3184 Optimizing StarTeam for Distributed Teams

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3184Optimizing StarTeam for Distributed Teams

• Randy Guck
• Chief Scientist, DSP
• Borland

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Overview

• The distributed team dilemma
• The challenge
• The dilemma
• Advantages and concerns of replication
• Advantages and concerns of centralization

3
Overview

• Distributed teams the StarTeam way
• Optimizations for remote teams
• Client-activated options
• New features for StarTeam 7.0
• StarTeamMPX
• Turning the network inside-out
• New features for StarTeam 7.0
• StarTeam Import/Export Manager
• The future of distributed teams

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The Distributed Team Dilemma
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Centralize or Replicate?

• The challenge
• Teams are increasingly becoming distributed
• Global companies, out-sourcing, etc.
• Geographically dispersed teams need access to the
  same lifecycle artifacts
• Variation Sometimes network issues raise the
  same issues for network near teams

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Centralize or Replicate?

• The dilemma
• Should repositories be centralized and access
  provided to all team members? or
• Should repositories be replicated to remote
  locations for local access?

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Replication

• Advantages
• Network-near performance for remote teams
• Remote teams remain productive when the root
  server is inaccessible

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Replication

• Concerns
• High administrative cost for constant replication
• Artificial merge conditions introduced
• Replication demands its own bandwidth and
  reliability
• High product cost (extra hardware, licenses,
  DBAs, )

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Centralized Repositories

• Advantages
• Maximum administrative control
• Users, groups, security
• Workflow, customization
• Product versions and upgrades
• No artificial merge conditions
• Lowest overall cost (e.g., admin, servers, H/A
  features in one place)

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Centralized Repositories

• Concerns
• How do remote teams get performance?
• How do remote teams remain productive during
  network brownouts?

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The StarTeam Solution

• StarTeam promotes centralized repositories
• Highest control/security, lowest cost
• How do remote teams remain productive?
• Optimizations for remote users
• Innovative technology for remote teams
• Intelligent push caching, reducing the need to
  touch the network
• Replication not needed for distributed teams!

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Optimizations forRemote Teams
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StarTeam C/S Architecture
StarTeam Client
StarTeam Server
Command API
StarTeam Client
DB
Vault
All information is pulled by clients using a
request/reply command API
StarTeam Client
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Optimizations for Remote Teams

• Command API compression
• Reduces network traffic up to 80

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Optimizations for Remote Teams

• Delta check-outs for faster check-outs
• New for 7.0 Cross-platform client support

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Optimizations for Remote Teams

• Auto-reconnect Connection loss resiliency
• New for 7.0 Cross-platform client support

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StarTeamMPXTurning the network inside/out
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StarTeamMPX Architecture
StarTeam Client
StarTeam Server
Event publish stream
Message Broker
StarTeam Client
DB
Vault
Updated objects are pushed to clients, preventing
poll and refresh requests, reducing network demand
StarTeam Client
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StarTeamMPX Profiles

• Deploy a Message Broker in each geographic region
  with gt 5 users
• Note Maximum 10 Message Brokers
• Create an MPX profile for each Message Broker
• e.g., Denver MPX Profile
• Set the client default profile to the one most
  users will use

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Hub-and-Spoke Configuration
MB
MB
ST Server and MB
MB
MB
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Using StarTeamMPX

• First enable it
• Automatic refresh options take advantage of
  update messages

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Using StarTeamMPX

• then choose the appropriate MPX profile

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New for 7.0 MPX Cache Agent
StarTeam Client
StarTeam Server
Check-out requests
Message Broker
Cache Agent
DB
Vault
File publish stream
Encrypted Cache
The Cache Agent is trickled charged with file
contents, providing an alternate check-out source
for remote clients.
StarTeam Client
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MPX Cache Agent

• Advantages
• New files are broadcast once
• Unicast and multicast broadcasting
• Multiple Cache Agents can be deployed to assist
  remote locations
• Cache Agents are trickled-charged automatically
  (push caching)
• Multiple StarTeam server support

