Rational ClearDDTS 3.2
New Features in Version 3.2
- New SQL relational database
With ClearDDTS 3.2, the user has the ability to send SQL queries to the
ClearDDTS SQL server and have the desired information returned in the
specified format.
By default, the system will use our own SQL database at no additional charge
for the user.
- Oracle support
ClearDDTS 3.2 also supports the use of Oracle as your SQL server at no
additional charge.
- Enclosure searching
With ClearDDTS 3.2, the user is able to search ClearDDTS enclosures in the
same manner that fixed length fields are searched.These enclosure searches
run at full database speed.
- Improved Configuration Management Interface
ClearDDTS now uses the popular cm.browser window for its CM file selection
box.This browser provides a much better interface for file checkin and
checkout.Additionally, the information in the CM events enclosure will
now be stored in the SQL database for easy access.
- Support for Multiple Tables
The ClearDDTS SQL server can be configured to use multiple tables if
desired.This will reduce the amount of null information stored in the
database.
- Continued Flat File Support
ClearDDTS currently maintains defect information in BOTH a database and a
flat file.Many ClearDDTS users feel that this is an important feature
as it allows them to manipulate the ASCII defects with normal Unix
utilities.That is, a search runs at normal database speeds and the
defects discovered, as part of the search, may be manipulated using
normal Unix utilities.Then the SQL database can be updated from the
ASCII using adminbug dbms.
Flat file support will continue in addition to the SQL database support.
- Improved User Interface
Many small changes were made to the user interface in response to customer
feedback.Many areas are now more consistent and easier to use.
- Point-and-click modification
During record modification you can point to the field you need to modify
using Ctrl-button1.This will automatically advance the template file
to the field closest to the mouse position.You no longer have to tab
through all the fields to modify a single record.Note that this only
works when modifying a record using the Modify->Modify Record menu
option.
When you have finished modifying the record, you can save the changes by
pressing Ctrl-D.This is in addition to the previous functionality
where Ctrl-C throws away the changes.
- 100% Backwards Compatibility
ClearDDTS 3.2 will support all of the existing command line applications
and their syntax.This means that all calls to the current ClearDDTS
query system (findbug(1)) will be supported.These queries will
be reworked to send SQL queries to the ClearDDTS SQL database.Therefore
all user written shell scripts, metrics, and reports should continue
to work unmodified.
- 100% Interoperability
Because the format of flat files and Email has not changed, a ClearDDTS 3.2
server can connect to a DDTs 3.x server and communicate successfully.You
can upgrade one site without upgrading any others and still keep the current
connections in place with no modifications at all.
- Much, much, more...
A number of smaller enhancements have been incorporated into this release.
See the BUGFIXES file for a more detailed list.
Currently Supported Platforms
ClearDDTS release 3.2 formally supports the following platforms:
- SunOS 4.1.2, 4.1.3
- Solaris 2.3, 2.4
- HP-UX 9.05
Caveats for Oracle
The Oracle libraries used in the software are as follows:
- SunOS - Oracle 7.1.6
- Solaris - Oracle 7.1.6
- HP-UX - Oracle 7.1.6
This should work with any Oracle server at the 7.0 and 7.1 levels
NOTE: The ClearDDTS Administrator's Manual refers to a special license key
for Oracle. A special license key is no longer required. These
references can be ignored.
Oracle requires the use of the ORACLE_HOME environment variable.When the
ClearDDTS admin switches to Oracle using the adminbug chdb command, the
command will prompt for the ORACLE_HOME variable (this prompt is not in
the current documentation). If ORACLE_HOME is not set in this manner, the
ClearDDTS admin should modify the crontab entry for ddts to read something
like this:
0,15,30,45 * * * * ORACLE_HOME=/usr/oracle /usr/ddts/bin/ddtsd > /dev/null
0 1 * * * ORACLE_HOME=/usr/oracle/usr/ddts/bin/ddtsclean
Note that this change is only required if ORACLE_HOME is not set with
the adminbug chdb command.
If ORACLE_HOME was not set with adminbug chdb, you will need to inform your
users that they will need to set the ORACLE_HOME variable in their personal
environments in order to use ClearDDTS to access the database.This is a
requirement for Oracle.
Note: When you set ORACLE_HOME with adminbug chdb, this value will
override any ORACLE_HOME value set by the user.
When you create your ddts database user (the owner of ClearDDTS tables)
as described in Appendix H of the Administrator's manual, add the
following line to the user definition:
GRANT DROP PUBLIC SYNONYM TO "DDTS";
This command grants the ClearDDTS administratocoder permission to delete
(drop) synonyms.For information about granting privileges and public
synonyms, see your Oracle documentation.
Changes in 3.2 affecting existing installations
Several enhancements were made to the product that will affect how
existing users work.Also some things have changed due to the addition of
the new database.The following is a list of changes you may want to tell
your user community about.
