 | Level: Introductory 27 Jun 2006 Answers to some frequently asked questions about the latest release of the Rational Software Development Platform.
Question: What are we announcing?
Answer: Version 7.0 of the IBM Rational Team/lifecycle products. This release allows customers to integrate and automate the business process of software and systems development. The next generation compliance-oriented architecture will help customers improve their processes and infrastructures to accelerate global software delivery. The products include:
Question: What is the significance of this announcement?
ClearCase:
- ClearCase’s integrations with Build Forge and Tivoli Provisioning Manager provide powerful build and deployment management. When used in conjunction with ClearQuest, this allows customers to keep track of each version of every file that went into a given build. This allows the build manager to recreate builds if necessary, and also provides an audit trail often necessary for compliance. Java™ programming language is now supported, as well.
- A new integration between Rational ClearCase and Tivoli Provisioning Manager provides for closed-loop delivery management. This means that customers can deploy applications to servers quickly and easily and track all deployment activity. This new automation capability means less human interaction, faster turnaround and less room for mistakes.
- The remote client for ClearCase (CCRC) has been improved, resulting in better functionality for project managers and developers in remote locations. This includes more support for Unified Change Management (UCM), improved ability to create branches and labels, and an improved user interface for browsing versions and projects.
- Unified Change Management, which provides a standard, clearly defined process for change management, has improvements to scalability, performance, and usability. This will allow for broader usage of UCM at an enterprise level.
ClearQuest:
- ClearQuest now provides flexible and integrated test management across distributed teams. The traditional domain of CQ, change and activity management is expanded to include test and deployment management. This includes the ability to create test cases and link them with defects, activities and requirements. The result is better traceability needed both for process improvement and compliance.
- ClearQuest now supports the ability for mixed language international users to work in their native operating system environment. For example, this means that users in Germany, Japan, and the US could all work in the same ClearQuest database using their native language operating system environment instead of being forced to use a single language. The project will still need to be in one language, but the user is able to maintain their own system language separate from the project.
- ClearQuest now has full Eclipse® client support based on the Rich Client Platform (RCP) on Microsoft® Windows, Unix® or Linux®. This allows customers to work in a standard environment, increasing support for integrations and decreasing the learning curve for new users.
Build Forge
- Provides automated build and release management. The combination of IBM and Build Forge uniquely positions IBM in the software development tools market by closing the gap between writing code, building an application, and deploying it to test or production.
RequisitePro
- The web interface to RequisitePro, called RequisiteWeb, has increased functionality and usability making it much better solution for remote users.
Question: What are the top three key themes/messages of this announcement?
Answer: The three key themes of this release are:
- Closed-loop software delivery management. Using IBM Rational Build Forge for automated build and release management, and IBM Rational ClearCase and ClearQuest and Tivoli integrations for tracking and auditing assets in production, customers now have more control over their software assets than ever before.
- Flexible and integrated test management across distributed teams. The new test management capabilities of ClearQuest provide for global test management automation as well as configurable test workflows to easily enable and enforce consistent test management best practices.
- Extended globalization support. Improved remote access and Web clients in IBM Rational ClearCase, IBM Rational ClearQuest and IBM Rational RequisitePro means that teams distributed across multiple locations can work more efficiently and effectively. Improved language support in IBM Rational ClearQuest allows more users to work in their native language environments.
Question: What are the advantages of this release over competing products?
Answer: These offerings extend the power of Rational tools across the complete software development lifecycle. Rational can now manage, track and report on artifacts and activities from design to deploy.
Question: What are some examples or scenarios of how the new products may be used by customers?
ClearCase
- A customer, responding to an audit, can get required information about an application in production, and trace it back through all of the elements of the lifecycle, ensure that it was tested and approved, see the change requests made to its various versions, and see the requirements and business cases that created the application in the first place.
- A customer, desiring to speed up deployment of enhancements they have made to their software, uses the new automation capabilities of ClearCase and Tivoli Provisioning Manager to quickly build and deploy new versions of their application to their servers, in turn resulting in faster improvements for their customers.
