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IBM Software Group

Essentials of Rational ClearCase

Module 7: Integrating Parallel Development

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Objectives
Upon completing this module, you should be able to:
 Discuss when it is advantageous to branch
 List common branch types and explain when
you might use them
 Perform advanced merges
 Merge and compare non-ClearCase files

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Topics
 Branching
 Branching — review
 Why branch?
 Types of branches
 Instantiating branch types
 Merging
 Performing special types of merges
• Unreserved checkout
• Selective merge
• Subtractive merge
 Merging and comparing non-ClearCase files

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Branching: Review
 Branching is a technique to isolate change and
enable parallel development
 Branching controls the public and private nature
of work
 Branch only when you want to make changes
 Typically, parallel branches are eventually
merged into a resulting product
 Configuration managers, ClearCase
administrators, or project leads typically define
the organization branching and merging policies
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Why Branch?
 When you need project level parallel development of
a common base (ports, spin-offs)
 When you want to isolate aspects of the product’s
evolution (release area, patch area, development
area)
 When you work on a long-range task and want to
save and baseline your own work (private branches)
 When you are working on a new feature and don’t
want to have an impact on other developers
 When you need to organize your work by location for
use with ClearCase MultiSite
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Types of Branches: Integration
Branches
 Branches designated for integrating development work
 Allows you to work on multiple development threads
concurrently
 Examples include
 /main
 Project branches
 Release branches
 Feature branches

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Integration Branch Example: Project
Branch
 Branch used for each separate releasable product
 All development for a
particular project occurs
only on the project branch
 Can be just /main in
simple environments

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Integration Branch Example: Release
Branch
 Branch designated for holding official releases of a
product
 Facilitates tracking changes
among releases
 Keeps version trees compact

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Integration Branch Example: Feature
Branch
 Branch designated for work on a specific feature
 Facilitates tracking the development of individual
modules and integration of the modules into project
development branches

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Types of Branches: Maintenance
Branches
 Branch to track bug fixes
and integrate them into
project or release
branches
 Can generate patch
versions
 Several maintenance
efforts in parallel may
require a maintenance
Integration

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Types of Branches: Developer
Branches
 Branch designated for long-range or high-risk
individual development
 Facilitates tracking the
development of
individual modules and
integration of the
modules into project
and release branches

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MultiSite Branches
 ClearCase MultiSite replicates and synchronizes
VOBs across distant sites
 Branches support parallel development across sites
 Branches are ‘mastered’ by individual sites
 Some integration may
occur at replicated sites
 One site is usually
responsible for ‘release’
branch

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Viewing Branch Types

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Creating Branch Instances Using the
Config Spec
 Once a branch type exists, you can create instances
of that branch type
 Preferred method of instantiating branch types is
using the –mkbranch clause in the config spec
 The -mkbranch clause can be used to implement
complex branching policies and to ensure consistent
branching of elements

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Multiple-Level Auto-Branching
 A config spec can include a “cascade” of
-mkbranch rules:

element * CHECKEDOUT
element * /main/r2_int/pat_r2/LATEST
element * /main/r2_int/LATEST -mkbranch pat_r2
element * R1 -mkbranch r2_int

 Check out continues to create branches until

version zero on the new pat_r2 branch is created

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Multiple-Level Auto-Branching (cont.)
Rule 1: element * CHECKEDOUT
Rule 2: element * /main/r2_int/pat_r2/LATEST
Rule 3: element * /main/r2_int/LATEST -mkbranch pat_r2
Rule 4: element * R1 -mkbranch r2_int

util.c after check out with

the above config spec

util.c before check out

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Multi-Level Auto-Branching: Write
Config Specs
1. 2.

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Topics
 Branching
 Branching — review
 Why branch?
 Types of branches
 Instantiating branch types

 Merging
 Performing special types of merges
• Unreserved checkout
• Selective merge
• Subtractive merge
 Merging/comparing non-ClearCase files

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Merging an Unreserved Checkout
 You cannot check in an unreserved checkout if there are
successor versions
 The unreserved checkout must be merged with LATEST
before you can check in

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Merging an Unreserved Checkout
(cont.)
There are two checkouts: After Alex checks in his After Pat merges Alex’s
one reserved and one reserved checkout changes into her
unreserved version and checks in

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Selective Merge
 Selects changes from
specific versions from a
branch to merge
 Use the –insert option with
merge command
 No merge arrow in Version
Tree Browser

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Selective Merge: Example
Scenario: Integrate bug fix changes of /r1_bugfix/3 into /r2 branch

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Subtractive Merge
 Removes changes made in one
or more of its predecessors from
a checked-out version
 The –delete option indicates the
version or range of versions to
subtract
 No merge arrow in Version Tree
Browser

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Subtractive Merge: Example
Scenario: The multi-thread algorithm
implemented in element versions 2 and
3 contains a fatal flaw. How do you
back out those changes, but retain
subsequent good changes?

Back out only these changes

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Merging Non-ClearCase Files
 Use the ClearCase Diff Merge tool to merge files not
under ClearCase control
Example:
cleartool merge –out newfile.txt
c:\file1.txt c:\file2.txt
 Use the Diff Merge tool to merge non-ClearCase
files with ClearCase elements
Example:
X:\Hardware\src>cleartool merge -g
-to util.c c:\file1.txt

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Comparing Non-ClearCase Files
 Use the ClearCase Diff Merge tool to compare files not
under ClearCase control
Example:
cleartool diff -g c:\file1.txt c:\file2.txt

 Use the Diff Merge tool to compare non-ClearCase files

with ClearCase elements
Example:
X:\Hardware\src>cleartool diff -g util.c c:\file1.txt

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Module Review
 Why might you want to create a branch?
 How do you know what branch types are available?
 What is the recommended way to create branch
instances?
 What do you do if you want to check in an
unreserved checkout, but there are successor
versions?
 What is a selective merge? Why would you perform
one?
 What is a subtractive merge? Why would you
perform one?
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Module Lab
 In this lab, you perform the following tasks:
 Use the ClearCase GUI to view branch types
 Perform a selective merge
 Use the command line interface to
• Compare and merge non-ClearCase files
• Perform a subtractive merge

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