Managing.NET Software Factory Using SYNERGY/Change Kris Kniaz Kniaz.net

Managing .NET Software Factory Using SYNERGY/Change

Kris KniazKniaz.net

©2007 www.kniaz.net All rights reserved.

Software Factory Process Requirements (1/2)

• Automation– Builds must be automated– Builds must run often

• Scale out (Lab to Pilot Plant to Production Facility)– Run the same build process on any environment

(Developer Desktop, Integration Server, QA server )• UI and MW code as well as data base code

• Testable– Support re-runable automated unit tests

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Software Factory Process Requirements (2/2)

• Verifiable– Knowledge of what code (to the file level) was deployed to

production in a given release– Trace code change to developer that changed it and

change request or defect that precipitated the work.• Link binary code to the source code

• Support concurrent and parallel development– Concurrent: development of the major and minor release

at the same time– Parallel: development of many major releases at the same

time



Code and Product Flow

`

DEV INT QAPROD

EngineerCodes,Builds,

Unit Tests,Deploys

Build ManagerBuilds,Audits,

DeploysIT Operator

Audits,Deploys

Sr. EngineerBuilds,

Unit Tests,Deploys

PM

QA

Request

Def

ect



Task and Change Request Flows

Start Here assign complete End

register

TaskAssigned

TaskCompletd

Taskregistered



How this all fits together using Synergy ? QA/Prod

QA QA Complete

QAProject

QA Work AreaQA Build Server

Reconfigure

Deploy

CR Life Line

Task Life Line

Code Life Line

App Life Line

QA

Select TasksLinked to CRsIn QA Status

Refresh

BM

SynergyReport

QA EnvReport

Compare

Prod Srv

QASrv

DeployReleased

QA baseline

IT

PMEngineering



How this all fits together using Synergy ? Engineering

Entered Assigned Code Complete

DevelopmentProject

IntegrationProject

Dev StageProject

AssociatedTasks

TasksCompleted

Baseline

CreateBaseline

Development Work AreaDevelopers Desktop

Integration Work AreaEngineering Build Server

DevStage Work AreaEngineering Build Server

`

Int Server Dev Stage Server

Reconfigure Reconfigure Reconfigure

Deploy DeployDeploy

AssociatedTasks

CR Life Line

Task Life Line

Code Life Line

App Life Line

Select TasksFor CR

In C.C. Status

PM PM

E

E E

PM

QA



Synergy Customizations

• Automated Build Process– NAnt scripts (http://nant.sourceforge.net)– Re-runable NUnit tests (http://nunit.org)– Continuous Integration Server – automated process

executes build scripts - CruiseControl.NET• Synergy Plug-in for CruiseControl.NET (published Sep 2005)• Communicates via http request/response with the Synergy servlets

– Environment (or locale) specific settings are stored in the configuration files that are dynamically created by the build process


http://nant.sourceforge.net/

http://nunit.org/


CruiseControl.NET integration with Synergy



CC.NET synergy plug in configuration<sourcecontrol type="synergy">

<connection><executable>ccm.exe</executable><host>syn01</host><database>\\syn01\ccmdb63\wwdev</database><username>%CCM_UID%</username><password>%CCM_PWD%</password><role>build_mgr</role><homeDirectory>

F:\cmsynergy\cruisecontrol</homeDirectory><clientDatabaseDirectory>

F:\cmsynergy\uidb</clientDatabaseDirectory><polling>true</polling>

</connection>

<project><release>App1</release><projectSpecification>App1~Int</projectSpecification><taskFolder>7601</taskFolder><baseline>false</baseline><purpose>Integration</purpose><template>false</template><reconcile>

<path>bin</path><path>build\version.txt</path><path>root\flash</path>

</reconcile></project>

<changeSynergy><url>http://synergy:8600/cs</url><role>User</role>

</changeSynergy>

</sourcecontrol>



Auditing• Link binary products to source code

– Bill of Materials (BOM) concept is built into Synergy– Out of the box utility works only for C files compiled via make, not

particularly useful for .NET files, assemblies, NAnt– Solution:

• During build of each assembly NAnt generates dynamic BOM file• NAnt audit target creates “is_product” attribute for assemblies and “bom”

attribute for files. Then uses “ccm relate” command to establish a link.

• Compare deployed code to the released baseline– Synergy does not provide file paths just object names. Therefore Synergy

default reports are not useful for comparisons with deployment tools– Solution: Create custom attribute and populate paths from BOM

• ccm.exe attribute /create projectpath• ccm.exe attribute /modify projectpath “file”

• Passed SOX audit for the build and deployment process



Issue: Integrating Synergy and Defect Tracking Software

New

Open AssignedCode

Complete Fixed Closed

FailedTestDeferred Deployed

Synergy – QC IntegrationEngine

FailedTest

Mercury QC

Synergy

Defect = CRDo not want to create new CR type and flowCR/Defect synchronization would be preferredPlanning on using Synergy – Mercury Integration



Issue: Managing global code base

• Architecture of the app must support globalization– Isolate locale (i.e. “en-us” or “fr-ca”) specific logic into configuration

files– Store engineering content (exception messages, names of buttons,

forms etc…) into resource files that could be managed by a separate SCM process

– Establish base code and locale packs• Manage development of the base and configuration of “locale

packs” in Synergy• Use Translation Memory (TM) software to carry out

translation. Use CR’s to manage the process– How do you trace changes (change requests, translation defects) to

the deployed assemblies?



Summary

• Software Factory Process works! – Improved Software Quality– Automation– Repeatability– Traceability (Audit)– Scalability

• But..– High initial development costs– Longer build time– Not easy to adapt to new processes (for example Microsoft

BizTalk)– Requires skilled knowledge workers



Documents

Managing.NET Software Factory Using SYNERGY/Change Kris Kniaz Kniaz.net