Last-modified: 2007/03/01
Version: 9.0b
OBSOLETE: Problem Management Tools Summary
This information is
now obsolete
and is retained online only for archival purposes.
Introduction
This was the newsgroup comp.software.config-mgmt "Frequently Asked Questions"
(FAQ) posting of a Software Problem Management tools summary. This is part 3
of the 3 part FAQ. Please review
all parts
before submitting suggestions or questions to the FAQ editor.
The information contained in this summary is a consolidation of data obtained
from a variety of sources around the Internet, but primarily from articles and
comments posted on the comp.software.config-mgmt newsgroup. Additional
information occasionally is emailed directly to the author. Check the
date above to see how recent the information you are reading might be.
Sharing Of Information
This document, as a collection of information, is Copyright 1995-2002 by
Dave Eaton. It may be freely redistributed unedited in its entirety provided
that this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit
or incorporated in commercial documents without the written permission of
the copyright holder. This article is provided as is without any express
or implied warranty. The content is the sole responsibility of the author
and contributors, and does not necessarily represent the position of their
employers nor an official position or opinion of any company.
Please contact the FAQ editor regarding changes.
Various products mentioned in this FAQ are the trademarks of their respective
companies.
All parts of this FAQ are posted to this newsgroup on or about the 22nd of each
month. (This is done manually and sometimes work interferes with this posting,
please excuse any delays.)
Like most FAQ lists, these parts are archived at rtfm.mit.edu (and various
other sites which archive FAQs.) The parts are named:
- cm-tools = Configuration Management Tools Summary
- faq = General Questions
- prob-mgt-tools = Problem Management Tools Summary (this document)
and may be found in directory pub/usenet-by-group/comp.answers/sw-config-mgmt.
Those new to the newsgroups should read news.announce.newusers for general
information.
For those with World Wide Web access, hyperlinked HTML versions of these
documents are available via:
http://www.daveeaton.com/scm/
(If you type in this URL, remember that it is case sensitive.)
These are updated throughout the month as changes come in. A letter
is added to the version number and the date is changed with each edit
to help you determine if you've already seen it.
What this is not.
If you are not sure what we mean by CM (or SCM), please see
our definition in question [1.2] of FAQ section 1. If you still think this will
help you with your PC hardware or application configuration, you are mistaken.
Please see question [1.10] of FAQ section 1 for some suggestions of other more
appropriate newsgroups for your question -- do not post it to
comp.software.config-mgmt. Thank you.
Similarly, this FAQ is intended for tools which address the problem management
needs of the software development process. While some of these products
also may be used to perform "Help Desk" and other activities, that is not
the focus of this group or this FAQ. For "Help Desk" tools, refer the
Help Desk FAQ
posted by Phil Verghis at http://www.philverghis.com/helpdesk.html.
This is not a definitive list of all available tools, nor is it intended to be.
It is not a recommendation or endorsement of any of the tools mentioned.
As noted above, it is a composit of opinions from the comp.software.config-mgmt
newsgroup. If you have a tool you would like others to know about, please join
the discussion.
** What's New this Month? **
1. Various edits.
Still Needed
Some tools have been mentioned in the newsgroups, but contact information
(company name, address and phone or ftp location) as well as user
comments are needed so they may be included in the report below. If you
are a user of such a tool, please send a paragraph or two containing your
comments and experiences as well as supplier contact information to the
FAQ editor.
Table of Contents
1. Summary
2. Problem Management Overview
3. Commercial Vendor Contact List
4. Problem Management Tools Generally Available Free
5. Commercial Problem Management Tools
6. Other Tools
Appendix A. References and Sources of Information
Appendix B. Prob. Mgmt. Tools with World Wide Web sites
History
The first posting of this FAQ was in April, 1994. Since the newsgroup was
relatively new at that time, the early FAQ was 'jump started' with information
obtained from the following sources:
- the Usenet newsgroups comp.software-eng, comp.os.ms-windows.apps,
comp.databases.oracle, and comp.databases.sybase
- the ClearCase International User Group mail list
- the InterWorks (HP Workstation Users Group) CASE SIG mailing list
- the Lotus Notes Users mailing list
Since then, it has been updated and changed substantially as readers have
supplied additional information to the comp.software.config-mgmt newsgroup
and directly to the editor.
Contributions
In addition to some of the vendors themselves, most information summarized
here comes from newsgroup posts and email received from end users.
Our gratitude is been extended to all who have contributed.
Instructions for adding or changing information in this FAQ may be found in
section 1.8 of part 1, the general FAQ
for the comp.software.config-mgmt newsgroup.
Not Official Statements
Please use the summary below in the spirit with which it has been
supplied: for information only. These statements are composites and
do not represent official positions by any particular responder's
company. Remember that these users may not be commenting on the current
version of a product. It is recommended that you do your own research
before making a tool decision for your company.
Tool Capabilities
Tools marketed as problem management tools may fulfill different
functions. While not a comprehensive list, some common of the common
capabilities are:
- Call Tracking:
- targeted towards problems reported by customers often over
telephone lines
- input from variety of geographically disperse locations
- assignment to responsible person
- status monitoring and reporting
- Problem Tracking
- development process management and change management authorization
- work (task) management (who, what, when, due date, status)
- statistics and metrics gathering and reporting
- historical records and facilitation of understanding
- integration with configuration management and test tools
Some organizations only need one of these functions, while others need
both. Many organizations choose to integrate their problem management and
configuration management tools to gain better control of their development
activities and to improve quality.
Tool Packaging
Problem management tools may be purchased in any of at least three
distinct packaging methods:
- Stand-alone, no integration with other tools
- Purchased separately, but integrated with one or more companion
software engineering tools such as configuration management and
test tools - may be from the same or from different vendors
- Bundled with other software engineering tools, usually a
configuration management tool from the same vendor
Be certain you determine your needs and confirm that the tool you select
fulfills your needs.
