Aleph Version Maintenance

Version Maintenance

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Requirements for Aleph 500.14

• Stability• Control • Minimum changes for user

• Systematic patch application • Automate where possible

Version Maintenance

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Requirements for Aleph 500.14

• Stability– deliver a fully tested version– minimize future fixes

• Control– keep ‘clean’ version– replace only wrong files

• Minimum changes for user– keep files and tables structure– less fixes to be applied

Version Maintenance

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Requirements for Aleph 500.14

• Systematic patch application

– about every 60 fixes– available documentation– fixed process for upgrade

• Automate where possible– prepared scripts for

application

Version Maintenance

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Solutions for Aleph 500.14

• New Quality Control Group– stability– control

• Existing rep_change mechanism• Patch Control

– systematic patch application– automated processes

Version Maintenance

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Patch Control

• “500.14.2 1” – first production version– control passes from QC to

Support– already has many rep_changes

before production release

Version Maintenance

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Patch Control

• “500.14.2 n”– subsequent production versions– available as version or

incremental patch– will have ~60 rep_change

additions per patch

Version Maintenance

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Patch Production at EXL/QC

• 500.14.2 n version– closed by QC according to

support group request– based on 500.14.2 n-1

– additional rep_changes applied– gzipped tar file of the complete

version for every platform

Version Maintenance

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Patch Production at EXL/QC

• 500.14.2 n patch contains– new/modified files from 500.14.2

n-1 – new executables (per platform)– backup list– backup script– documentation

• one gzipped tar file for all platforms

Version Maintenance

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Application of patch

• Performed by supporting agent • Place patch files in $aleph_dev• Backup files to be changed• Open patch to target• Apply library setup changes

according to documentation

Version Maintenance

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Patch application policy

• Must be applied consecutively• Can apply 1-4 patches at one

session• Try to maintain all customers at the same patch level• Avoid individual fixes where

possible

Version Maintenance

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Documentation

• New “How to” document for application

• Description of each patch on web support interface• “rep_change patch 4” will list patch 4 rep_changes only• “rep_change patch 4 readme” will list the readme file of patch 4

Version Maintenance

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Looking inside

cd /aleph/patch14.1ls14.1.03/ 14.1.03_other_servers/

Show on server