- Users of ClearCase not co-located with the rest of their development team can now use the Eclipse client to efficiently make use of Unified Change Management, check-in, check-out, and build applications.
ClearQuest
- Testing teams, wanting to create and manage test assets across global teams, can use ClearQuest to create test workflows to easily enable and enforce consistent test management best practices.
- Customers, hoping to simplify and standardize their software development environment use ClearQuest in the popular Eclipse shell, where it can coexist and integrate with other software tools like Rational Application Developer, Rational Software Architect and Rational Software Modeler. This common work environment lowers the learning curve and increases productivity.
Rational Build Forge
- Build Forge provides a scalable build platform that enables you to automate builds and increase overall build efficiency, reducing the cost of software delivery, governance and regulatory compliance, creating tighter problem resolution and repair cycles, and significant improvements in software quality.
Question: How does this release solve specific customer or developer pain points?
ClearCase
- Java developers can now take advantage of ClearCase’s powerful build auditing capabilities. This means they now have the ability to see exactly which versions of each file where included in a build and can precisely reproduce that build at any time. This makes debugging easier and allows Java developers to more easily reproduce defects found by others. It also supports traceability of Java source code to executables, which can be valuable for compliance.
- Because of the improved functionality in ClearCase Remote Client, geographically distributed developers, product managers and configuration managers working on the same projects can more easily and efficiently use ClearCase.
ClearQuest
- One location to report and track all elements of the lifecycle: requirements, test cases, change requests, defects, UCM activities, build and deployment records.
- Configurable test workflows allow customers to easily enable and enforce consistent test management best practices across global teams.
RequisitePro
- Remote users can manage requirements better than ever before. Multiple selections, drag-and-drop, table support, and project template support all make the capabilities of the Web client much closer to the native Windows interface.
Build Forge
- Build Forge allows build managers to improve build efficiency by allowing more frequent build iterations, higher quality, and improved team efficiency and closes the gap between coding, testing, and deploying
All
- Improved remote access and Web clients in IBM Rational ClearCase, IBM Rational ClearQuest and IBM Rational RequisitePro means that all team members, no matter where they are located around the world, can do their jobs better than ever before.
Question: What are the main benefits of this release to customers?
ClearCase
- Software configuration managers and software developers with large development teams that may be geographically distributed.
- Customers who would like to show compliance with regulations such as SOX, and those who desire to improve the process of IT governance.
- z/OS users who would like to use the same configuration management tool on the mainframe that they use on their workstations.
ClearQuest
- Because of its new functionality and workflow management for deployment, test management, and requirements, ClearQuest now supports testers, business analysts and deployment managers, as well as configuration managers and developers.
Question: What is IBM’s advantage over competing products with this release?
ClearQuest
- With this release IBM is improving the ability of customers to manage the complete software development lifecycle. ClearQuest now supports more than change management and defect tracking by adding functionality and workflow management for deployment, test management, and requirements. This allows stricter control and greater oversight of the business process of software development.
ClearCase/ClearQuest/Build Forge
- The integration of these three products provides unparalleled support for build automation, providing improved build efficiency. This allows more frequent build iterations, higher quality, and improved team efficiency and closes the gap between coding, testing, and deploying.
Question: What makes IBM's offering better in this space?
Answer: IBM offers the most complete and flexible solution. None of IBM's competitors, such as Microsoft, Mercury, Serena, or Computer Associates, can cover the whole software development lifecycle with such flexibility and control.
Question: Which industry standards does this product support?
ClearQuest
- ClearQuest Eclipse Client is built upon the standard Eclipse RCP (rich client platform) versions 3.0.x and 3.1.
- The new testing capabilities in ClearQuest support the Eclipse TPTP framework.
ClearCase
- The ClearCase Remote Client is built upon the standard Eclipse RCP (rich client platform) versions 3.0.x and 3.1.