General Advice
Although the statements below do not relate to a particular tool, they
may provide valuable ideas for those implementing problem management.
- Keep it simple. If it gets in the way people won't use it.
- Make it part of your customer support process.
- Make it part of your email system.
- Make problem management a part of the regular information flow.
- Make it part of your design documentation process.
- Documentation the original designer supplies seldom meets
maintenance needs. The change history augments the original
documentation.
- Get requirements from the European Computer Manufacturers Association
(ECMA) reference model.
If you determine the best tool for your needs is one hosted on UNIX systems,
but you must have access to it from PCs as well, consider using X-Server
software on the PCs.
Vendors
Platform availability and products are continually changing, please
check vendors for current information and trade publications for new
entrants. This should not be considered a complete list of all available
tools. As of this writing, these vendors could be contacted as shown in
this table.
Since vendors are continually changing platform availability and upgrading
their products, it is suggested you consult with them directly for current
information before making a tool selection.
Commercial Products
Product Vendor Address Platforms
+1CR +1 Software Engineering Sun (SunOS and Solaris)
2510-G Las Posas Road,
Suite 438
P.O. Box 6041
Camarillo, CA 93011
tel.: 805-389-1778
info@plus-one.com
AccuRev/Dispatch AccuRev Inc. Solaris, Compaq Alpha Unix,
62 Harvard St. HP-UX, IRIX, RS/6000, FreeBSD,
Brookline, MA 02445 Linux (Intel and PowerPC),
tel: 617-566-3914 WinNT Win2K client/server, Windows
fax: 617-566-5035 9X clients.
info@accurev.com Mac, more Unix, Java "soon"
Aegis Abacus Systems Pty Ltd. PC (MS Windows
27 Ellindale Avenue, variations only)
McKinnon VIC 3204
Australia
tel: +613-9576-7355
FAX: +613 9576-7396
AllChange Intasoft Ltd. PC (MS-WFW, MS Windows
Tresco House Win95/98, WinNT), Sun Solaris
Westpoint Court
Exeter EX5 1DJ UK
tel.: +44 (0) 1392-447780
FAX: +44 (0) 1392-447781
sales@intasoft.co.uk
Apriori Computer Associates Server: HP-UX,
International, Inc. IBM RS/6000, Sun 4
One Computer Associates Plaza
Islandia, NY 11749, USA
tel.: +1 631 342-5224 Client: MS Windows,
FAX: +1 631 342-5329 X-Windows (Motif, Open
cainfo@cs.com Look), character based i/f
BugBase Archimedes Software, Inc. PC (Windows)
2159 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
tel.: 415-567-4010
FAX: 415-567-1318
CCC/Harvest Computer Associates HP-UX, IBM RS/6000
1 Computer Associates Plaza OS/2, Win/NT)
Islandia, N.Y. 11788 Sun (contact vendor
tel.: 1-800-225-5224 about others)
FAX: 1-516-342-5224
Distributed Defect IBM Corporation Apollo, HP 9000,
Tracking System IBM RS/6000,
(ClearDDTS) 1 New Orchard Road DECstation & VAX
Armonk, New York 10504 running Ultrix,
tel.: 1-888-SHOP-IBM Sun (SunOS & Solaris),
FAX: 1-800-IBM-4YOU PC (SCO UNIX)
ClearQuality Clarify Inc. HP-UX, IBM RS/6000
2702 Orchard Pkwy. SGI, Sun
San Jose, CA 95134
tel.: 408-428-2000 Client on Mac,
FAX: 408-428-0633 PC (MS Windows, WinNT,
and Win95),
UNIX running Motif
ClearQuest IBM Corporation PC (WinNT, Win95/98/2000)
1 New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504
tel.: 1-888-SHOP-IBM
FAX: 1-800-IBM-4YOU
Census MetaQuest Software Inc. Server:
416 de Maisonneuve West PC (WinNT, Win95/98)
Suite 401
Montreal, Quebec Client:
Canada PC (WinNT, Win95/98) and
tel: 514-341-9113 Web browser (PC/Mac/UNIX)
FAX: 514-341-4757
info@metaquest.com
Change Synergy Telelogic AB HP-UX, IBM AIX,
(World headquarters) Linux,
PO Box 4128 PC (MS WinNT, Win2K)
Kungsgaten 6 SE-203 12
Malmö, Sweden
tel: +46 (40) 174700
FAX: +46 (40) 174747
info@telelogic.com
US headquarters
Telelogic North America Inc.
