AccuRev Insider – User Resource Blog

Introducing AccuRev 5.7

February 5th, 2013 by admin No comments »

Today we announced the arrival of AccuRev 5.7, which includes new functionality and numerous improvements to enhance our customers’ experience.

We are especially excited about the new AccuRev GUI and the Twin Resolution capabilities. Watch the videos below to learn how to use these new features.

Want to see all the new features in AccuRev 5.7? Click here »

New AccuRev GUI look & feel

The AccuRev GUI has benefitted from numerous incremental changes in recent releases (workspace coloration and rounded corners for streams in the StreamBrowser are just two examples). In AccuRev 5.7, the entire look and feel of the GUI has changed to enhance both usability and the overall user experience. Some of the highlights include:

Larger toolbar buttons
Enhanced tooltips
Alternate-row coloration in tables (so called zebra or candy striping)
Crisper, cleaner fonts throughout

Other improvements to the AccuRev GUI include:

Preference to control tab layout One of the features of the new AccuRev GUI look and feel is scrolling tabs — when you open more tabs than can be displayed in the AccuRev window, a scroll button appears to provide access to tabs that are not currently visible. If you prefer to have all tabs visible at the same time, you can set a preference that displays tabs in as many rows as needed. The default is to display tabs on a single row and add scrolling as needed.
Preference for setting the width of streams In previous releases of AccuRev, the width of all stream icons in a column in the StreamBrowser was as wide as the longest stream name in that column. For example, the icon for stream ac_5.5_build would be as wide as stream ac_5.5_dev_workflow_itr4_doc_dfoster. Now you can set a preference on the StreamBrowser tab of the AccuRev Preferences dialog box that makes each stream only as wide as its name.
Enhanced copy/paste of pathnames You can now copy field values in the Properties dialog box, and in the History Browser, Version Browser, Diff, and other views. For example, to copy the value of the Pathname field in the Properties dialog box, press and hold mouse button 1 and drag the pointer over the value you want to copy.

Twin Detection and Resolution

AccuRev 5.7 introduces several new features and enhancements to help you resolve elements (directories and files) with a (twin) status.

The Twin Resolution Wizardguides you through the process of resolving an element’s twin status, providing options that allow you to:
- Keep one of the elements in conflict (the other is automatically defuncted), and optionally merge the content
- Keep both of the elements in conflict (by renaming one of them)
The Twin Resolution Wizard is available from the File Browser, Change Palette, and the default group by choosing Use Wizard from the new Resolve Twin Status shortcut menu of any file with a (twin) status.
Options that allow you to quickly defunct one of the versions in conflict are directly accessible from the new Resolve Twin Status menu.
The Overlap and Deep Overlap search filters include elements with a (twin) status.
The (twin) status is listed first in the Status column.
Elements with (twin) status are highlighted in yellow in the File Browser, Change Palette, and default group.

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User Tip: Using Basis Time to Control Stream Inheritance

November 27th, 2012 by AccuRev No comments »

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As an AccuRev user, you’ve likely seen how the power of code change inheritance between streams saves time on merging tasks and keeps developers productive. By default, child streams automatically inherit files from the parent stream. In some cases, you may want to block inheritance or control when inheritance happens. You can do this for dynamic streams by doing the following:

Set a basis time on the integration stream - Go to the StreamBrowser tab and select the integration stream. Right-click and select “Change Stream” from the context menu. Select a basis time of “Now,” then click “Ok.” Your integration stream will not take changes going forward.
Make changes to a base stream - Double click the workspace below the base stream to open it and modify a file in that workspace. Promote the file by selecting it, right clicking, and selecting “promote.” Double click the base stream to open it, then navigate to the file that you just promoted.
See that the integration stream did not take the changes - In the StreamBrowser tab, double click the integration stream to open it then navigate to the file that you just promoted to the base stream. You can see that the version of the file in the integration stream is not the same as the version in the base stream.
See that workspaces off of the integration stream did not take the changes - In the StreamBrowser tab, double click the workspace below the integration stream to open it. Click the “Update” button. Then click “View Full Log.”
When ready, re-enable inheritance to the integration stream - In the StreamBrowser tab, select the integration stream. Right click, then select “Change Stream” from the menu. Select a basis time of “None” (cancelling the basis time setting), then click “Ok.”
See that the integration stream now took the changes - Double click the integration stream to open it, then navigate to the file that you just promoted to the base stream. The version of the file in the integration stream is the same as the version in the base stream.
Update the workspaces off the integration stream - Double click the workspace below the integration stream, then click the “Update” button. Then click “View Full Log.” The new file version is loaded into the workspace.

