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IBM-Rational ClearCase : Quick Technical overview

What does it run on?

It runs on Linux, z/OS, UNIX and Windows.

What servers are involved in a ClearCase setup?

*note: it is recommended these servers are hosted on separate servers

Server types Description

View - For storing workspace meta-data information

VOB - Manages repositories where ClearCase stores all files and

directories under its control

License - Hosts licenses

- Is either the ClearCase only Atria license server or the Rational

Flex LM based license server which is common to all IBM-

Rational tools

Registry - Meta-data repository of all ClearCase data

Shipping - If multi-site is used server is responsible for shipping replication

packets to another multi-site node

Web - For serving browser based ClearCase web or Multi-site

administration

Remote Client - Hosts views for open source Eclipse IDE based ClearCase

Remote client

What licensing model does it use?

It uses an active floating license server model. When a ClearCase command is run a

license is consumed. After a time out period of inactivity the license is released. Thetime out period can be changed.

What types of ClearCase licenses are there?

There are ClearCase and ClearCase multi-site licenses. A ClearCase license covers base

and UCM ClearCase. A ClearCase multi-site license is on top of a ClearCase licenses.

ClearCase multi-site licenses are required for development occurring over multiple

physical ClearCase sites.

What database does it use?

ClearCase does not use Microsoft SQL server, Oracle or IBM DB2. It uses an

application embedded database called Raima database. It was created by the Raimacorporation as a no maintenance database. Raima have been bought by Centura

Software Corporation then Birdstep Technology ASA.

What tools does it integrate with?

Below are tools IBM-Rational ClearCase is by standard able to integrate with. Please

check on the IBM website for the exact versions and patch levels of each tool.

Tool How and What?

IBM-Rational Rose Integrated via the Rational Administrator then accessed via

Rose GUI interface

IBM-Rational

ClearQuest

Two way integration between ClearQuest GUI and ClearCase

GUI

IBM-Rational Software All IBM open source eclipse based IDEs integrate by

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Architect, Rational

Software modeller

enabling the ClearCase package and accessed via the GUI

Microsoft Visual

Studio .NET

Running a integration executable provided with a ClearCase

installation then accessed via menu in Visual Studio

Microsoft Office:Word, Excel,

PowerPoint

Running a integration executable provided with a ClearCaseinstallation then accessed via menu in Microsoft Office tool

Sybase PowerBuilder Available as a ClearCase .dll and is accessed via the GUI

Borland JBuilder Enabled when both tools are installed

Has ClearCase been extended to integrate with any other scripting languages or

IDEs?

Tool How and What?

Perl Using the ClearCase perl module: CtCmd. Hosted on site

http://search.cpan.org/~ratl/CtCmd-1.03/CtCmd.pm

Ant Using the Ant ClearCase module: clearAntLib. Hosted on sitehttp://clearantlib.sourceforge.net/

Emacs Multiple implementations. Please view

http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/ClearCase for an overview

of all available integrations

Vim Vim integration available at

http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=15. Provides

ClearCase menu on GUI versions of VIM.

How many different offerings does it come in?

Offering Description

ClearCase LT - Scaled down entry level version of full

ClearCase that is due to be out of support

April 30, 2010 by IBM

- Designed for small scale software

development

Base ClearCase - Full tool offering

- Long setup time due to scripting required to

provide a project ready configuration

management solution

- Scripting allows it to be flexible to cater for

different configuration management usagemodels

ClearCase UCM(Unified Change

Management)

- Add on to base ClearCase to provide the UCM

ready to use configuration management

solution out of the box

ClearCase multi-site - Add on to ClearCase base or UCM to provide

geographically distributed development

functionality

- Replicates all ClearCase repositories across

each site using its own replication packet

creation and management, packet transfer, and

replication site routing

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How do I interact with it?

Interface Description

ClearCase explorer Desktop GUI client for end user usage for checking files

in and out of the tool installed onto Windows, or UNIXUCM project explorer Desktop GUI administration interface for UCM on

Windows and *NIX

Cleartool command line Cleartool is the command line version of base and UCM

ClearCase commands on Windows and *NIX

Multitool command line Multitool is the command line interface for multi-site

commands from geographically distributed development

ClearCase commands on Windows and *NIX

ClearCase Automated

Library

Windows COM API for ClearCase

Integrated Windows

Explorer

Access ClearCase explorer commands via an integrated

context menu in Windows explorerClearCase Remote

Client(CCRC)

Eclipse based version of ClearCase that uses only http

port 80 for transfer. ClearCase typically uses a wide

network port range

ClearCase Web A browser based interface ClearCase user interface

Multitool administration

console

A browser based administration console for ClearCase

multi-site. This is due to be discontinued in late 2008

Pros and Cons of ClearCase?

Pros Cons

- Scalability - scales from small

development project with a handful of

developers to a globe distributed

development with thousands of

developers

- Many available interfaces available

from GUI, command line, browser,

eclipse, integration with third party

tools

- Cross platform support across

Windows, z/OS, Linux and UNIX

- Integrates with many third party toolssuch as Visual Source Safe and

Rational Software Architect

- Mature tool offering developed over

nearly twenty years with established

community, wide installation base of

various organizations from

telecommunications/banking/engineeri

ng, certification programme from IBM

- Expensive licensing and support cost

- Steep learning curve for

administrators, and users

- Complex implementation with many

servers involved in a setup

- Network sensitive - Using dynamic

views is very network sensitive as it

needs to make many RPC calls to

refresh the view

- Aging tool that has evolved over

nearly twenty years

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