9401 Jeronimo Road
Irvine, CA 92618 USA
Tel: +1-949-830-8022
Fax: +1-949-830-8023
Control First Repository Technology PC (DOS)
tel.: 708-515-0780
800-776-2176
Control First is also sold as:
TRUEtrack TRUE Software
300 Fifth Avenue PC (DOS)
Waltham, MA 02154
tel.: 781-890-4450
FAX: 781-890-4452
info@truesoft.com
Defect WorkFlow (DWF) SoftQuest Systems PC (MS Win95, WinNT)
P.O. Box 1124
Rehovot 76267
Israel
tel.: 972-8-940-9727
info@softquest.co.il
DTS Open System Consultants any UNIX host supported
Pty Ltd by Perl
24 Bateman St
Hampton VIC 3188
Australia
tel.: +61 3 9598 0985
Fax: +61 3 9598 0985
info@open.com.au
ExtraView Sesame Technology Servers: UNIX, Linux
269 Mount Hermon Road WinNT
Suite 100
Scotts Valley, CA 95066 Client: Any platform hosting
tel: (831) 461-7100 Netscape or MSIE,
FAX: (831) 461 7104 PalmOS on Palm VII Wireless
info@sesame.com
GLOBETrack GLOBEtrotter Software Digital Unix, HP-UX,
300 Orchid City Dr. #131 IBM RS/6000, Linux (Intel),
Campbell, CA 95008 SGI, Sun (SunOS/Solaris),
tel.: 408-370-2800 Web interface for PC/Mac
FAX: 408-370-2884
info@globes.com
IssueView IssueView.Com PC (Windows)
17 El Camino Corto
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
tel: 510-304-1096
Support@IssueView.Com
KeepTrack! 3L Ltd. (was PC based, but
Peel House it appears this
Livingstone product may be
EH54 6AG no longer
Scotland available)
tel.: +44 506 41 5959
Lotus Notes Lotus Development Corp. PC (DOS, MS Windows,
55 Cambridge Parkway WinNT, OS/2), Macintosh,
Cambridge, MA 02142 HP-UX, IBM RS/6000, Sun
NeumaCM+ Neuma Technology
Corporation
1730 St. Laurent Blvd.,
Suite 200,
Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada K1G 5L1
tel.: 613-738-3156
FAX: 613-738-7210
sales@neuma.com
OmniTracker OmniNet GmbH Clients: Win95/98/NT/2K
Orchideenstrasse 39, Web-Front, Java-Frontend
90542 Server: WinNT/2K
Eckental, Germany
tel.: 011-49-9126-259790
iwe@omninet.de
PR-Tracker Softwise PC (Windows 95, 98,
tel.: 425-513-0415 WinNT, 2000, ME)
or: 888-324-3988
FAX: 425-513-0516
or: 888-324-3980
sales@prtracker.com
Problem Tracker NetResults Corporation PC (Win95/98/NT)
444 High St.
PO Box 1238
Palo Alto, CA 94302-1238
info@n2r6.com
tel.: 650-473-3933
FAX: 650-473-3934
PVCS Dimensions MERANT Bull, DEC (VMS, Ultirx,
701 East Middlefield Rd Unix), H-P, ICL, Sequent,
Mountain View, CA 94043 Sun, PC (WinNT coming)
tel.: 800-872-6265
FAX: 650-404-7217
Corporate Headquarters:
The Lawn
22-30 Old Bath Road
Newbury
Berkshire, England RG14 1QN
tel.: +1635 32646
FAX: +1635 33966
PVCS Tracker MERANT PC (Windows)
701 East Middlefield Rd
Mountain View, CA 94043
tel.: 800-872-6265
FAX: 650-404-7217
Qualit Defect Manager Qualit, Inc. PC
801 W. El Camino Real
Suite 359
Mountain View, CA. 94040
tel.: 415-964-4525
FAX: 415-964-4512
qualit@netcom.com
Siebel Siebel Systems, Inc. Server: DEC Ultrix,
1855 South Grant Street HP-UX, IBM RS/6000,
San Mateo, CA 94402 Sun, VMS, others
tel.: 650-295-5000 Client only: PC
or: 800-647-4300 (Windows, WinNT)
fax: 650-295-5111 Macintosh, MIPS
info@siebel.com
Razor Visible Systems Sun (both Solaris and
248 Main Street SunOS), HP, SGI,
Oneida, NY 13421 RS/6000, Digital Unix,
tel.: 315-363-8000 Linux, PC(Win95/98,
FAX: 315-363-7488 WinNT)
razor_sales@visible.com
Remedy Action Request Remedy Corp. Server: AT&T, HP-UX,
System (ARS) 1505 Salado Dr. IBM RS/6000, Motorola,
Mountain View, CA 94043 SGI, Sun
tel.: 415-903-5200 Client: Above plus
FAX: 415-903-9001 PC(Windows, Mac)
remedy@remedy.com
SWBTracker Software with Brains, Inc. PC(Windows 95, 98, NT4)
649 Branch Dr.
Toms River, NJ 08755 USA
sales@softwarewithbrains.com
TeamTrack TeamShare, Inc. Server: PC (MS WinNT,
1975 Research Parkway, Win2000)
Suite #200
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
tel.: 888-832-6742 Client: Web browsers MSIE & Netscape
FAX: 719-599-4498
salesinfo@teamshare.com
Track for Windows Soffront PC (Windows, soon a 32
1806 Milmont Drive bit version for WinNT
Suite 169 and OS/2)
Milpitas, CA 95035
tel.: 408-263-2703
800-sof-front
sales@soffront.com
TrackRecord Compuware Corporation PC (MS Windows, WinNT,
31440 Northwestern Highway and OS/2)
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
tel.: 248-737-7300
marketed by
Compuware NuMega Lab
9 Townsend West
Nashua, NH 03063
800-4NUMEGA
TrackWise Sparta Systems, Inc. PC (MS Windows)
1 Bethany Road, Suite 90
Hazlet, NJ 07730
tel.: 888-261-5948
FAX: 732-203-0375
sales@sparta-sys.com
Vantive Quality Vantive Corp. HP-UX, IBM RS/6000
1890 N. Shoreline Blvd. Sun
Mountain View, CA 94043
tel.: 415-691-1500 Client on Windows
PC (WinNT Planned)
Visual Intercept Elsinore Technologies, PC (MS Windows 3.x,
Inc. Win95, WinNT)
7200 Falls of the Neuse Road
Suite 302
Raleigh, NC 27615
tel.: 919-532-0022 ext.408
FAX: 919-532-0023
jlm@ciinc.com
4. Problem Management Tools Generally Available Free
Free But Perhaps Not Fully Supported
There are a few freely available (Open Source) problem management tools.
Generally you must transfer it from an archive site on the Internet using
a tool such as FTP or a Web browser. In some cases the tool will need to
be compiled at your site and in some cases there is a license fee.
