SEN: Software Configuration Management

• Software specificities
  • The \V/ lifecycle

    Software Specification               Validation test
    ||                                                             ||
    Preliminary Design                     Integration tests
    ||                                                             ||
    Detailed Design                              Unit tests
    ||                                                             ||
    Coding

• Configuration management goal => to have the necessary data for building again the same product.
• That means that for the software we need:
  • To have all the file used for the software builds: source files, data files, parameterization files.
  • The production tools: compiler, makefile (options and order of compilation, libraries)
  • The operation environment: operating system, firmware, hardware, COTS(Components Of The Shelf)
• All the manufacturing data are configuration data of the software product.
  
• The hardware configuration data are mainly documents: URD, TRD, drawing, user manual.
• The software configuration data may be only in an electronic form: source code, test source code, test data.

• Software Configuration Management process
  • Identification of the items:
    • A software component is an item whose definition and its related changes shall be controlled during the product lifecycle.
      • Any software components are individually identified.
      • An intermediate file is not always a software component (i.e. OBJ file)
    • A software product is a software component tree, equivalent to product tree.
  • Configuration management of the software:
    • Specification
      (ข้อมูลจำเพาะ) of dependences between the components.
    • Data persistence (การคงอยู่)
    • The dependence(ไม่มีอิสระ)
      rules between these data allow to:
      • Manage the consistency between the software components.
      • Optimize the performances for introducing modifications (duration of recompilation)
  • Configuration status accounting: To keep the track of the software releases for helping to analyze the problems (deliveries, changes).
  • Configuration verification: To ensure the consistence between the software components.
• The working spaces
  • On a development station, identifying working spaces allows to:
    • Freeze the content of each object at the end of phases.
    • Formalize the transfer of each object to the next phase.
    • Give the right visibility according to the profile of the other software developers.
    • Control the use of the software in the manufacturing process.
    • Archive the validated status.
    • Minimize the amount of the stored data by avoiding uncontrolled copies of data.
  • Rules of managing the data shall be defined:
    • People or organisms access rights to the different workspaces according to their function and responsibility.
    • Type of access (read, write) and mode of access (authentication with a password required).
    • Each workspace shall be lead by a unique responsible.
• Version control
  • Version number: similar to the major index.
  • Revision number: similar to the minor index.
  • Variant (แปรปรวน, แตกต่าง): operating system, hardware, option.
  • Provisional version: not integrated to the reference space.
  • Signature: value of a control sum performed on the content of the item.
• SCM tools functionalities
  • Release control
  • Working spaces
    • “View” mechanism: allows the tools and commands to have an access to the data according to the context.
    • Parameterization of views
    • Access right management
  • Build management:
    • Detection of dependences between the source files
    • The build audit allows to:
      • Have an operation traceability (who, when, on which computer)
      • To know:
        • The used files.
        • The environment.
        • The production scripts.
  • Process control:
    • Objectives:
      • To put on place the procedures of the organization.
      • Interoperability with the other tools of the software factory (compiler, design tool, debugger).
• Software configuration management plan
  • In addition to the general configuration management plan content, some additional features are added in the case of the software:
    • Definition of the working spaces and access rights.
    • Data save guard procedures.
    • Internal and external identification of the software.
    • Use of the development tools.
    • Changes tracking in the configuration management tools.
    • Identification and marking of the files (source, test)
• Reference documents: The following documents include a section on the configuration management:
  • ISO 12207: Information processing – Software engineer
  • ECSS-E-40-Part 1_B: Software – Principles and requirements.
  • ECSS-E-40-Part 2_B: Software – Document Requirements Definition (templates)
  • ECSS-Q-80_B: Software product assurance.

Software Configuration Management System Engineer

Aoddy

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." Albert Einstein Invester | Developer | Defier | Cryptonian | Wife lover.