The Adele Configuration Manager

This article proposes an overview of the Adele system and also discusses other approaches and other systems. While most of our work on Configuration Management is covered, we have deliberately chosen to discuss in greater depth the Work Space aspect and the relationship between the Repository Space and the WSs. A Software Configuration Management (SCM) system results from harmonious collaboration between a Repository Space (RS) and Work Spaces (WSs). The WS controls the dynamic aspect of SCM, i.e., the place where activities are performed; the RS is the place wherein software objects are modelled, stored and manipulated. It is argued here that an SCM system must satisfy conflicting requirements. These are the need for a powerful and dedicated OMS with high modelling power (and thus complexity), and the need for files and directories which are simple concepts, but with low modelling power. We show how different systems have met these requirements. This article shows how different aspects of the Adele system contribute to meeting these requirements and how this provides a highly customizable and extensible system with services for complex data management, tool integration, inter-tool cooperation, process support and configuration management.