RE: Use of CVS for manufacturing software control

[Schwenk, Jeanie]

Steve,

MES is manufacturing execution system, it's used for product flow and it
integrates to SAP.  

It sounds like you could use cvs BUT you would need to determine a few
things first at your company: 

0) is there a real need?  have there been problems/close calls?  If you
can't talk to the tool/pc/tester or whatever, would cvs be better than what
you do now?  This may ignite a few people but these questions should be
answered.  If you're talking 5% of your product being effected, is it really
worth it? 
  
1) establish that you can remotely communicate with the tool/pc/tester of
interest.  If it can't be communicated to remotely, what would the benefit
be?

2) can you automate it to run as an automatic job?  We run ours nightly
against every tool in the fab but we use our MES (WorkStream) not CVS.

3) decide if you need to have ALL in cvs or just most

4) If there is a real need, ask for time for a feasibility test with a small
set of test tools.  Use a repository separate from the one you now use.
Check results and see if it's what is desired.  If the results look good,
this usually makes management buy-in to what you want.  The feasibility test
also gives you a chance to see how "not" to set up a permanent repository if
you've never done one.  Plan to throw away the "feasibility repository.

If you store executables in the repository, just remember there can be
problems.  I, however, have not experienced these problems and I do store
executables in the repository.  I believe the problem(s) do exist based on
the amount of text that has been flung into the list recently, you should
probably go back and do a little reading if you haven't already. 

Windows is the one area I can't help you with.  I've never written any
scripts for windows boxes and hope to keep it that way. 

Jeanie