Most come bundled with adequate documentation. Such tools generally are
provided without support, so it may not be advisable to use them on some
projects.
Bugzilla is the problem management tool used by the Netscape Mozilla team.
and available from mozilla.org. It is Web-based, flexible, written in Perl
and uses MySQL as its database back-end. Bugzilla is Open-Source software.
Updates are available via CVS. See
http://www.mozilla.org/bugs/ for
download information.
Other tools available through the Mozilla project include LXR
which lets you browse the latest version of the source code,
Bonsai for tree control (smile), and
Tinderbox for knowing when the tree is in flames.
More information concerning these tools may be found at
http://www.Mozilla.org/tools.html
The Debian Bug Tracking System (debbugs) is a set of scripts which
maintain a database of problem reports. Key features include
complete input and manipulation of bugs by email. Various lists of bugs
are available via email or the Web. The system runs on Unix and expects
to have its own (possibly `virtual') mail domain. It is available at:
ftp://ftp.chiark.greenend.org.uk/users/ian/debbugs/
Information may be found on the Web at:
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~ian/debbugs/
GNU GNATS (GNU Problem Report Management System) is copyrighted by the
Free Software Foundation and freely available according to the terms of
the GNU General Public License.
This product which helps track software problems or change-requests.
Some of its features include:
- problems submitted via email
- uses a file system based database
- each problem identified by a unique key
- querying possible
- can maintain audit trail of all activities concerning a specific
problem
- a GUI interface (via tkgnats)
Responders believed that linking GNATS and the ClearCase task examples
(/usr/atria/examples/task) should not be too difficult, though no
responders seem to have tried this.
GNATS can be obtained from one of the GNU mirrors or from Cygnus
Support.
For example, GNATS may be found via anonymous FTP at
ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/gnats/
or
ftp://sourceware.cygnus.com/pub/gnats.
A web interface to gnats, gnatsweb, is distributed with gnats itself.
TkGnats information and the latest version of TkGnats may be found at
http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~macdonal/tkgnats.html.
JitterBug, developed for managing the samba-bugs
bug reports and now used
on other projects, is web based and written in C. It is released as free
software under the GPL. Information may be found at
http://samba.anu.edu.au/cgi-bin/jitterbug
and a guest interface to the rsync
JitterBug provides a
reasonable demo at http://samba.anu.edu.au/cgi-bin/rsync
The non-guest interface has many more features, of course.
A french version of JitterBug may be found at
http://jitterbug.websitewatchers.com/
OpenTrack (OT) began as a UNIX-based tracking system used to manage
defect reports and enhancement requests filed against offerings, tools,
or projects.
Each report is stored as a Change Request (CR) in a plain file containing
project-chosen fields that describe the defect or enhancement.
The user interface is text-based and presented through
the user's standard editor. Each project established in OT is
configurable through definitions files and TCL procedures.
There is an MS Windows NT port available which uses the Sleepycat
database and is web-based.
Additional information and download may be found at:
http://www.accurev.com/ot/
PTS, XPTS, and Web/PTS
Problem Tracking System (PTS, XPTS, and Web/PTS) by Dean Collins provides
an easy way to report problems, and is oriented towards system
administration, though it is no longer under active developemnt.
It consists primarily of an X application. There is a simple text-mode and
command-line interface for reporting problems. Latest information is
available on the WWW at http://www.halcyon.com/dean/pts/pts.html
or by anonymous ftp at ftp.halcyon.com/local/pts.
PTS is a web-based project/problem management system which uses a SQL
server back end. PTS has been rewritten into Keystone, a far more flexible
and powerful ticketing / project management system. Both are available at
http://www.stonekeep.com.
PTS is free, and Keystone is free for up to 10 concurrent users,
after which there is a small fee requested.
Wrek is written in perl 5 and uses your your Web server and browser as its
interface and offers an email connection. It is simple, functional, and
Y2k Compliant. Additinal information may be found at:
http://www.math.duke.edu/~yu/wreq/.
Its "cookie based" authentication system may be the best, but .htaccess
and UNIX passwd authentication options are also supported.
Most aspects of a support group can be configured from a web page with its
own group password.
Growing Number On Market
It is impossible to provide user's comments concerning all the available
tools. A brief summary of the tools mentioned most frequently on the
Usenet newsgroup comp.software.config-mgmt is provided below so that your
site may decide if it would be appropriate to consider one of these tools.
These comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or experiences of
the author of this document.
Contact information such as address and phone number may be found in the
Commercial Vendor Contact List, elsewhere in this document.
+1CR from +1 Software Engineering allows you to submit, list, view,
query, print, and administer problem reports. +1CR supports process
management, which ensures that when a file is checked in using +1CM, the
problem report number exists and its status allows for check ins. It runs
on any Sun supporting an OpenWindows, Motif, or CDE windowing
environment. User comments are requested. Please send them to the FAQ
editor. (see bottom of this FAQ).
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.plus-one.com
AccuRev(tm), from AccuRev Inc. is client/server, built
on top of AccuRev/CM (shares the same database), integrated with AccuRev, runs on
all of the same platforms as AccuRev/CM, and is completely configurable.
Aegis from Abacus Systems is an affordable and easy to use help desk and
incident management system. It will help you organize client requests,
change requests, and product defects. Aegis friendly, intuitive user
interface makes it a painless approach to providing a high level of support
and service to your clients. It provides a history of precisely what's been
done.
Its features include:
- Ability to change the screen layout.
- Powerful filters, view and user define sort options.
- Full notifications facility.
- Graphical Reporting.
- Estimation and Costing.
- Integrated contact management system.
- Auditing.
