The Build Master: Microsoft's Software Configuration Management Best Practices (Addison-Wesley Microsoft Technology) (Paperback)

Say what you will about Microsoft, they know how to successfully build and

release software. Vince Maraia has been a key member of the build teams for

many of their major software releases over the last fifteen years. In this book he

distills the wisdom he has learned about building software, while also setting it

into the context of related steps, including configuration management and

deployment. While he uses Microsoft tools and case studies from within

Microsoft, the book is as tool-agnostic as possible, to make the ideas applicable

to the broadest possible range of readers. The book is written so that each

chapter builds upon the previous one, following the standard development

schedule; however, each chapter can also stand alone as a reference to that

particular piece of the process. Microsoft has been so successful at developing

build procedures that work that they will be incorporating many of them in the

forthcoming suite of products called Visual Studio 2005 Team System, so this

book is being released at a very opportune time.

"Wow, what can I say? Chapter 4, 'The Build Lab and Personnel,' by itself is enough justification to purchase the book! Vince is obviously a 'Dirty Finger Nails' build meister and there is a lot we can all learn from how he got them dirty! There are so many gems of wisdom throughout this book it's hard to know where to start describing them! It starts where SCM should start, at the end, and works its way forward. This book is a perfect complement to the 'Follow the Files' approach to SCM that I espouse. I will recommend that every software lead and software configuration management person I work with be required to read this book!"

—Bob Ventimiglia, autonomic logistics software configuration manager, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

"The Build Master contains some truly new information; most of the chapters discuss points that many people in the industry don't have a full understanding of and need to know. It's written in a way that is easy to read and will help a reader fill holes in their vision regarding software build management. I especially liked Vince's use of Microsoft stories to make his points throughout the book. I will purchase the book and make certain chapters mandatory reading for my build manager consultants."

—Steve Konieczka, SCM consultant

"Vince does a great job of providing the details of an actual working build process. It can be very useful for those who must tackle this task within their own organization. Also the 'Microsoft Notes' found throughout the book provide a very keen insight into the workings of Microsoft. This alone is worth purchasing this book."

—Mario E. Moreira, author of Software Configuration Management Implementation Roadmap and columnist at CM Crossroads

"Software configuration management professionals will find this book presents practical ideas for managing code throughout the software development and deployment lifecycles. Drawing on lessons learned, the author provides real-world examples and solutions to help you avoid the traps and pitfalls common in today's environments that require advanced and elegant software controls."

—Sean W. Sides, senior technical configuration manager, Great-West Healthcare Information Systems

"If you think compiling your application is a build process, then this book is for you. Vince gives us a real look at the build process. With his extensive experience in the area at Microsoft, a reader will get a look in at the Microsoft machine and also how a mature build process should work. This is a must read for anyone doing serious software development."

—Jon Box, Microsoft regional director, ProTech Systems Group

"Did you ever wonder how Microsoft manages to ship increasingly complex software? In The Build Master, specialist Vince Maraia provides an insider's look."

—Bernard Vander Beken, software developer, jawn.net

"This book offers an interesting look into how Microsoft manages internal development of large projects and provides excellent insight into the kinds of build/SCM things you can do for your large-scale projects."

—Lance Johnston, vice president of Software Development, SCM Labs, Inc.

"The Build Master provides an interesting insight into how large software systems are built at Microsoft covering the set up of their build labs and the current and future tools used. The sections on security, globalization, and versioning were quite helpful as these areas tend to be overlooked."

—Chris Brown, ThoughtWorks, consultant

"The Build Master is a great read. Managing builds is crucial to the profitable delivery of high-quality software. Until now, the build process has been one of the least-understood stages of the entire development lifecycle. This book helps you implement a smoother, faster, more effective build process and use it to deliver better software."

—Robert J. Shimonski, Networking and Security Expert, http://www.rsnetworks.net

The first best-practice, start-to-finish guide for the software build process

Managing builds is crucial to the profitable delivery of high-quality software; however, the build process has been one of the least-understood stages of the entire development lifecycle. Now, one of Microsoft's leading software build experts introduces step-by-step best practices for maximizing the reliability, effectiveness, timeliness, quality, and security of every build you create.

Drawing on his extensive experience working with Microsoft's enterprise and development customers, Vincent Maraia covers all facets of the build process—introducing techniques that will work on any platform, on projects of any size. Maraia places software builds in context, showing how they integrate with configuration management, setup, and even customer support. Coverage includes

• How Microsoft manages builds: process flows, check-in windows, reporting status, and more

• Understanding developer and project builds, pre- and post-build steps, clean builds, incremental builds, continuous integration builds, and more

• Choosing the right build tools for your projects

• Configuring source trees and establishing your build environment—introducing Virtual Build Labs (VBLs)

• Planning builds for multiple-site development projects or teams

• Determining what should (and shouldn't) be kept under source control

• Managing versioning, including build, file, and .NET assembly versions

• Using automation as effectively as possible

• Securing builds: a four layer approach—physical, tracking sources, binary/release bits assurance, and beyond

Builds powerfully impact every software professional: developers, architects, managers, project leaders, configuration specialists, testers, and release managers. Whatever your role, this book will help you implement a smoother, faster, more effective build process—and use it to deliver better software.

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