University of Illinois System

Source Code Version Control

Service Description

Version control systems maintain revision history as files change over time. It also allows multiple users to work on the same text file simultaneously, merging changes automatically. Files are stored in a repository and grouped by modules. AITS used Subversion (SVN) to manage this service. SVN stores information about and allows reversion to any previous state of any file in the repository.

AITS has extended the core functionality of SVN to include the following features:

  • A web based interface for browsing the SVN repository
  • Script based security to limit access by module
  • Script based security to provide read only access
  • SVN Web portal which includes the following information:
    • SVN User Manual
    • SVN Issues and Resolutions
    • Account Management
    • Module Management
    • SVN Monitor (tool for reviewing access)
    • Repository Management
    • Downloading and Installing Tortoise (an application used to logon to SVN)

Features of SVN

Besides using SVN for versioning control, AITS has expanded the use of SVN to include the following:

  • ITIL Definitive Software Library (DSL): SVN is used to track and secure vended software. The DSL includes executables, source code, documentations, and licensing documents.
  • Deployment Tool: Script based deployment methodology by pushing files to production and non-production servers.

Benefits

  • Efficient and traceable prorogation of programs and scripts to servers
  • Complete history of all pushed artifacts to all servers
  • Seamless synchronization between environments and clustered nodes
  • Effective fault tolerance and disaster recovery for all deployable artifacts through SVN

For additional information, please go to http://web.uillinois.edu/subversion.

Hours of Availability

This service is available to customers 24/7, excluding planned outages, maintenance windows and unavoidable events. Maintenance windows are used only when needed for planned changes that have gone through the AITS Change Control Process. In addition to the standard AITS maintenance windows, site-specific and service-specific changes may be coordinated with customers at non-standard times.

Standard maintenance windows are defined as:

  • 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. each Sunday when application usage is at its lowest
  • After 5 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, unless business needs to make a change during business hours
  • The second Wednesday of the month from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for patching Microsoft servers 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. three Sundays a year for routine Windows and Linux maintenance

Customer Responsibilities

Users must request and receive approval to access modules within the SVN repository. Users must take precautions to access SVN from a secure laptop and network connection. Once the user has obtained files from SVN, they are responsible for keeping the information in the files secure.

For access problems, questions or comments, contact the AITS Service Desk at 217-333-3102 (Urbana/Springfield) or 312-996-4806 (Chicago). You can also e-mail the AITS Service Desk at servicedeskaits@uillinois.edu.

How Do We Charge?

Service Level Agreements detailing project hours and cost will be worked out with each customer depending on the desired level of support.