Feature List of
PERFORCE
PERFORCE ...
The Fast Software Configuration Management System
Feature List
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PERFORCE Saves Time
- PERFORCE is just plain f-f-f-fast.
All interactions are geared towards performance. It is almost
always faster to use Perforce than to do without it.
- PERFORCE is client/server: your
repository is centrally located and your users can be anywhere on
your TCP/IP network. Users access files that are on their local,
fast disk.
- PERFORCE does not rely on NFS access
to the repository. PERFORCE only moves files
between the repository and client host to synchronize the two.
This minimizes the use of valuable network bandwidth, making
PERFORCE usable even over slow WANs.
- PERFORCE uses a fast implementation
of RCS for the repository, so your source code is never hostage to
a proprietary format.
- PERFORCE's repository can be checkpointed
for backup very quickly, practically eliminating downtime
for users. This is particularly important for world-wide companies,
where there is no "middle of the night" for downtime.
PERFORCE Saves Money
- PERFORCE has a low price point and
comes complete with all advertised functionality. No hidden add-ons
for atomic change transactions or WAN support.
- PERFORCE is lightweight. A relatively
modest server can support a large number of users. All but the
largest projects can fit within a single repository, eliminating
administrative hassles.
- PERFORCE does not require special file
system support. The metadata is centralized, but your files are
on your fast (and ever cheaper) local disks.
- PERFORCE does not require extensive
administration. All operations, with the exceptions of starting
the server and backing up the database, are commands available to
normal users.
- PERFORCE does not clog your network,
so you don't need costly network segmenting.
PERFORCE Improves Control
- PERFORCE tracks all important client
state, totally eliminating the need for hand maintained lists.
PERFORCE knows what files the client has,
where they are, which ones are being changed, what changes are
being prepared, etc. PERFORCE presents this
information to the user in such a ways as to streamline the user
interface.
- PERFORCE tracking of client state
allows users to stay informed of what their peers are doing. If
you tell PERFORCE that you want to edit a
file, it tells you who else is editing the file.
PERFORCE allows parallel development, but
avoids the accidental kind!
- PERFORCE supports atomic change
transactions -- submitting a group of files as a logical set. This
makes keeping the repository in a consistent state second nature
for engineers.
- PERFORCE lets you label source
configurations and later reproduce them exactly.
- PERFORCE employs a flexible view
mechanism for mapping repository files onto clients and for creating
branches within the repository.
- PERFORCE uses a unique branching model,
called Inter-File Branching
TM, that makes creating and maintaining
branches an understandable, automatable, and trackable activity.
A Paper on Inter-File Branching was
presented at the Sixth International Workshop on Software Configuration
Management (SCM6) in Berlin, March 1996.
- PERFORCE does not impose any particular
engineering process. PERFORCE can be used
to implement a wide spectrum of source management policies - or no
policies. This is described in more detail in the PERFORCE Software Life-Cycle
Modelling paper.
- PERFORCE lets you detach a client host
from the network, work locally, and later resume interaction with
the repository with full source integrity.
- PERFORCE runs on the platforms you
work on, so there are no second-class platforms that must work
outside of the SCM system. If the client program doesn't already
run on your platform, we'll port it there. Currently, the client
is available on NT, Windows/95, OS/2, Macintosh, and almost every
UNIX platform. The server is available on NT and most UNIX platforms.
For information about other platforms, contact
us.
More Information
-
The most detailed description of PERFORCE
is available in the Concepts
Section of the user manual.
Feature List of
PERFORCE
Copyright 1996 Perforce Software.
Comments to info@perforce.com.
Last updated: September 30, 1996