You can view more help tips in AccuRev’s online documentation.

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Posted in AccuRev, Streams, Tips and Tricks

Tags: accurev inheritance stream

User Tip: How to Push and Pull Code Into AccuRev

November 16th, 2012 by AccuRev No comments »

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I am new to AccuRev. What are the steps needed for me to pull down and start working on code? How do I share that code with the rest of my team?

Follow these three steps:

Pull code down: In AccuRev, all modifications to code must be made in a workspace. To create a workspace, right-click on the stream that contains the code you need to work on. Select the option “New Workspace.” After selecting this option, you will be asked to provide the physical location where you want to place the workspace (on your client system) and a name. Once you have done this, click on “finish” and a workspace will be created.
Modify your code: Once you have made the necessary changes to the files, you can use the “Modified” searches filter to identify all files that have changed. Highlight the modified files (multi-select via ctrl-A or edit/select all), right-click and select “Keep.”
Promote your changes: Now your changes are listed as “(kept)(member)” and are ready to be promoted to your backing stream. Select the “Kept” filter and perform the same multi-select as before, right-click and select “Promote.” Your changes will now be available to any other workspace using the same backing stream. Those workspaces will need to perform an AccuRev update in order to pull those changes in.

Was this tip helpful? You can find other Application Notes such as this on our User Forum.

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Posted in AccuRev, Tips and Tricks, Version Control

Tags: accurev AccuRev Help

Taking Advantage of Stream Properties

October 24th, 2012 by mholmes No comments »

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As an AccuRev user, you’ve gained an appreciation for the unique insight that the AccuRev StreamBrowser provides to visualize your software development. And the power and flexibility provided by AccuRev’s stream-based architecture has allowed you to capture your many software configurations, to manage your software development process as it has evolved, and to represent the organization of your development teams. But AccuRev’s ability to support concurrent development lines for production, product maintenance and prototyping, along with its ability to create any number of streams, can result in a steam hierarchy that can grow to tens, hundreds, or even thousands of streams. While this is great for managing the complexity of your software development, understanding the meaning and purpose of all these streams can be difficult, particularly for occasional users. To address this, AccuRev 5.6 introduces Stream Properties, which allow you to capture and view specific characteristics about your streams right from the StreamBrowser.

What are Stream Properties and how can you best leverage them?

A Stream Property is a name/value pair that you can use to describe any attribute or important characteristic about your streams. A Stream Property’s value can be either a textual description or a file attachment and streams can have as many stream properties as you need. In the StreamBrowser, a properties icon is shown underneath those streams where stream properties have been defined.

What are some of the reasons why you might use Stream Properties?

Let’s look at a couple of examples.

In this first example, testers need to see the status and results of Continuous Integration (CI) builds that are kicked off automatically whenever code is promoted into integration. This information could be created automatically by your build tool and stored as Stream Properties for your “CI_Build” streams. Testers can view this information to see things such as where and when the build was performed, the results of the build, and how to find the build log.

Another example might be that you have certain streams that developers leverage for ongoing development. The developers need to know the status or maturity of the code in that stream to determine whether it is stable enough to suit their purposes. This can be easily accomplished with a property like “Status” that holds values like “Unit Tested,” “Approved by QA,” “Lab Integration Complete,” “Failed Lab Integration,” and “Approved for Release.” It could also be important for them to know things like when the last testing was performed and who performed it.

