What is Rational ClearCase?

Rational ClearCase is a version control and configuration management system, generally considered to be the premier product of its type in the software industry. It provides an integrated system for the essential functions of version control, configuration management, build management, workspace management, and process configurability that can scale with the size of your team. By automating many of the necessary, yet error-prone tasks associated with software development, Rational ClearCase enables teams of all sizes to build the highest-quality software and Web applications. Version control tools have traditionally only provided configuration management of source code, Rational ClearCase helps software teams control everything that evolves in development — including requirements, models, source code, documentation, and test scripts through integrations with other Rational tools.

How do I use Rational ClearCase?

Your use of Rational ClearCase will depend on your role on the team. The Getting Started Guide for Rational ClearCase considers three different roles: team member, administrator, and project manager.

Team Member – You will be using Rational ClearCase in the context of designing, creating, building, testing, or documenting your software. In the roadmap, we’ve set up the steps that you’ll need to take in order to get up and running using ClearCase: checking files out and in, performing builds, and using the ‘rules of the road’ that your Project Manager and Administrator create so that the team can produce its software.

Administrator – You will be in charge of a Rational ClearCase installation or of setting up and maintaining the Rational ClearCase environment for one or more software development groups. In the roadmap, we’ve set up the steps that will get you to the initial planning of the deployment, deciding the hardware and network infrastructure you’ll need depending on the size of your project, establishing polices for the team (“rules of the road for team members”), migrating your existing assets into Rational ClearCase as well as a wealth of troubleshooting tips. We’re trying to provide the information that you need to get your team up and running smoothly as quickly as possible.

Project Manager – You will be responsible for deciding how the development team uses ClearCase in the context of your software development project so that the team can work efficiently. In this roadmap, we’ve set up the steps that you’ll need to understand how a ClearCase deployment will provide value for your team, the different ways that you can organize your ClearCase usage, and tips for the kinds of configuration management processes that we’ve found useful and what to avoid.