Version and configuration management method and apparatus and computer readable recording medium for recording therein version and configuration management program

• US 6,272,678 B1
• Filed: 11/04/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Imachi, Makoto, Takahashi, Toru, Aoyama, Yuki, Hoshi, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Ted T.
• Application Number:
  US09/185,645
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 717/11, 717/1, 707/511, 707/203
• US Class Current: 717/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A table of a manual for xx product (1st edition) includes component names, file names, version up mode and version numbers of a project. When the version up mode is a fixed mode, a version number in the table is fixed, while in an auto-changing mode components are edited and when a new version is prepared, a version number is updated. Versions V2 and V1 of a table of contents, versions V2 and V1 of a first chapter and the like show registered states in version information management tables. Table of contents of up to V2 is prepared, while since it is set to a fixed mode in the table, V1 thereof is fixed. In case of first chapter, when V2 thereof is prepared, it is updated to V2 in the table since it is set to auto-changing mode and the version number thereof is updated each time a new version is prepared until it is changed to a fixed mode. In this manner, versions of compositions, drawings and the like constituting a project such as a manual are managed and the relation between any versions is managed as an aggregate.

Claims

1. A version and configuration management method in a project management system including a processing unit, a memory unit and a terminal unit and for managing a project including a plurality of components by using a configuration management folder, said method comprising:

assigning each of said components one of an auto-changing mode in which a version number and a version of component referred by said configuration management folder to be managed of said project are updated successively and a fixed mode in which said version number and said version of said component referred by said configuration management folder are not updated and a new version of said component is prepared;

updating each of said components based on said mode assigned to each of said components; and

judging whether a component is present in said configuration information management table preserved in said memory unit or not and when said corresponding component is present, judging a version up mode of said corresponding component in said configuration information management table so that when said Judged result is the auto-changing mode, a version number of said corresponding component is changed to said updated version number and when said judged result is the fixed mode, said version number of said corresponding component is not changed.

2. A version and configuration management method in a project management system including a processing unit, a memory unit and a terminal unit and for managing a project including a plurality of components by using a configuration management folder, comprising:

assigning each of said components one of an auto-changing mode and a fixed mode;

registering information including names of components to be managed of said project, names of files in which said components are stored, version numbers of said components and version up modes each representing one of said auto-changing mode in which versions of said components referred by said configuration management folder are automatically updated and said fixed mode in which said versions of said components referred by such configuration management folder are not updated into a configuration information management table with version up mode or updating said information in said table and preserving said table in said memory unit;

updating, when a component of said project is edited, a version number of said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit and updating a version information management table corresponding to said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit; and

judging whether a component corresponding to said edited component of said project is present in said configuration information management table preserved in said memory unit or not and when said corresponding component is present, judging a version up mode of said corresponding component in said configuration information management table so that when said judged result is the auto-changing mode, a version number of said corresponding component is changed to said updated version number and when said judged result is the fixed mode, said version number of said corresponding component is not changed.

3. A version and configuration management method according to claim 2, wherein when said component of said project is edited, it is judged whether a component corresponding to said edited component of said project is present in said configuration information management table or not before said version number of said edited component of said project is updated to be preserved in said memory unit and when said corresponding component is present, a version up mode of said corresponding component in said table is judged so that when said judged result is the auto-changing mode, an indication for causing a user to select any preservation method of “

preservation”

or “

version is fixed and preserved”

is made so that the user can select said preservation method.

4. A version and configuration management method according to claim 2, wherein a configuration management folder version information management table for managing versions of said configuration management folder composed of said configuration information management table of said project having said information registered or updated and a name of said project is prepared for each of said folder and when a new version of said configuration management folder is prepared, configuration management folder version information including a version number, a preparation date, a folder state indicative of fixed state or updating state and a fixed date of said new version is registered in said configuration management folder version information management table, which is preserved in said memory unit, said configuration management folder version information management table preserved in said memory unit being updated when information for changing said configuration management folder version information is inputted.

5. A version and configuration management method according to claim 2, wherein said configuration information management table with version up mode is displayed in said terminal unit in response to a change request of the version up mode of the component in said configuration information management table and a menu picture for setting the version up mode of a component to the auto-changing mode or the fixed mode is displayed in said terminal unit in response to selection of a component to be changed, said version up mode of said component being changed in response to selection of any of the auto-changing mode or the fixed mode in said menu when it is selected.

6. A version and configuration management apparatus in a project management system including a processing unit, a memory unit and a terminal unit and for managing a project including a plurality of components by using a configuration management folder, comprising:

means for assigning each of said components one of an auto-changing mode and a fixed mode;

means for registering information including names of components to be managed of said project, names of files in which said components are stored, version numbers of said components and version up modes each representing one of said auto-changing mode in which versions of said components referred by said configuration management folder are automatically updated and said fixed mode in which the versions of said components referred by said configuration management folder are not updated into a configuration information management table with version up mode or updating said information in said table and preserving said table in said memory unit;

means for updating, when a component of said project is edited, a version number of said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit and updating a version information management table corresponding to said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit; and

means for judging whether a component corresponding to said edited component of said project is present in said configuration information management table preserved in said memory unit or not and when said corresponding component is present, judging a version up mode of said corresponding component in said configuration information management table so that when said judged result is the auto-changing mode, a version number of said corresponding component is changed to said updated version number and when said judged result is the fixed mode, a version number of said corresponding component is not changed.

7. A computer readable recording medium for recording therein a version and configuration management table program for managing a project including a plurality of components by using a configuration management folder, said program comprising:

procedure for assigning each of said components one of an auto-changing mode and a fixed mode;

procedure for registering information including names of components to be managed of said project, names of files in which said components are stored, version numbers of said components and version up modes each representing one of said auto-changing mode in which versions of said components referred by said configuration management folder are automatically updated and said fixed mode in which said versions of said components referred by said configuration management folder are not updated into a configuration information management table with version up mode or updating said information in said table and preserving said table in a memory unit;

procedure for updating, when a component of said project is edited, a version number of said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit and updating a version information management table corresponding to said edited component of said project to be preserved in said memory unit; and

procedure for judging whether a component corresponding to said edited component of said project is present in said configuration information management table preserved in said memory unit or not and when said corresponding component is present, judging a version up mode of said corresponding component in said configuration information management table so that when said judged result is the auto-changing mode, a version number of said corresponding component is changed to said updated version number and when said judged result is the fixed mode, a version number of said corresponding component is not changed.