Stream Properties could also be used as a learning tool, by holding references to process documentation and other information pertinent to the stream and its purpose in the software development lifecycle. By leveraging Stream Properties, the StreamBrowser provides access to all the relevant information users need to understand and use the stream hierarchy. In this example, a new release engineer needs to understand the deployment process. By referencing the stream properties of the production stream, the release engineer knows who owns the stream, what the stream is used for, whether this code is viewable by the customer, and has a reference to the project’s detailed deployment process. This approach can be quite helpful to people new to the project that need to understand how the stream hierarchy is architected and utilized in the software development process and how to find associated documentation.

With the freedom to create as many attributes and file references as you need, the list of possibilities for applying Stream Properties is endless. Hopefully you’ll find this feature useful in helping make your stream hierarchy more understandable and informative.

To get started creating Stream Properties, simply right-click the stream and select “Properties…” or highlight the stream and then use the pull-down menu Action->Properties. Clicking this icon or right-clicking the stream and selecting “Properties…” will bring up the current list of Stream Properties. You then have the option to create new properties, and edit or delete existing properties.

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Posted in AccuRev, Feature, News

Tags: accurev features properties streambrowser streams

User Tip: How to Patch and Update a Previous Release

October 15th, 2012 by AccuRev No comments »

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Sometimes after a release, patches or updates are needed to fix defects or add enhancements. Use of the AccuRev Change Palette and the AccuRev Stream Diff between streams can be useful in facilitating this process of creating a hotfix or a point release. In order to quickly identify the changes (either by file or change package), a Stream Diff between the two streams can be used. You can then use the Change Palette to transfer the fixed code to the new release.

For example, you may have a release which contains versions of common product libraries. After the release, a high priority defect is discovered that needs to be fixed. To fix that defect and deliver a hotfix, you would first create a stream off of the snapshot and then make changes to a workspace off of it and promote it. After changes are completed and verified, a new snapshot is then created for the hotfix.

To integrate the changes for the hotfix from one stream to another or to a non-snapshot stream, you can use the Change Palette functionality to promote the fix into those streams. To perform a Change Palette, you can select files in the stream and then either drag and drop to the stream where you want to send those files, or click on the Change Palette icon. This will open a new Change Palette window.

If you get an overlap, then you can go ahead with the merge process and then promote those files to the stream. (Please remember that for a merge, you have to select a workspace and then promote files from the workspace to that stream.) In this scenario, the changes are promoted from this stream to the other stream. Also, if parallel development is going on where you are working on the two simultaneous releases, then you can always incorporate the new features/changes to the other release with the help of the Change Palette.

Was this tip helpful? You can find other AccuRev Application Notes such as this on our User Forum.

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Posted in AccuRev, Feature, Streams, Tips and Tricks

Tags: accurev change palette stream diff streams tips and tricks

Introducing AccuRev 5.6!

October 1st, 2012 by AccuRev No comments »

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Today we announced the arrival of AccuRev 5.6, which includes new functionality and numerous improvements to enhance our customers’ experience.

What’s been added and improved in AccuRev 5.6?

Support for streamlined client upgrades: Starting with AccuRev 5.6, the AccuRev Installation Wizard provides the opportunity to download client-only installation packages to the AccuRev Server. Once the AccuRev Server has been upgraded to AccuRev 5.6, any AccuRev 5.5 client can upgrade to AccuRev 5.6 directly from the AccuRev GUI or CLI.
GUI support for stream properties: AccuRev added support for stream properties in the CLI in AccuRev 5.5. You can now create and manage stream properties through the AccuRev GUI. In addition, the getproperty command now returns the filename for properties whose value was specified as a file.
GUI support for EACLs: Element Access Control Lists (EACLs) are a set of permissions granting privileges to users for elements under AccuRev control. You can now set and manage permissions using the GUI.
New Diff Against options for overlapped elements: AccuRev 5.6 introduces new Diff Against options to help you identify and resolve conflicts that result in an (overlap) status.

