Upgrading to the 2003.06 releases of IBM Rational tools

December 12, 2003 (Press Release) -- When you upgrade, you need to upgrade all computers in your environment so that databases and software are all running the same version of Rational software. If you are multisiting to remote locations you need to co-ordinate the upgrade with those locations.



Coordinating and implementing an upgrade can be a complicated task. The 2003 upgrades can no longer be done in a piece meal style as many past upgrades were preformed, this upgrade must happen at once across the entire enterprise. While this is a daunting task, there are many reasons to upgrade.



Many Rational tools require the use of a database and a webserver. In the 2003 release the supported operating systems, databases and webservers have changed. In some cases IIS support was dropped to support the Rational Common Webserver. To use web version of these tools, it becomes necessary to decommission the current web server. In other cases you may find the database you are using is no longer supported by the 2003.06 release and you need to upgrade the database at the same time as the Rational tools. You may also find the operating system on the database server is no longer supported by either Rational or the database vendor, causing another upgrade requirement.



New Tools in the IBM Rational 2003.06 suite



New “Architected” Rapid Application Development Solution

IBM’s new products include Rational Rapid Developer, an architected rapid application development (ARAD) environment that makes it easier for software developers to build high-quality, scalable, enterprise-class JavaTM 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) business applications.



Expanding the “Extended Development Experience”

Rational has expanded its “Extended Development Experience” for testers and developers with a new solution, IBM Rational XDE® Tester, and with enhancements to IBM Rational XDE Developer.



Enhanced Rational Unified Process

IBM has enhanced the Rational Unified Process® – Rational’s process for software development – to make it more configurable for a broader audience. This improved configurability means that organizations can optimize the Rational Unified Process to meet the particular needs of their development organization, each individual project, and each member of the development team.

New in this release:

• Improved content in Rational Unified Process

• Easier to customize Rational Unified Process for an entire organization

• Easier to configure Rational Unified Process for different projects within an organization

• Now possible to personalize the Rational Unified Process view for each user







New Features per IBM Rational 2003.06 tool



ClearQuest

• Data Verification and ClearQuest Data Code Page Settings

• New ClearQuest Installation

• New ClearQuest Configuration

• Updated Getting Started Wizard for Windows

• User Administration Tool as a Stand-alone Application

• SQL Anywhere 8.0.1 Available on the Installation CD

• CLOB Support for Oracle

• Rational E-Mail Reader Implemented as a Windows Service

• Support for Reference Lists in Reports

• Updated ClearQuest Packages

• Internet Smart Text

• ClearQuest API Method for Updating Passwords

ClearCase

• Improved ClearCase Web

• Mainframe Connector Remote Builds

• Build Enhancements

• New and Enhanced Integrations

• UCM Enhancements

• Miscellaneous Enhancements

• MVFS Scaled for Multiprocessor Systems

Requisite Pro

• Enhanced Rational XDE Integration

• Simplified Configuration for the RequisitePro and Rational ClearQuest Integration

• Oracle and SQL Server Setup Documentation Installed by Default

• Simplified Configuration of Rational RequisiteWeb

• Document Authoring in RequisiteWeb

• RequisiteWeb Traceability Matrix

• Enhanced Project Templates

• Enhanced Learning Projects

Rose

• New petal version

• Enhanced Pattern Content

• ActiveX Support

• Ensemble Glider™ for Rational Rose

• J2EE Deployment

• Rose J / CM Integration

• Model Integrator Output File (Conflicts Logged)

• Enhancements for IDE Link Support

• JDK 1.4 Framework Included

• Updates to CORBA Actions

• Introduction of Limited .NET 7.0 Support for Visual C++ Add-In

• Data Model Add-In Enhancements

• Ability to Quickly and Easily Change the Default Language

Test Tools

• New Test Datastores creation

• New Validation and Repair

• Support for Sybase SQL Anywhere 8

• .NET Support

• Cross-Browser Support

• Netscape 4.7x Support

• JDK 1.4 Support

• Delphi 6 Support

Project Console

• Rational ProjectConsole Web site

• Common Web platform

• ProjectConsole services installed as Windows® services

• Firewall/SSL/HTTPS support

• Level 2 Internationalization support

• New Administration section

• Access Control List security access model

• Run the Dashboard and the Designer at the same time

• Customizable workspace in the ProjectConsole navigation tree

• Improved administration

• Microsoft Project 2002 support

• New and redesigned artifact report templates

• New report templates for TestManager and cross-product measurements

• Simplified report generation

• Cut/copy/paste

• Logo toolbar

• Operations toolbar

• RUP- based ProjectConsole sample site

• Administrator and Designer merged

• Schedule and run tasks

• Storing the latest data collection

• Modified data transformation features

• Advanced security management (access control lists)

• Expanded publishing

• Enhanced control of panels and metric displays

• New out-of-the-box metric display samples

• New chart formats

• Folders in the Dashboard

• New migration tool

• Enhanced data management: ProjectConsole repository

• Simplified services configuration

• Support for Microsoft Project 2002 and Rational XDE version 2003

• Refresh Command

• Help on Domains

SoDA

• Ability to report on MS Project 2002 and, when available, Rational XDE version 2003.06.00 (excluding Rational XDE tester).

• Help on Domains

• Refresh Command



What if not all my Rational tools are at the same version before I upgrade to 2003?

Depending on your current version, some tools may need to be upgraded to an intermediate version prior to upgrading to 2003.06. Database’s may also need to be upgraded as some versions are no longer supported.



We have other tools that are integrated with Rational Tools, what do we need to do?

Many of the API functions have changed depending on which version you are upgrading from, a thorough investigation of any custom scripts or integration should be performed before an upgrade is attempted.



We don’t have the resources to do all this, but we wish to upgrade to 2003.06 versions.

Give us a call. ReleaseTEAM can answer all of your questions regarding 2003.06 upgrades. We can meet any upgrade needs from small business to corporate-wide. ReleaseTEAM specializes in the IBM Rational tools suite, databases such as Oracle, Sybase, SQL server and SQL Anywhere and web applications like Apache, ISS and the Rational Common Webserver. We provide free consultation to answer any questions and to see if this upgrade is right for your firm.



2004 will be here soon, and so will new Rational upgrades. Unfortunately, the Rational Software Suite may not allow a direct upgrade to the 2004 version without installing 2003.06 first. Let ReleaseTEAM tackle this for you, it’s our specialty. Not only will you be ready to utilize Rational’s latest tools and technology, but you will be primed for future releases. ReleaseTEAM can also build agreements to keep your Rational Tools upgraded to the latest versions at the lowest costs. Schedule a no-cost consultation now to see if your business can benefit by upgrading.