1. Configuration Management and RCS CPS470 Fall 1999

2. Configuration Management Managing a large development system is a difficult task, any tool that makes the job easier is welcome. Software CM is a discipline for controlling the evolution of software systems. The goals of using CM are to ensure the integrity of a product and to make its evolution more manageable.

3. Revision Control System (RCS) RCS provides simple version control with simple configuration identification. RCS is file oriented, controls the revisions of file. It provides file level locking mechanism. Consists of a set of tools built into UNIX system: ci, co, rlog, rcs etc.

4. Tools of RCS ci: check in RCS file revision co: check out RCS file revision rcs: Change RCS file attributes rlog: Print log messages and other information about RCS.

5. ci Stores new revisions into RCS files. For each revision deposited, ci prompts for a log message. If RCS file does not exist, ci creates it and deposits the working file as the initial revision. ci -l option: Checks in the file, locks it and checks it out again. ci -u option: same as -l option, but deposited version is not locked.

6. co Retrieves a revision from an RCS file and stores it into the corresponding working file. Revisions of an RCS file may be checked out locked or unlocked, with -l or -u options respectively. A revision is selected by options for revision or branch number, check-in date/time, etc.

7. rcs Creates new RCS files files or changes attributes of existing ones. -nname[:[rev]] Associate the symbolic name name with the branch or revision rev. -lrev: Lock the revision number rev. -urev: Unlock the revision number rev.

8. rlog Prints information about RCS files. Information: RCS pathname, working pathname, head, default branch, accesslist, locks, symbolic names, total number of revisions, descriptive text, etc.

9. Terminology Project RCS test.c,v README,v test.c README RCS subdirectory: To be created under the directory where revision control has to be performed. Revision number: a number in the form of d.d.d.d assigned to a revision of a file.

10. How to start Create an “RCS” sub-directory under the directory where you want to perform revision control. Check in relevant files. Check out working files for various uses. Show the revision history of a working file.