Forte and Configuration Management tools

Question

Hello everybody,
We are starting here a project with Forte. It will involve about 15
developers on two sites one in France and one in Germany.
Among other starting tasks, we have been considering using a Configuration
Manager tool connected to Forte. With the Configuration Manager we want to
do version control of the developed code.
Thus we have been experimenting various simple solutions to make backup /
recovery using the plans / workspaces / repositories of Forte using simple
techniques (FSCRIPT scripts + UNIX scripts). It has not been so obvious to
go around the checks that FORTE makes when it "compiles" a plan and when it
"integrates", assuming the public interfaces of some code have changed.
We came to the conclusion that restoring an old "version" of the code of an
application is almost every time a significative task which involves system
administration. One clean way to do it (at least the one we have identified)
requires the creation of a new repository, its loading with the version to
be restored, and from now on developers must use that repository. This
implies that an overall coherent set of code is restored, in fact the entire
application under development. No piecewise restore of let say just a
project, or a class. The backup is simply made by exporting a workspace that
includes the top most plan of our application, and thus automatically all
the supplier plans.
I have read in some articles that there are some experience somewhere of
using Forte with some CM tools of the market; furthermore is it true that
version 3 of Forte will come (link to ?) real and exhaustive functionalities
for CM ?
We have experience here on CCC which has been used on "classical"
development projects. We have some knowledge on ClearCase.
Among other things I expect from a CM tool :
* the ability to see the differences between the various versions of a piece
of code (here a module, there a "plan"), so "what has changed".
* management of checkout : who has checked out what and when.
In addition, cooperation between a CM tool and Forte needs that the CM takes
over some functions of Forte (eg, checkout, integrate, import). Is there a
way to hook "exits" into the Forte workshops ? These exists could then be
shell scripts linking with the CM tool.
I am very interested in discussing the matter more in detail.
best regards,
Pierre Gelli
ADP GSI
Payroll and Human Resources Management
72-78, Grande Rue, F-92310 SEVRES
phone : [phone] (direct) [phone] (reception desk)
fax : [phone]

Answer 1

In my opinion, Portal has a lot of work to do in terms of configuration and change management. If you are using Portal as an application platform, as opposed to KM, you are better of developing java portlets, so that you can use the SCM with JDeveloper and stay away from the application components. If you do want to use the components, then application export/import is the only way. You can setup your own procedures for handling the exported files (version etc).
You don't really version KM apps. Content is meant to be posted and otherwise administered by content area admins and users. It is not a "application", that must be change managed. There are versioning features available at the item level, which is adequate (but by no means a complete versioning system. Use iFS if you want that).
I have heard quite a few horror stories about exporting and importing content areas.
A 3-system Portal landscape, in my opinon, is overkill and trying to fit an existing approach to a new tool. A test/dev and a production Portal might be more palatable to the IT budget.
My 2.5 cents