications to individual versions within an activity

change set. Your comments are displayed as part of the element history and the

version properties.

5. Click OK.

Resolving Checkout Problems

You can encounter problems when attempting to check out an element. Table 2 suggests ways to resolve common problems.

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Canceling Checkouts

If you check out a file but do not want to check in your changes or want to start with a fresh copy, you can cancel the checkout as follows:

1) In the ClearCase Explorer Details pane, select one or more checkouts. Then right-click.

2) On the shortcut menu, click Undo checkout.

3) Click Yes in the Confirm Undo Checkout dialog box. You can choose to save any of your changes in the file filename.keep.

Checking In Files

1) 1 In ClearCase Explorer, select one or more files.

2) 2 Right-click a selected file and click Check In.

3) 3 In the Check In dialog box, ClearCase displays the comments you entered when you checked out the file. You can reuse these comments or modify them.

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