Overlapping Changes > Mine diffs the workspace or stream version against the common ancestor in the backing stream. This option identifies the changes in the workspace or stream that did not come from the backing stream.
Overlapping Changes > Theirs allows you to see only the changes added to the backing stream since the last time you merged with the backing stream. This option is useful for identifying the changes to the backing stream that caused the overlap condition.

Printing: You can now print tables in the AccuRev GUI.
Support for rich text in text fields: Text fields in the GUI can now be optionally configured to support rich text. When the rich text feature is enabled, a toolbar is added to text fields allowing users to easily create and work with:

Bold, italic, underlined, and colored text
Ordered and bulleted lists
Paragraph formatting
Images
Links

Support for 64-bit Solaris: AccuRev now offers 64-bit versions of AccuRev Server and AccuRev Client on both Sparc and x86 platforms.
Improved AccuBridge for Atlassian Crucible: Iterative reviews in Crucible are now supported through the AccuBridge for Crucible.
Client-side logging: In addition to logging on the AccuRev Server, AccuRev now supports logging on the AccuRev Client.
New -u option for show command: A new option for the show … groups command, -u <principal>, shows the groups to which a user belongs.
Accelerator keys for common operations: Accelerator keys have been added for many common and frequently performed operations like promote (Ctrl+Shift+P) and update (Ctrl+U).

Have a question or comment about AccuRev 5.6? Be sure to visit the AccuRev user forum!

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Posted in AccuRev, Feature, News

Tags: accurev features update version control

Setting Properties for Streams, Users, and Groups

July 11th, 2012 by dafoster No comments »

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AccuRev 5.5 introduces the ability to set and manage properties for streams, users, and groups. Using the AccuRev command line interface (CLI), you specify properties as name/value pairs. Names can be anything you choose, and values can be strings or even files. For example, you might want to put a face to a name, so you create a “profile” property for AccuRev users that is associated with an image file. Or you might want to create a “log” property for your build stream and associate it with the nightly build log. Or you might want to create a simple “description” property for a stream to record something important about it.

We’ll get down to brass tacks (no, I’m not sure precisely what that means, either) with some examples in a moment, but first I’d like to introduce the new CLI commands that make stream, user, and group properties possible in the first place.

Three Simple Commands for Streams, Users, and Groups

The AccuRev 5.5 CLI includes three new commands to help you work with stream, user, and group properties:

setproperty – you use setproperty to specify the name/value pair for the stream, user, or group property
getproperty – you use getproperty to retrieve properties defined for the specified stream, user, or group
rmproperty – you use rmproperty to delete a property

Let’s see how it works.

Example – Creating a User Property

Imagine you want have a collection of pictures of your users taken by HR and used for the employee’s identification cards. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could associate those images with your AccuRev users? With AccuRev 5.5, you can. Here’s how:

Say you have a picture of a user, chris, in c:\temp\chris.jpg:

(I know, right?)

If you wanted to create a profile property for Chris using that image, you’d type:

accurev setproperty -u chris -l c:\temp\chris.jpg profile

Here, the familiar -u option is used to identify the AccuRev user, and the -l specifies the location of the file; the “profile” value is the name of the property itself. (It’s a quirk of the setproperty command that the order of the name/value pairs is reversed when specifying a file as a property value.)

If you wanted to create a “skills” property, you might type something like this:

accurev setproperty -u chris skills evangelist

When you’re using strings for property values, avoid spaces and special characters. For example, if user chris is really, technically, a Git evangelist, you’d specify that like this:

accurev setproperty -u chris skills git_evangelist

And if you did that, specifying a different value for the same property, you’d quickly understand that properties are not TimeSafe™. Once you change a property value (or delete the property itself), that’s it. In actual use, this is not a big deal, but it’s worth noting that property values are not stored in the AccuRev database.

