Create subsequent portal solution releases

 

Overview:

Subsequent solution releases (called release Y in the following) are constructed on the integration system and staged through the chain of systems. The development team delivers new or updated portal artifacts, administrators update configurations. The updated configurations and artifacts are integrated on the integration system, old artifacts and configurations are removed to build a new portal solution release. The release manager builds a package of required configuration updates and artifacts for the new release and delivers the package to the operation team for installation on the staging and production system.

The following process is an example of a possible portal solution development process. Assignment of installation and maintenance related tasks will be different for different customers. This process is typically iterative, with multiple cycles of the process described below performed. It focuses on configuration and artifact creation and management.

 

Process

The process assumes a previous portal solution release (X) is available in the VCS and installed on the integration system.

Portlet Developer: Create new portlets and portlet applications or modify existing portlets and portlet applications on a development system.
Portlet Developer: Perform unit tests of portlets and portlet applications on a development system.
Portlet Developer: Deliver new and modified portlets and portlet applications into the VCS.
Portal Developer: Create new portal artifacts, or modify existing portal artifacts on a development system.
Portal Developer: Perform unit tests of portal artifacts on a development system.
Portal Developer: Deliver new and modified portal artifacts into the VCS.
Portal Designer: Create or modify portal look and feel artifacts (Themes, Skins, Screens, Help Pages) on a development system.
Portal Designer: Perform unit tests of portal look and feel artifacts on a development system.
Portal Designer: Deliver new and modified portal look and feel artifacts into the VCS.
Portal Administrator: Select new or updated ready made portlets, including administrative portlets and portal artifacts for use.
Portal Administrator: Deliver new or updated ready made portlets, including administrative portlets and portal artifacts into the VCS.
Portal Administrator: Check out all artifacts from the VCS.
Portal Administrator: Install new artifacts to the development system (content master).
Portal Administrator: Update modified artifacts on the development system (content master).
Portal Administrator: Identify installed portlets, including administrative portlets and portal artifacts that are discontinued with the new solution release.
Portal Administrator: Uninstall/delete the discontinued artifacts from the development system (content master).
Portal Administrator: If required, modify the portal configuration on the integration system (global portal settings and other configurations e.g. property file entries).
Portal Administrator: Deliver documentation on global settings and configurations into the VCS, highlight required changes for the new release. Update the description file with the change history.
Portal Administrator: Update (add, delete and modify) the portal solution configuration (content hierarchy, page layouts, portlet configurations,...) for the new portal solution release on the development system.
Portal Administrator: Export the new release configuration (export-release-data-only) from content master using the XML configuration interface. Export the content topology as well as all portlets.
Portal Administrator: Deliver the new portal solution release configuration into the VCS.
Release Manager: Place the version artifacts and configurations as a portal solution release in the VCS.
Release Manager: Check out all artifacts for the portal solution release from the VCS.
Release Manager: Install new artifacts to the integration system.
Release Manager: Update modified artifacts on the integration system.
Release Manager: Uninstall/delete discontinued artifacts from the integration system.
Release Manager: Check out all configurations for new portal solution release (Y) from the VCS.
Release Manager: Check out all configurations for the previous portal solution release (X) from the VCS.
Release Manager: Build differential configuration files using ReleaseBuilder.
Release Manager: Deliver differential configuration files into the VCS.
Release Manager: Import the differential configuration into the integration system using the XML configuration interface.
Development Team/Test Team: Perform integration tests of the new release on the integration system.
Release Manager: Notify the portal operator of the availability of a new portal solution release.

Result: The new portal solution release (Y) is installed on the integration system and available in the VCS, including the differential release configuration files.

 

Alternative flows:

Portal Administrator: Agree with overall portal administrator on content integration element unique names. These might be the same names as for the previous release.
Portal Administrator: Replace the parent reference of the content root elements in the partial configuration with reference to unique names of integration elements in the global portal content hierarchy.
Portal Administrator: Deliver the portal configuration into the VCS.
Portal Operator: Export the portal solution configuration from the staging system using the XML configuration interface, or the UI, (export-release-data-only).
Portal Operator: Deliver the portal solution release configuration from the staging system into the VCS.
Release Manager: Check out all configurations for the staging system solution release (X) from the VCS.

 

See also

 

WebSphere is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.

 

IBM is a trademark of the IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.