- Incident ageing.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.abacus-systems.com/
AllChange from Intasoft is a configuration management system including
integrated problem management and change requests (known as CRs).
Its features include:
- Different classes of CR
- Any CR Numbering scheme
- Different life-cycles depending on class
- Full link to configuration items and baselines
- Hierarchical CRs supported
- Site definable fields
- Full search and query support
- Metrics generation and graphical reporting
- User assignment
- Full audit trail
- Automatic mailing
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.intasoft.co.uk/intasoft/
Apriori by Computer Associates (formerly Platinum Technology,
formerly Answer Systems, Inc.)
is a family of integrated applications to improve performance of support and help desk
teams. Newsgroup chatter has been very light.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.platinum.com/products/dataw/applsres.htm
BugBase is a PC-only tool which keeps track of problems and provides
on-screen reports as text, pie charts or bar graphs. The database tracks
the status, severity, urgency, and type of the defect, as well as
providing for a brief description of the problem. Other fields allow
additional information to be included. Sorts may be based on any field.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.bugbase.com/
CCC/Harvest provides problem management as a stand-alone tool or in
conjunction with other software development tools from Computer Associates
(formerly from Platinum Technology). Electronic review and notification of status changes is
part of the problem life cycle management provided.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.ca.com/products/ccm/
ClearDDTS (formerly DDTs by QualTrak) from IBM/Rational (formerly Pure Atria)
may be used as a stand alone product or in conjunction with the ClearCase
SCM tool. Some of
the DDTS advocates had been using the tool for several years and claimed
they could not imagine functioning without it. While "call tracking" is
a form of problem management, the manufacturer says it is not designed
to provide sophisticated call tracking. It does do a very good job of
problem management and metrics gathering. The email interface allows
notification of new problems and changes of status as well as submission
of defects from email.
The tool's character-based terminal interface origins is still evident
even in the newer X-Windows version, causing some users to find it
harder to use than a full GUI tool. Despite that drawback, it has many
strong supporters.
The product includes a Web-based interface called WebTracker which
allows for submission and querying of records in the ClearDDTS database.
It provides most of the functionality of the native ClearDDTS client,
including the ability to modify a recorf and generate management reports.
One popular feature of ClearDDTS is its distributed nature. ClearDDTS
supports the sharing of information between project teams located at
different locations. With ClearDDTS' subscription feature, a remote
location can subscribe to a local project and maintain a copy of all
records associated with that project in a remote database. The
information is kept in-sync through an email interface.
ClearDDTS is integrated with Purify. A developer who finds a run-time
error can submit that error directly into ClearDDTS. The Purify output
will be included as part of the record in ClearDDTS.
The ClearDDTS and ClearCase configuration management integration has been
shipping for a while and seems to be very popular. A number of users
report a high degree of satisfaction with this integration.
There is a simple "query language" that allows extracting "all bugs
submitted against product-x by person-y between date-1 and date-2 that
have priority greater than z." Beginning in Nov. 1995, ClearDDTS began
including an SQL database as part of the product. It also provides an
SQL interface to the Oracle database.
Advantages
- very easy to use platform
- very flexible tool
- good integration with ClearCase
- offers the most benefit for the dollar
- references check out well
- good support
- ability to link problem reports in parent-child relationships
- allows some rather complex searches
- very nice metrics shipped and setup with the tool
- engineer can get email with change-request number
Disadvantages
- user interface is too character-based
- only available on UNIX platforms today
Summarizing their installation, one person said, "ClearCase is truly a
productivity tool for the engineer/programmer and DDTS is a productivity
tool for the project manager."
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearddts/
MS Windows users may want to look into ClearQuest at
http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearquest/
ClearQuality is part of Clarify Inc.'s Service Management System. While
ClearSupport provides high volume call tracking, ClearQuality provides
defect tracking. Information it keeps includes priority, severity,
module and description. It allows related information to be attached by
the user. In addition to Motif on UNIX platforms, ClearQuality's client
may be run from PCs and Macintosh machines.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.clarify.com/.
ClearQuest from IBM/Rational
may be used as a stand alone product or in conjunction with the Rational
Suite toolkit. It is also integrated with a variety of other tools from
Rational, including ClearCase, Purify, Quantify, PureCoverage, TeamTest,
and PerformanceStudio.
ClearQuest is a flexible system, allowing the designer to create data
fields, forms, life cycles (i.e. state machines), and process rules via
either Perl or VBScript. ClearQuest uses a RDBMs as the back-end datastore,
supporting Sybase SQL/Anywhere, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server
and Oracle.
ClearQuest provides the end-user with both a Win32 and Web interface.
Customizations and administration are done on via a Win32 interface.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearquest/
ClearTrack was Rational's (actually Atria's)
change request managemen (CRM) system that tracked defects and enhancement
requests throughout the entire software development and maintenance process.
It could be used as a standalone system or in conjunction with
Rational's ClearCase software configuration management product. Used
together, ClearCase and ClearTrack provided a change management solution.
Over time, this product has been replaced by Rational's ClearDDTS and
ClearQuest and is noted here only for historical reference.
The MetaQuest Software Inc. product Census
is an MS Windows-based issue tracking system that can track defects,
enhancement requests, test cases, timesheets, support calls, and
more. Some of its features include:
- Customizable without programming but can be extended using VBA
- Includes e-mail integration and notification
- Tracks revision history
- Full reporting and query capabilities including ad-hoc queries
- Interactive tutorial included
- Windows client interface and a Web-based interface via Census Web
- Automatically generates Web Views for different classes of users
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.metaquest.com/
The Change Synergy problem tracking tool from
Telelogic (which acquired Continuus Software Corp.,
formerly CaseWare, Inc.) is excellent and is integrated with their
CM Synergy tool, providing a tightly integrated package.