Example – Reviewing User Properties

If you want to check the properties specified for, say, user chris, you use the getproperty command, as shown here:

accurev getproperty -u chris

chris: profile=*
chris: skills=evangelist

Of course, you can specify the output as XML using -fx if you prefer:

accurev getproperty -fx –ku

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <properties>
   <property
       kind="principal"
       principalNumber="8"
       principalName="chris"
       propertyName="profile">*</property>
   <property
       kind="principal"
       principalNumber="8"
       principalName="chris"
       propertyName="skills">git_evangelist</property>
 </properties>

Here, the –ku option displays all properties for all users, but we’ve set properties for user chris only at this point in the example.

In both uses of getproperty, notice that the values for properties that have been specified as files are returned as asterisks.

Example – Deleting a User Property

When you want to delete a user property, say the “profile” property you set for user chris, it’s simple enough:

accurev rmproperty -u chris profile

Properties for Users, Groups, Streams… Pretty much the same

The examples in this discussion used users mostly as a matter of convenience, and in practice there’s no difference in setting a property for streams or groups as the basic commands, options, and syntax are the same. For more information, you can check out the CLI user documentation available with your AccuRev 5.5 installation.

What’s Next

Properties for users, groups, and streams are a nice, practical addition to the AccuRev toolkit. Look for improvements coming soon in future releases, including the ability to set, manage, and review properties from the AccuRev GUI.

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Posted in AccuRev, Feature, News, Streams, Tips and Tricks

Tags: accurev group properties scm software configuration management software development stream user

Innovation Day!

June 26th, 2012 by jdarby No comments »

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Have you ever heard fitness experts recommend changing up your exercise routine to improve performance and results? The switch-up keeps the body stimulated and works its muscles in new ways. At AccuRev we have our own switch-up, called Innovation Day, that promotes the same ideas – we take some time to do something very different — mix-it-up, stretch our (mental) muscles, and reach new personal-bests.

The AccuRev Innovation Day Concept

Innovation Day is similar to a hack day, and provides time for the entire AccuRev organization to put aside their day-to-day work to think creatively and outside the box. AccuRevers focus on ideas they passionately believe will make AccuRev a better tool, company, or brand. These ideas may include everything from improving internal cross-communication procedures to developing new and innovative product features, or from creating snazzy marketing materials, to fixing an irritating little bug.

Innovation Day Tim Avia Peggy Final 254x300 Innovation Day!

AccuRevers from Sales and Marketing join forces to tackle a new infographic during Innovation Day.

We held our first Innovation Day in March, resulting in some great ideas! Have you seen the cloud-based AccuRev trial for the newly released Version 5.5? The idea came from Innovation Day. Heard about the added the upgrade_client feature to the 5.5 release, which allows AccuRev 5.5+ clients to download and install the latest AccuRev client software directly from an upgraded AccuRev server? Innovation Day.

Internally, we developed a program where AccuRevers are brought together and switch roles with each other for a day, to learn about other aspects of the company and to enrich current roles through these lessons. With much success and enthusiasm stemming from our first Innovation Day, we held a second Innovation Day last week, which had even more company involvement than the first!

The second Innovation Day presented some great ideas as well, which will be featured in upcoming releases. We can’t tell you the details yet, but let’s just say you may see some forward looking UI enhancements, maybe simplified mobile website, and some sharing capabilities in the next release!

Innovation Day Jill Jonathan Final2 300x300 Innovation Day!

Two of AccuRev's engineers are working together on a surprise for an upcoming release during Innovation Day.

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Posted in AccuRev, Feature

Tags: engineering innovation

Introducing AccuRev 5.5!

June 18th, 2012 by dafoster No comments »

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You could be forgiven if you’re poised to dismiss this as yet another hollow New! Improved! product release announcement, but if you give me just a few minutes I promise not to waste your time. Indeed, I think you’ll be glad you stuck around because AccuRev 5.5 really does have some neat stuff in it.

Welcome, AccuRev Version 5.5! Welcome!

