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RE: [alf-dev] SCM Workspace discussion
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alf-dev-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 05/25/2006 03:02:18 PM:
> Does this make sense?
I do not think it makes sense in the context of ALF. I think what you are
describing is how an SCM tool could use web services as the protocol for
client and server. If that is something you want to do for Accurev, go
ahead, you will be ahead of the game. I think that is beyond what we are
talking about with ALF.
> In the above picture, you have the (one) CCWeb server running on the
server-
> side and presenting a single URL (for instance
> http://myserver.mycompany.com/ccweb) to all the clients. The clients,
which
> are browser-based, go to that URL and login. Once logged in, they can do
any
> ClearCase operations they want, including creating (local) workspaces,
> updating them, etc.
>
> In this picture, workspace management (e.g. writing files on the client
> machine) is accomplished by a signed Java applet that is downloaded from
the
> server as part of the HTTP-based interface, and launched from the
browser.
I think your ClearCase example is off the mark. Because really, to be a
"like" comparison, the client browser would have to be causing these
actions to happen on some arbitrary third machine. Neither ClearCase, nor
the architecture you describe can handle that. The only architecture that
can handle that is one where some agent/server/service (choose your term)
is already running on that arbitrary third machine so that the SCM server
can initiate a request to that machine and send it the files. Some SCM
tools (I think Dimensions for one) might have this architecture option. If
they do, they can still use it in our ALF scenario.
> Getting back to ALF and web services, I just don?t think running a web
> server on every SCM client machine, and having that server turn the
requests
> into SCM commands, is the right architecture for the web.
Maybe we just have a fundamentally different idea as to what ALF is about.
Even in the largest organizations, the number of these machines should be
relatively small. Only centralized servers that are running builds,
tests, security scans etc. should need this service. Those servers will
likely already be running the ALF services for those functions. Adding
SCM to the mix is not placing a burden on the process.
> My goal here is to come up with the *right* implementation architecture
for
> SCM in ALF, not just what?s most expedient. Wrapping existing SCM CLI?s
with
> a Tomcat server on each client seems to me expedient but architecturally
wrong.
I think this is the chief area of disconnect. I, emphasis on I, do not
think ALF is about defining SCM services, or Build services, or Testing or
Issue Management. It is about defining how these already existing tools
can talk to each other by initiating events and exchanging data.
If we were starting with Build instead of SCM, would any of us be
suggesting that we need to make a system to that the Java or C compiler
could compile files that did not exist on local disk storage? I would
assume not. In the same vein, we should not be suggesting that existing
SCM tools need to behave differently than they already do. This is
supposed to be about providing a web services based API layer above the
existing facilities.
Finally, in the spirit of trying to bring us back together, I'd just like
to reiterate that all we are doing is describing some theoretical base
behavior for an SCM tool. Any given SCM tool is always free to innovate
and provide different services that do more. If we set the bar too high,
tools are just not going to participate. Either that, or we will spend
all of our time engineering workarounds for tools like CVS and SVN instead
of providing innovation in our own products.
Mark
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