The system supports problem submission (either through a graphical user
interface or electronic mail), on-line queries, problem reporting, and
correlation of change requests to project components.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.telelogic.com/
and
TRUEtrack, sold by TRUE Software provides an interface
to TRUEchange. This product is also sold as Control First by Repository Technology
and provides problem tracking capability for the configuration management
product PVCS.
Defect WorkFlow (DWF) from SoftQuest Systems is a PC-based defect
tracking and change management system for software systems. A web
interface permits reporting defects and changes over the Internet.
DWF contains a process based workflow for recording defects and
changes, analyzing them, fixing them and testing them. The testing
phase supports testing of multiple software releases before closing the
defect/change. Documentation updates are linked to the defect and change
that has to be handled. An evaluation copy can be downloaded from the
supplier WWW site at
http://www.softquest.co.il/.
DTS is a commercial web-based defect and trouble tracking system from
Open System Consultants. It is suitable for use by ISPs and software
developers and includes email gateways, management statistics and
reporting. DTS runs on any Unix host supported by Perl, including
Solaris, SunOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Digital Unix and many others. It with
any SQL database supported by Perl DBD/DBI, including Oracle, Sybase,
Informix, Microsoft SQL, Ingres, mSQL, mysql etc. Full source code is
included. A full working demo and product details are available on the
supplier WWW site at
http://www.open.com.au/dts/.
ExtraView by Sesame Technology is a completely
Web-based issue tracking and workflow management system designed for
ease of setup, configuration, and customization. ExtraView conforms to the
installer's processes and workflow requirements, helping a company to
provide a better product to its customers.
Features include:
- Unlimited scalability of cases, groups, users, fields, rules, reports, and
attachments
- Automatic email notification, threaded email discussions, and dynamic interest
lists
- Queries with simple or complex filters, custom statistical and summary reports
exported from the browser to HTML, MS Word, Excel, or text
- Complete audit trails on all updates and workflow transitions
- Integrated knowledge base
- Command Line Interface and open API for easy integration with SCM and CRM
products
- Wireless PDA support
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.sesame.com/
and
http://www.extraview.com/.
GLOBEtrack by GLOBEtrotter Software is an
integrated Web-based bug and customer support tracking system providing a
complete set of high-quality product defect and customer support
management solutions. GLOBEtrack is easily installed and designed to be
used immediately after installation with predefined bug and support
tracking templates and reports. Also, it is customizable, you can make
simple changes quickly, or you can implement extensive changes to tailor
GLOBEtrack to fit your specific needs. It runs on several Unix platforms
and a Web based interface makes the product available to users running
X-Windows servers on other platforms.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.globetrotter.com/.
IssueView by IssueView.Com is
customizable Windows based bug tracking software. It has a
multi-project Explorer style interface. Tracking projects are displayed in a
Tree on the left, and issues within the selected project are displayed in a
powerful datagrid. IssueView supports custom Filters, Reports, Attachments,
Drag-and-Drop, and much more. Both Microsoft Access and SQL Server databases
are supported.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.IssueView.com/,
Consensus of responders was that KeepTrack! was rather restrictive and
that it is no longer available on the market.
Not surprisingly, a Lotus representative replied that they use Lotus
Notes for Tech Support Calls. All customer incidents are tracked from
phone call through world-wide escalation. (Although Lotus claimed to
market the application and customization they use, there was no response
to an email request for more information.)
Others using Lotus Notes admitted they had not tried a commercial system
built specifically for problem management. Most used email and/or
automatic email from Lotus Notes as part of their implementation.
Depending upon how each site builds the database and forms, a Lotus
Notes form may include version, client, module, priority, status,
additional text, and more. Prioritization and review can be handled,
though the descriptions of some implementations sounded awkward.
Advantages
- tailored to local process and style
- better than lots of Post-It notes and yelling
- tool already in use for other communication reasons
- good means for wide area distribution and replication
Disadvantages
- difficult to extract metrics reports
- performance issues (see below)
- lack of integration with rest of development system
Although reliability and up-time seems adequate, performance and
scalability tended to be a problem when using Lotus Notes as a problem
tracking system. Even on 50 MHz 486 machines, several users reported
situations such as:
- 20 second searches with fewer than 2000 records
- over 5 minutes with 65000 records and two users
- search time doubling with each new user added
NeumaCM+ from Neuma Technology Corporation provides a comprehensive problem
reporting and tracking system. This problem tracking application may be used
as a standalone system, or it may be fully integrated with your complete
NeumaCM+ application suite. A problem can be defined as a deficiency in a
product or process that represents a deviation from the product, requirement
or specification. For any problem entered in NeumaCM+, the system tracks
critical information such as who originated the problem, the status and
priority of the problem, and the description. NeumaCM+ maintains a full
audit trail of all actions relates or associated to that problem report.
It can be highly customized by the user. A web interface is also available.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.neuma.com.
OmniTracker by OmniNet GmbH
is a professional action and request management and tracking system available for a
broad spectrum of service delivery organizations and application areas such as:
Help-Desks and Call-Center, Quality-Management, Service-Management,
SLA-Management, Activity-Management, Problem- and Bug-Management,
Change-Management.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.omninet.de/.
PR-Tracker by Softwise
includes features such as customizable data
entry, workflow, views and queries; one click queries; reports; email notification
and attachments.
PR-Tracker Web implements problem tracking over the internet or an intranet
with the same user interface as PR-Tracker. PR-Tracker and PR-Tracker
Web can be integrated so that data collected from both products can be
stored in the same database.