As is often the case, it makes sense to start at the beginning, and the first thing you’ll notice after installing and starting AccuRev 5.5 is the new Welcome page, a sample of which is shown here:

The Welcome page provides these main services:

It summarizes the important new features in the current release to quickly get you up to speed on what’s, well, new and improved in AccuRev. You should always refer to the Installation and Release Notes for the complete story and important details, especially if you read something on the Welcome page that piques your curiosity, but the Welcome page will quickly give you the lay of the land.
It provides access to a high-level introduction of major AccuRev terms and concepts. Referred to as the Tour, these brief, colorful pages provide an excellent way for new users to get acquainted with AccuRev – and for old hands to get a quick refresher.

Both the Welcome page and the Tour are served up by the cloud, so AccuRev can update content to alert you to upcoming features, recommended upgrades, and important product and company news.

You might have noticed that the Welcome page is a tab, and like any other tab in AccuRev you can close it by clicking the X button on the tab. If you want to see it later, you can access it via the Help menu (Help > Welcome).

All Your Favorite Streams, Just a Click Away

New for AccuRev 5.5, Stream Favorites are a huge improvement over their stream filters ancestor. Details will be discussed in a future blog post, and Stream Favorites are described in the 5.5 user documentation, but for now you should appreciate that Stream Filters:

Are easy to create and manage
Can be turned on and off with a single click
Can be shared with other users, in much the same way that you create public queries

Even better, Stream filters from previous AccuRev releases are automatically converted to Stream Favorites when you upgrade to AccuRev 5.5.

StreamBrowser Usability Enhancements

Of course, Stream Favorites would be at the top of this list, but they represent such an improvement that we thought they deserved to be called out on their own. But work on making the StreamBrowser even better didn’t stop with Stream Favorites, and we took to heart what we heard from users and customers at a recent AccuRev usability study:

Quite right! Workspaces are now displayed in (mellow) yellow, making them easier to distinguish from dynamic streams, snapshots, pass-through streams, and others. Together with Stream Favorites, no more looking for a needle in a haystack when trying to find your workspaces, no matter how large or complex your depot structure and stream hierarchy.

Such a drag. You can now view different parts of your stream hierarchy by grabbing and dragging the StreamBrowser background, just like you do in familiar Internet mapping tools. Of course, horizontal and vertical scroll bars are still available if you like to slide instead of drag.
Git along now. In previous releases, AccuRev displayed a Kando icon () on streams that were backed by a Git repository. The icon was mostly ornamental (it told you the stream had a relationship with a Git repository, but that was it). Now you can click the Kando icon to display detailed information about the backing repository and branch, as shown here:

Workflow rules! AccuRev also previously displayed a workflow icon () on streams that were subject to workflow rules, and in the Java GUI it served as a heads up more than anything – you knew a stream was subject to workflow rules, but you had no way of knowing what those rules were unless you were working in the Web UI. As of AccuRev 5.5, clicking the workflow icon in the Java GUI displays a read-only summary of the workflow rules defined for that stream, like the one shown here:

And if you don’t like what you see – and you have the appropriate permissions from your AccuRev administrator – you can click the Open Web UI to Edit Rules button to, well, to open the Web UI so you can edit the workflow rules.

File Browser Usability Enhancements

The StreamBrowser wasn’t the only piece of the AccuRev Java GUI to benefit from findings from a recent usability study. The File Browser includes several important enhancements that make day-to-day usage of AccuRev better than ever. For example:

Bigger sometimes is better. Updating workspaces is a common operation for most software engineers. So why did we make the button so small and hard to find? (That’s a rather rhetorical question; we don’t really have a good answer for it.) For AccuRev 5.5 we made the update button bigger, changed the graphic, added a label, and enhanced the tooltip to give even new users a solid understanding of this button’s purpose.

While we were at it, we renamed the Workspace Explorer panel, and removed the redundant binocular icon from every search type in the Search panel. We think the changes – enhanced clarity, reduced clutter – are big improvements in usability, don’t you agree?

Find it yourself! The search utility also went under the microscope (sometimes this stuff just writes itself, you know?) making it much more intuitive and easy to use. For starters, the Search (and Filter) fields are on the portion of the File Browser where files are displayed. Makes sense, right?