- This release includes an integration with Microsoft® Visual Studio 2003 and 2005 releases. The integration takes full advantage of updates available in the latest release of the integrated development environment (IDE).
Question: Of what is the significance is this new release of ClearQuest to various geographies, and how many languages does it support?
Answer:
- This release provides more flexibility in international deployments by allowing users to work in their preferred native operating system environment.
- ClearQuest supports 121 locales and has been translated into nine languages: Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Korean.
Question: What other IBM solutions are involved in this initiative?
Answer:
Question: How have IBM partners and customers helped to support and extend this product?
Quote from Siemens: "The enhanced traceability that IBM Rational now provides helps Siemens’ medical group adhere to FDA compliance requirements. Quite simply, without this functionality, our products would not meet FDA approval and therefore could not go to market. For my company, e-signatures and deployment tracking are an absolute must."
-- Rainer Ersch
Siemens AG Corporate Technology, Principle Engineer
Rational Information Broker at Siemens
Partner overview
| Ring-Zero Software | The Ring-Zero Test Execution Adapters for QuickTest and WinRunner makes Mercury test assets accessible to ClearQuest users. It leverages QuickTest and WinRunner for native script playback and viewing of test results, and supports execution of QuickTest and WinRunner scripts from the ClearQuest Eclipse Client and other Eclipse-based IBM Rational tools, which support the ClearQuest perspective. Traceability of test results can be established to RequisitePro requirements and ClearQuest defects. | | Akimbi Systems | The Akimbi Slingshot™ integration with ClearQuest automatically launches the correct test configuration for an IBM Rational ClearQuest test case, and creates a snapshot of the configuration at the time of failure for tests from IBM Rational test products (Rational Manual Tester, Rational Functional Tester) to populate defects. | | Black Duck | BlackDuck's protexIP™ suite of products integrates with Rational ClearCase to scan all the source code in a project to help ensure appropriate use of open source and third party intellectual property. | | SPI Dynamics | SPI Dynamics QAInspect™ for Rational Software Development Platform helps teams build more secure, higher quality software that achieves compliance objectives. The solution, along with Rational ClearQuest test manager and Rational Functional Tester, provides integrated workflow to find security and functional defects without a developer having to be a security expert. The result is a single platform for managing security and functionality for pre-production, development and post-production | | LogicLibrary | The LogicLibrary AnySource Adapter for ClearCase and ClearQuest enables the Logidex asset management repository to automatically capture information from UCM configurations. | | RAVENFLOW | RAVEN Professional integration with Requisite Pro and Rational Method Composer enables teams to detect and correct requirements errors before coding begins, and deliver precise requirements to developers. | | iRise®
| iRise Studio™ enables business analysts to quickly and easily create simulations of Web applications to define requirements. Those requirements can be generated into RequisitePro for use across the software development lifecycle. | | PTC | PTC WindChill's integration with ClearCase allows customers to synchronize software development with mechanical and electrical design data. It also efficiently manages collaboration between software development teams and other groups in the systems product development process. | | Catalyst Systems Corporation | Catalyst’s Openmake complements the Rational solution by minimizing the use of ad hoc Make and Ant/XML scripts that normally execute between Rational Application Developer and ClearCase. Openmake manages and traces source file dependencies, performs impact analysis, and enforces the use of ClearCase approved source code. |
Resources Learn
Get products and technologies
- To learn more about IBM Rational products, visit the developerWorks Rational zone. You'll find technical documentation, how-to articles, education, downloads, product information, and more.
- Find more resources for ClearCase users and administrators in the ClearCase area of the developerWorks Rational
zone, including articles and whitepapers, plug-ins, scripts and triggers; and links to training, discussion forums, product documentation and support.
- ClearQuest users and administrators can find more resources in the ClearQuest section of the developerWorks Rational zone, including ClearQuest hooks, Eclipse plug-ins, product documentation, articles and whitepapers.
- To learn more about TestManager, visit the TestManager area of developerWorks Rational.
- Learn more about RequisitePro in the RequisitePro area of the developerWorks Rational
zone.
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