More information and downloads are available on the supplier WWW site at
http://www.prtracker.com
ProblemTracker by NetResults is a Web-based
tool for bug tracking and change management. Some of the features include
- A user-definable workflow system that helps manage the process of getting bugs fixed
- Email integration and notification
- Full query and reporting capabilities
- Summary reports
- Customer bug reporting that allows your customers to submit problem reports
over the Internet to ProblemTracker
- Web-based file attachments
- Full HTML online help
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.problemtracker.com/.
The configuration management tool PCMS Dimensions
PVCS by MERANT (formed by the combination of
Micro Focus and Intersolv) includes an embedded software development
process management capability which can be used for problem management.
Based on an Oracle database engine, it is SQL compliant. Reports are that
the system as a whole is very bureaucratic and time-consuming, adding a lot
of overhead to the development process that couldn't be justified by the
rewards. These comments have been disputed by several others in the
newsgroup who claim PVCS Dimensions imposes no more process overhead than
the user/organization has itself chosen to use. The organizational policies
are definable within the PVCS Dimensions "control plan".
Interactions with other tools is limited but being improved. It is
integrated with a graphical desktop in Digital's COHESION Team/SEE.
The PC Windows-only tool PVCS Tracker (formerly DCS) came highly
recommended by those who responded. It may be used in stand alone
mode or may be networked. UNIX systems may access the database via
lan manager and PC/NFS.
The integration with PVCS provides a development platform for PC users.
Tracker has been improved for use on large projects/large development
groups and the product can now use the major client/server DBMSs as the
backend database engine. Alternatively, you can use the integrated
dBASE 5.0 as the backend.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.merant.com
The former Siebel/Scopus Technology products QualTEAM and ProTEAM
have been replaced with a new offering combining features from Siebel's
product and these, which Siebel acquired.
A user writeup and description of the new product is needed.
Please submit comments to the newsgroup and directly to the
FAQ editor.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.siebel.com/
Razor, from Visible Systems Corporation
(formerly from Tower Concepts)
is a highly configurable problem tracking
system, which comes complete with an integrated file version control
package.
Issue form templates are defined and tailored by each work group to
contain information that will meet their needs. These forms present
themselves on screen as Motif windows, employing text fields, check
boxes, choices etc, for such information as...
- The estimated effort/cost involved
- Whether the issue is approved for resolution
- The systems to be affected by the proposed change
- Which product release it relates to
- Its priority and phase in schedule
- None, all, others, or variations of the above
Each new form is automatically numbered and entered into the Razor
database. These forms can then be edited and routed to team members
electronically, avoiding the clumsy paper and homegrown systems that
have become the norm in many companies. Every change to the form is
recorded and time stamped with the user's login name, providing complete
accountability for changes. Approval and signature lists can be
configured into the system to make the package as open or restrictive as
each site deems necessary for their process.
The product is also takes advantage of email connectivity. Users are
able to submit new issues to the database through email messages, and
to use email to configure queries and reports which are generated and
returned by email. Their database synchronization capability provides
automatic coordination of multiple databases at remote sites. Razor's
easily parsed ASCII database allows users to generate their own
scripts for report generation and process control.
A company representative stressed that it is extremely easy to try out
their product. Both documentation and a full copy of the product for
evaluation are available by FTP. New releases and patches are handled in
the same manner. A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.razor.visible.com
The Action Request System (ARS) by Remedy Corp. is a flexible client/server
solution which is available on a wide variety of platforms.
Users report that the system is effective and very flexible. Its 'help
desk software' is but one of the functions available in this vertical
application builder oriented toward business process management. The
AR System is not an out of box solution but rather one for which
effective deployment requires careful process analysis and at least
tailoring of the sample application schemas provided with the product.
The rich set of active link (client side, not supported by ARWeb) and
filters (server side) provide extensive opportunities for validating
inputs, triggering external events, computing defaults based on other
input fields, etc.
Remedy offers the ARWeb product for WWW access to Action Request System
installations. An on-line demo is available from the Remedy web server.
Via the WWW, users can submit new Action Requests (what ever they are
called in the local context, .... help requests, bug reports, etc.) and
they can perform QBE searches of the data base. Using the search
facilities, they can check the status of prior requests as well as look
for similar problems from other users. Other ARSystem facilities require
an actual AR System client for access (modify, delete, etc.).
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.remedy.com
Software with Brains, Inc.'s SWBTracker
is bug tracking and release management software for small- to medium-sized
software development companies. It supports multiple users, customizable
defect classifications, automatic e-mail notifications, customizable
reports and queries, and defect submissions by remote users.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.softwarewithbrains.com/
TeamShare's TeamTrack Workgroup is a secure and
configurable solution, created to map, track and enforce the life of
development projects. Like our enterprise solution TeamTrack, TeamTrack
Workgroup uses the same technology to provide a solution for professional
product development, quality assurance, technical support, and help desk teams.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.teamshare.com
Track for Windows by Soffrontis a customizable
Defect Tracking and Technical Support database, designed to help deliver
quality products on time by tracking and automatically informing of the
defects in the product, the project completion time, the system
configuration and other related information to everyone who must be
informed. TRACKWeb is server software that enables you to interact with
a Track Database using standard Web browsers. TRACKRules is a rule
definition system which allows a systems administrator to define complex
conditions which activate both mail notifications and field updates,
thereby ensuring proper maintenance and execution of business rules,
process flow, and communication.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.soffront.com.
TrackRecord by Compuware Corporation (who acquired UnderWare, Inc.) is a
fully configurable client/server change request management system
integrated with Visual SourceSafe Safe, PVCS and others.
It has dynamic reports keeping each user on the system up to date with
the information they are interested in. It also has full web client
capability and email integration for remote users. TrackRecord is
extensible through its Active X automation interfaces.
TrackWise from Sparta Systems, Inc., is a highly customizable and powerful
tracking tool for PCs running MS Windows. It can implement defect tracking,
change request management (CRM), customer complaints, and many others.