Searching is straightforward – just type the name of the file (or files — you can use wildcards like * and ? in your search terms) and click the binocular button. And if, as shown in the preceding example, your search returns a bazillion results, you can use the Filter Results field to quickly focus on only those files you’re really interested in – anything including the letters “bo”, for example.

Cut cut here! Paste paste there! AccuRev now supports Ctrl+x, Ctrl+c, and Ctrl+v keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste operations. In addition, a paste operation, whether performed using shortcut keys or the Paste context menu, now performs a “Paste Link” if the Copy operation was used to place the element on the clipboard. Cut, Copy, and Paste operations are also available from the Edit menu.

Stream Properties

Starting with AccuRev 5.5, you can use new CLI commands to create and manage properties as name/value pairs for streams, users, and groups. Property values can include simple strings or physical files. For example, you might want to specify the value of a profile property for a user as an image (joe_headshot.jpg, for example). Using the CLI you can:

Specify a property (setproperty is the CLI command)
Retrieve a property (getproperty, and show…properties)
Delete a property (rmproperty)

And in a coming release, you’ll be able to specify stream properties using the AccuRev Java GUI.

Upgrades Will be a Snap!

We expect users to be very happy with AccuRev 5.5, but time marches on and there will be an (even better, if it needs saying) AccuRev 5.6 in the not-too-distant future. When it’s time to upgrade, you’ll really appreciate the foundation AccuRev 5.5 laid for new upgrade functionality to be released with 5.6, functionality that will be a real boon to administrators and users in the enterprise.

Starting with AccuRev 5.6, AccuRev users will be able to download and install the AccuRev client installation package that the AccuRev administrator has placed on the AccuRev Server. These installation packages can be run manually, or unattended (sometimes called a “silent install”). While the upgrade client feature will not be fully supported until AccuRev 5.6, AccuRev 5.5 users might notice it in two places:

CLI — a new command, upgrade_client, has been added to the AccuRev command line interface.
Java GUI — a new choice, Upgrade Client, appears on the Help menu.

Again, this feature will not perform any client upgrade or installation activities until the AccuRev Server itself is upgraded to Version 5.6.

AccuRev… it just keeps getting better!

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Posted in AccuRev, Change Packages, Feature, News, Software Configuration Management, Streams, Tips and Tricks, Version Control

Tags: accurev Git kando performance streams update

What We Learned from the Kando Self Host

May 10th, 2012 by kleonard No comments »

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You may know that the AccuRev source code is kept on two AccuRev servers, plus replicas. But when our Kando project started, we wanted to keep the source code on Kando servers, which weren’t ready yet. So we started with a central Git repository accessible by ssh. We gained experience using Git’s command line, third party GUIs, a branching model, and plug-ins such as Eclipse’s Egit. The biggest surprise I found? The hassle of managing multiple ssh keys- whenever a new person started working on the project, he or she would edit the Git server’s authorized_keys file, and, as often as not, mangle the file so that other users could not access the repository.

After six months we decided to self host with Kando. While setting up the installation, we discovered a missing essential feature – the capability to map just a subdirectory of an AccuRev stream. The initial self host was delayed by a few days while that mount-point feature was implemented. Ever since then, the code has been accessible through both our in-house AccuRev servers, and our in-house Kando server. On the same stream, some developers have used AccuRev while others used Git, and the nightly builds used AccuRev to fetch the code.

As each of the Kando features was implemented (change package integration, an administrative GUI, access control lists, and other security features) the team got to use Kando a self hosted Kando. This approach gave us confidence that Kando was ready for the field; we found bugs and gaps in the feature set, some which could have slipped by traditional testing. (All were resolved.) And while there were a few problems during the self host, no source code was ever lost.

Our installation was a medium sized Kando installation, with 1,600 source code files and 1,400 commits over 12 months. Self hosting Kando has been more helpful in identifying problems and understanding how our customers will use it than we imagined. From a missing essential feature, to bugs and gaps, we were able to fix and adjust the product in ways that will directly benefit end usage. Our plan from here is to continue using our self host with all the Kando features, and to get the earliest feedback from in-house users.