What is Software Configuration Management?

When you think of software engineering, you may also think of software configuration management which is the process of controlling any changes and tracking any new changes. Two important tasks of software configuration management include establishing baselines and control of revisions. The major concern of companies practicing of this type of configuration management is to find out whether or not we can reproduce the actions of someone else (in regards to software), maybe not perfectly, but close with controlled changes. This process of reproduction and the comparison of those differences are very important to software configuration management.

Usually normal configure management techniques will focus on the creation of simple products in a controlled environment, however with software configuration management deals with the complex systems and how changing the small increments under the controlled environment are developed.

Software configuration is the practice of how to use the artifacts of different varieties and how they may be managed and turned into different versions. This process includes creating software codes, the design of models and documents and may even be included in the making of the directory structure as well.

The purposes of software configuration management are different and diverse covering many different aspects of software creation. The first being the configuration identification which points out what codes, we will be working with. The next is the control of that configuration; this is used in the release of your new product with its changes. Next will be the accounting of the status of the new product, by recording the information regarding its components. After these processes are completed then it moves into the review stage which ensure that all of the components are complete and they are consistent with all of the other components.

Other uses of software configuration include the management of builds and the tools that you will use to create those builds. It also ensures that the users follow the organizations normal development processes. It will manage the hardware and the software of the host to the company system. It allows for teams of individuals to work together to create and complete a specific process. In addition to all of these things, the process of software configuration management will track every single defect all the way back to its source code so that you can fix it before it becomes a finished product.

Many companies have produced state of the art software that assists users better maintain software configuration management processes. Many of these use components such as servers which will maintain the access the user needs to the different versions of files, the operations and records all of the activities performed in a separate centralized database. Another component includes the visual client to help with graphic interfaces with programs such as Windows, Mac Os X and Linux. Some of these software systems include a Command Line Client as well that may be scriptable and may be available across different platforms.

Some other benefits of these software systems may include merge tools that will let you do a three way merging and conduct file comparisons side by side, it may even allow the comparison of your work with that of another party and allows you to perform a third party merge of the works. Lastly your software system may also have many different integration capabilities that include build tools, graphical design tools and IDE’s as well as many Microsoft office applications. Using these systems gives users many different tools to make the process of software configuration management easier and more efficient.

When purchasing a system for your software configuration management needs ensure that you are offered support and continual education for you and your staff. Some of the support will help you to diagnose problems and walk you through the proper techniques depending on the error messages that your system is giving. Many companies have outstanding support staff that stay with you until you are back on track and can maintain your system adequately. You will also want to ensure that you and your staff are able to take classes or courses designed to teach you the proper uses of their systems. Ask whether their trainers are certified and ask if they have a consulting staff that is available regularly for questions and problems. Choosing the company for your system depends on how well you and your staff can uses and understands the processes and your ability to reach someone who actually knows how to respond to any problems you may experience or questions you may have.

The last thing you will need to consider when purchasing this system is the licensing and the pricing. Many places allow you to download the software for free but you will not be able to use all of the functions until you have purchased the license agreements. By buying the license you will get the benefit of supporting more users and will let you enjoy the qualified technical support available to holders of the license.

Some of these companies will allow you to use the system for a limited time for free so that you can learn the process and see if it will work for you. Pricing these systems may be high but worth every cent to your business, so you should purchase the best your budget can buy and you will probably need to buy enough licenses for the number of users on your system. With these systems your software configuration management process will be easier and quicker allowing you to finish software projects more efficiently.

Software Configuration Management
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