It uses standard SQL relational database systems (RDBMS). Querying,
performing quick searches and report generation is performed via
point-and-click. No formal "query language" is required.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.sparta-sys.com
Vantive Quality by Vantive Corporation is an integrated change
management system with links to several configuration management
systems. In addition to status tracking, it integrates with popular
email packages, providing automatic routing of problems. Vantive
Quality is integrated with other Vantive tools to provide such features
as Help Desk support.
Visual Intercept by Elsinore Technologies, Inc. is a problem management
tool which is integrated with Microsoft's Visual SourceSafe. The company
was formed by some former leaders of One Tree Software, the original
authors of SourceSafe before it was purchased by Microsoft.
A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.elsitech.com.
There are other such tools available today as well as new ones entering
the market. Check the appropriate industry periodicals for additional
listings.
Appendix A. References and Sources of Information
For additional information about the topic discussed here, consider the
following sources of information in addition to various industry
periodicals and new data from the vendors themselves.
-
Usenet Newsgroup
-
[1] The Usenet newsgroup comp.software-eng articles and associated
Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) lists comments on software tools from
newsgroup readers world-wide. That FAQ is archived at site rtfm.mit.edu
in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers/software-eng under the names
part0 through part3. Instructions for finding the other parts of the FAQ
for this newsgroup, comp.software.config-mgmt, are provided in the
section 'Other Information' above.
-
Windows NT Tools
-
[2] Microsoft Win32 Products & Services Catalog. Published in 1993 by
Microsoft Corporation as part number 098-5230. Copies may be
requested from Microsoft Corporation; Systems Marketing; One
Microsoft Way; Redmond, WA 98052 or email: win32cat@microsoft.com
-
Open Systems Tools
-
[3] 1994 Open Systems Products Directory. Published in 1994 by
UniForum for their members. ISBN: 0-936593-28-8. Uniforum; 2901
Tasman Dr., Suite 205; Santa Clara, CA 95054-1100.
Various products mentioned in this message are the trademarks of their
respective companies.
Appendix B. Problem Management Tools With World Wide Web Sites
As the popularity and accessibility of the World Wide Web (WWW) has
grown, tool vendors and dedicated users have begun providing tool
information on their WWW servers. The content may vary widely, and
some will contain significant marketing information, rather than
technical details. On any particular attempt, network traffic, server
traffic, or server outages may prevent access to the information.
All servers may not be accessible from all sites. The related WWW servers
which have been reported to this FAQ editor are:
- Vendor/Supplier WWW Servers
- +1CR information from +1 Software Engineering at
http://www.plus-one.com/
- Aegis from Abacus Systems Pty Ltd. at
http://www.abacus-systems.com
- Apriori information from
Computer Associates at
http://www.platinum.com/products/dataw/applsres.htm
- AllChange information from Intasoft at
http://www.intasoft.co.uk/intasoft/
- BugBase information from Archimedes at
http://www.bugbase.com/
- Track information from Soffront at
http://www.soffront.com/
- CCC/Harvest information from Computer Asociates at
http://www.ca.com/products/ccm/
- Clarify, makers of ClearQuality, at
http://www.clarify.com
- Census information from MetaQuest Software Inc. at
http://www.metaquest.com/
- Change Synergy information from Telelogic at
http://www.telelogic.com/
- Defect WorkFlow (DWF) from SoftQuest Systems at
http://www.softquest.co.il/
- DTS by Open System Consultants at
http://www.open.com.au/dts/
- ExtraView information from Sesame Technology at
http://www.extraview.com/
- GLOBETrack information from GLOBEtrotter Software at
http://www.globetrotter.com/gtrack.htm
- IssueView information from IssueView.Com at
http://www.IssueView.com/
- Neuma Technology Corporation information about NeumaCM+ at
http://www.neuma.com/
- OmniTracker information from OmniNet GmbH at
http://www.omninet.de/
- PR-Tracker at
http://www.halcyon.com/softwise/prtrak.html
- Dean Collins' information about PTS, XPTS, and Web/PTS at
http://www.halcyon.com/dean/
- PTS information at
http://www.stonekeep.com
- IBM/Rational's product
ClearDDTS at
http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearddts/
- IBM/Rational's product
ClearQuest at
http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/clearquest/
- MERANT makers of PVCS Tracker, at
http://www.merant.com
- NetResults info about
Problem Tracker at
http://www.problemtracker.com/
- Qualit, Inc. at
http://www.qualit.com
- Siebel Systems, Inc., makers of QualTEAM and ProTEAM at
http://www.siebel.com
- Software with Brains, Inc. makers of SWBTracker at
http://www.softwarewithbrains.com
- Sparta Systems, Inc., makers of TrackWise at
http://www.sparta-sys.com
- Remedy Corp. makers of ARS at
http://www.remedy.com
- TeamShare makers of TeamTrack at
http://www.teamshare.com
- Visible Systems makers of Razor, at
http://www.razor.visible.com
- Visual Intercept by Elsinore Technologies, Inc. at
http://www.elsitech.com
- User Information WWW Servers
- Other Related WWW Servers
- Phil Verghis' Help Desk FAQ, at
http://www.philverghis.com/helpdesk.html
Additional CM related information available on the WWW is listed in
section 1.7, Where else can I look for configuration management
information?, in the "General Questions" portion (a separate posting)
of this FAQ.
If you are aware of other WWW Servers which should be added to this
list (or any which should be retired), please notify the FAQ editor.
--------------- End Of comp.software.config-mgmt FAQ Part 3-------------
(This message does not represent an official position of any company.)
--
Dave Eaton
Former FAQ editor
OBSOLETE! (Retained online for archive purposes only.)