Configuration Management and RCS

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.
• -nnamerev 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
test.c,v
RCS
README,v
test.c
Project
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.