1. Agile Software Distribution
Session held by:
René Steg
Steg IT-Engineering, Zurich (Switzerland)

2. Why do I need „Agile Software Distribution“?
Because you may
have hundreds of servers with a high number of applications running on these servers
have distributed applications in place
allow manual changes on the runtime configuration of the application after „installation“
not have a link between Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Distribution (SWD)
document the installation-steps in plain-text
... which makes the question: „What Release of my application is running on which server ?“ very difficult to answer (if it can be answered at all)

3. 1st Step: Reorganize the way you do SWD
Require referential builds for all of your applications
Setup a team, which supports the software developers / engineers in creating the installation packages
Store your server metadata in a repository, which can be easily accessed and queried
Define and implement standards, how the applications have to be installed on your servers (e. g. applications must be delivered in Solaris Packaging Format)

4. Software Distribution Process
Test / Runtime
Software Distribution
Development
Referential Build
Build
Installations- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
Repository
Executables, Install-Param. / Golden Copy/2
Installations-Package Silver Copy
Server-Metadata Silver Copy
Installations-Package Server-Metadata Installation-Logs
Silver Copy
Source, Executables. / Golden Copy

5. Installation- Package Distribution / Installation
Referential Build
Repository
Sources from Baseline
Developer
Compile / Build
Source-Code
Executables
Check-in / Golden Copy
Source / Executable
Golden Copy
Referential Build
Build
Installation- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
contains

6. Build Installation-Packages (Part 1)
Repository
Developer
Executable / Install.-Parm.
Golden Copy/2
Packaging- Specialist
Installation- Parameters
Referential Build
Build
Installations- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
contains
Source / Executable
Golden Copy
is derived

7. Build Installation-Packages (Part 2)
Runtime- Code
Repository
Developer
Build Packages
Check-in / Silver Copy
Packaging- Specialist
Package
Installation- Parameters,
Executables
Install-Packages
Silver Copy
Referential Build
Build
Installations- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
contains
Source / Executable
Golden Copy
is derived
Executable / Install.-Parm.
Golden Copy/2

8. Installations- Package Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
Repository
Server- Metadata
Environment
Manager
Server – Product Assignment
Server
is assigned
contains
Referential Build
Build
Installations- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
Source / Executable
Golden Copy
Developer
Package
Silver Copy
is derived
Executable / Install.-Parm.
Golden Copy/2

9. Distribution / Installation
Repository
Distribution- Order
Environment
Manager
Distribution
Server
Package
Installation-Status
contains
is installed
Referential Build
Build
Installations- Package
Distribution / Installation
Capacity Management
Source / Executable
Golden Copy
is assigned
Silver Copy
is derived
Executable / Install.-Parm.
Golden Copy/2

10. Automating the Processes
Automate the Build-Process
Using a SCM-Tool, this task will be a lot easier
Always use a Baseline for the automatic Builds (else it won‘t be referential!)
Automate the Package-Creation
Check, which software-products in your company may be installed in the same way and create the packages for these application automatically
Version the installation-parameters (these are part of the software configuration anyway)
Scan Hardware-Data automatically
Try to minimize manual data-entry for hardware, to keep the hardware-inventory up-to-date and store these data in a repository as well
Automate the Distribution- and Installation-Processes
Try to eliminate any manual interaction for a distribution / installation
De-Installation must also be automated
Keep the installation fast, using a delta-distribution mechanism

11. And what‘s the benefit?
Software Distribution gets agile, even with hundreds of servers in a large enterprise
The question: „What Release of my application is running on which server ?“, may be answered with some clicks using a web-report
The same application-release is always installed the same way
Back-out scenarios are easier to implement
The distribution-process is a one-button-only-click, if the metadata has been pre-defined once in the repository and therefore the Distribution Manager does not need to know the installation sequence of the application
CMMI-Level 3 may be reachable, because to implement and automate Software Distribution successfully, it is essential, that the processes are:
Documented
Standardized
Repeatable

12. Recommendations
Define standards, policies and naming conventions (Programs love conventions!)
Reduce special-engineering and minimize the number of different middleware and operating-systems on your servers (programs hate exceptions! And so do your programmers)
Use a repository which keeps your metadata of your distribution activities together
Use the automated distribution mechanism already in the testing phases, this way the installation packages are also tested in early stages
Use the SWD system for the entire software-stack of your server (operating system, middleware and business-application)
Link the source (Golden Copy) and the installation-unit (Silver Copy), so you know immediately, which source to change in an error-case (Best Practice: there is a link between source-code, derived object and installation package)
Define an emergency-scenario, in case the automatic SWD is not available
Do not allow ANY manual changes on the servers (exception: emergency-scenario)
Performance: If you want your developers to use the SWD in early stages, be aware, that the process must be fast (data model, delta-deploy etc.)
Reports are important, not only for your management, but also for other roles involved in the entire application life-cycle.

13. Thanks for your attention
and have a nice day!