[comp.software-eng] Source code control and DOS/LAN use

kcby@fenix.Atlanta.NCR.COM (kcby) (05/14/88)

We have recently come up with a source code control problem that perhaps one
of you has already tackled.  

Our development environment consists of networked PC's running DOS with a
project file server. (If it makes any difference, the network is a Banyan
token-ring LAN.) Our plan was to keep source code on the server, and do
compilations and links from the individual PC's.  Our development language
will be C++... and herin lies the problem. The C++ pre-processor
(Advantage)  requires all of the 640K of memory beyond a standard DOS load
to compile a program of any size - meaning we can not have the network
driver resident which would allow connection to the server (and the
released source files which might need to be included) while the compile is
occurring.

Because of the memory requirements, it looks like the source will have to
be maintained on each PC. So... does anyone have any suggestions on how we
keep the files on multiple PC's up to date? Copying the files from the
server each time we are ready to compile seems like it would impact the
compile time too severely.  Doing nightly distribution of sources would be
reasonable, except the file server is just that... not a "central"
processor, so there's no "controller" for the network.

And, in thinking about this, I started to wonder how many organizations are
now doing development with networked PC's (and without a "central" project
processor). If you are involved in using a development environment with
networked PC's, I'd like to hear from you. Particularly I'm interested in
knowing:

	a) what kind of network/server arrangement you use
		(including whether you use DOS or XENIX)
	b) whether you use a "central" or "controlling" processor
	b) where you maintain your source code (central or distributed)
	c) how you control access / updates to source code
		(e.g. what kind of change control do you use)
	d) whether you've had a similar problem to solve regarding
		memory use if you're running under DOS and if so
		how you solved it

Please respond in comp.software-eng or by email since I seldom read
comp.sys.ibm.pc.  Thanks.

K.C. Burgess Yakemovic     kcby@Atlanta.NCR.com       
NCR Systems Engineering
- Retail
-- 
K.C. Burgess Yakemovic      
kcby@Atlanta.NCR.com