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MPX Cache Agent

• Advantages
• Files are encrypted in transfer and storage
• Cache Agent-aware clients can check-out from any
  Cache Agent
• Clients can be configured to auto-locate the
  nearest Cache Agent
• Up to 98 of outbound traffic removed from
  StarTeam server

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MPX Cache Agent

• Advantages
• Remote users receive network-near check-out
  performance
• Bulk/parallel check-out faster than normal
  check-out
• Traffic reduced over long wires more bandwidth
  for other apps
• Server availability window reduced for large
  file check-outs

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Stacked Cache Agents
StarTeam Client
StarTeam Server
Message Broker
Remote Cache Agent
DB
Vault
Encrypted Cache
StarTeam Client
Root Cache Agent
Catch-up/forwarded requests
Alternate check-out path
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Tiered Cache Agents

• Advantages
• Special root Cache Agent provides forwarding
  headwater
• Downstream Cache Agents can forward request
  misses to root Cache Agent
• All Cache Agents in the stream are charged
  along the way (like traditional demand caching)

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Tiered Cache Agents

• Advantages
• Downstream Cache Agents can catch-up from root
  Cache Agent after network outages
• Cache Agents know how to recharge/synchronize,
  regardless of clocks, topologies, etc.
• New Cache Agents can pre-charge from root Cache
  Agent

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Tiered Cache Agents

• Advantages
• Cache Agents can be tiered in any configuration
  any of levels
• Cache Agents auto-locate the root Cache Agent
  minimal configuration
• New remote Cache Agents can be added to the cloud
  dynamically auto-locate clients will
  automatically find and use

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Cache Agent-Aware Clients

• Cross-platform Client

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Cache Agent-Aware Clients

• Bulk check out (BCO) command-line utility
• Alternative to stcmd co command
• Cache Agent-aware
• Switches to regular check-out if needed
• Example
• bco -p "userpw_at_prod149201/Project1/View1/srcfile
  s"
• -useCA autolocate -cfgl "6.0.1" -is -o -filter
  IO ".java"

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Distributed Cache Agents
MB and CA
MB and CA
ST Server, MB, and root CA
MB and CA
MB and CA
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StarTeam Import/Export Manager
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Is Replication Ever Needed?

• Most cited reasons for replication
• Scalability
• Team size exceeds server capabilities
• Not a valid reason for StarTeam!
• Distributed teams
• Software doesnt support remote teams
• Not a valid reason for StarTeam!

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Is Replication Ever Needed?

• Most cited reasons for replication
• Security issues
• Establish a virtual firewall between teams
• Not a valid reason for StarTeam!
• Connectivity
• No physical network with a remote team
• The most valid reason for needing replication

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New for StarTeam 7.0StarTeam Import/Export
Manager

• Features
• Separate export, transfer, and import phases
• Full and incremental export/import
• Scoped processing server, project, view, folder
  hierarchy
• Ideal for project transfer

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Import/Export Basic Flow
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StarTeam Import/Export Manager

• Ideal for copying critical projects from one
  repository to another
• Bi-directional flows can be set-up
• Can be used to move projects to new servers
  (e.g., for rebalancing)
• Note Copied projects are not identical to the
  original
• E.g., CR numbers may change

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The Future of Distributed Teams
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Where are we headed?

• Occasionally-connected/mobile teams
• Read-only caching of all artifacts
• Client auto save of view contexts
• Updates queued and resynched when connectivity is
  restored
• Think email client/PDA metaphor
• Merge conditions resolved during sync

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Summary

• Optimize StarTeam for distributed teams
• Centralized repositories
• Command compression, delta check-out,
  auto-reconnect
• StarTeamMPX, distributed Cache Agents, CA-aware
  clients
• StarTeam Import/Export Manager when replication
  is the only choice

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Questions?
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Thank You

• 3184
• Optimizing StarTeam for Distributed Teams
• Please fill out the speaker evaluation
• You can contact me further at randy.guck_at_borland
  .com