- Initial defect sorting by state is no longer statenames dependent.
This is because the SQL standard says that sorting is according to field
type.Since the field type for the Status field is alphabetical, this is
how the Status field is sorted.Thus, N bugs will now appear after A
bugs.
- Mouse button usage has changed.Cut and paste functionality has been
added to the product. This required a change to how mouse buttons
were used.By default the buttons act like the standard xterm program.
For backwards compatibility the functions of next, clear, and previous
field have been mapped to Control and Shift button combinations.The
following is the default map of the functions:
Modifier |
Button 1 |
Button 2 |
Button 3 |
<none> select paste extend select |
|
|
|
<cntrl> modify* paste next field |
|
|
|
<shift> extend select clear field prev field |
|
|
|
* - modify only available in Modify mode (OPERATION = m).
To help our users, we made these choices dependent on X resources.If you
want these buttons to function differently, please see the ~ddts/etc/XDdts
file.There are instructions in that file to show you how to set these
buttons differently on a per user basis.
- Database field names have changed.SQL is all lower case and does not
allow dashes.We have rewritten the libraries and code to do an
automatic translation between the original dfile format and SQL format
internally.That is the purpose of the database.cfg file.However, this
does not work in the case of fields that use SQL keywords. For instance,
for a field such as View (which is an SQL keyword), you need to use the
SQL name defined in the database.cfg file (in this case, ddts_view).
Therefore, findbug View == Y will not work, but findbug ddts_view == Y
will.
- The CM file browser has been replaced by the cm.browser main window.
While this makes it different, we believe this is a much more intuitive
interface.
- The Monochrome option has been removed.The default resources should
work equally well on both color and monochrome screens.For your
convenience, we have also included an example resource file
(~ddts/etc/XDdts.mono) designed explicitly for monochome monitors.
- Specification of enclosure editor is different.You can now set the
editor to be anything you wish.Non-windowing editors can be invoked
using a command line like: xterm -e vi.ClearDDTS will attempt to convert
your old editor setting into the new format.However, if this fails for
some reason, you will have to set it yourself in the Options->Editor
window.
- The Complex Query has changed slightly.The buttons for the field names
are defined by the SQL names, which are all lower case and have dashes
converted to underscores.You may need to look in the database.cfg file
to see what the new names are.
Also, when you save a query with Save As Default in the Complex Query or
Select Project, Class & State window, that query will be used to load the
index the next time you start ClearDDTS.This default query will then
be used each time you start ClearDDTS until you save a new query with the
Save As Default option in either of the two dialogs.
- By default xddts requires you to commit or discard bugs after you have
modified them.If desired, you can set the number of uncommitted bugs
xddts will allow you to have modified to any number between 1 and 50.Use
the setdsrc command to set the field Gui_Num_Commit to this number.The
default value is 1.
- Refresh will refresh your last query all the time.Before, when you
looked at Action items and Special/Support, refresh would take you back to
the last bug query.Now it just refreshes the current index.This should
be less confusing.
Also, refresh will NOT keep submitted bugs around.Previously xddts would
keep any newly submitted bugs in the index no matter what the search
actually was.Now, it will do the last query and whatever matches is
added to the index.So newly submitted bugs will only show up if they
would match your last query.
- Many buttons have been rearranged or their labels have been changed.
This was mostly to make them more Motif compliant and easier to use and
understand.This should make the UI more intuitive to use.
- ClearDDTS now explicitly looks for binary data in the bug records.
Binary data cannot be sent to an SQL database.For this reason the
database rebuild now checks for binary data.If any is found in a normal
field this is not allowed and an error is issued.Any binary found in an
enclosure will be converted to spaces before being placed in the SQL
database.Note that the allbugs file is NEVER changed in this manner,
only the copy in the SQL database is modified, and only for enclosures.
For this purpose History is considered a normal field and not a user
editable enclosure.
Changes in 3.2 configuration files that are not required
We have made changes to the standard master.tmpl files to make the default
user interface more pleasing.None of these changes are required for you
to make, but you may find them useful.
In the software class:
The help file for Submitter-phone is much more helpful now.It lists
examples of how to automatically set the user's phone number.
The Address field is now the read-only field of Submitter-mail.This is
to prevent the confusion when Submitter-id@Submitter-host was used.
If you choose "not a bug" or "unreproducible" as your problem type, the template will fill in most of the rest of the fields by default.
Est-fix-time and Analysis time default to 1 instead of null.Est-fix-date
defaults to today to make entering that date easier.
The Identifier field is now included in the user index line.
If you answer "N" to "has this been resolved" in verification, you get to explain why in an enclosure and the bug is automatically transitioned back
to the Open state.
In the todo class:
A bug was fixed that caused the history to be updated incorrectly when you
submitted an action item to yourself.
Technical Support
Contact your local Technical Support center.