Product Overview

SURE is a comprehensive MCP-based software configuration management (SCM) solution for developers of hybrid applications involving ClearPath MCP, Windows, and Unix/Linux operating environments. SURE transparently supports all popular developer IDE tools from Unisys and the industry. Extensive security, automation, audit, and electronic workflow support throughout the stages of the application development lifecycle insure the highest quality software is delivered into production.

SURE brings the following advantages to the IT organization:

General Features

SURE enables you to organize the tasks of complex application development across functional environments such as development, test, quality acceptance, and production.

Life-Cycle Management

SURE consists of a rich set of functions to support and manage the complete life-cycle of an application. SURE manages all the consequences of a change in a particular source file and, as a result of this capability, it starts not only the automatic compilation of the source file involved, but also compiles those source files that are affected by the change. This impact analysis function is also available in a variety of other forms within the SURE products.

Project Management

SURE offers extensive functions for managing projects and the individual tasks within projects. Therefore, all modifications resulting from one major change of an application are transferred as one integrated set of activities through the complete cycle of development or maintenance, test, acceptance and production environments. During the technical implementation of a complex modification, all changed software components are transferred completely to the next stage of the development process. The result of these project management functions is significantly higher quality and integrity of the application software.

Organizations that streamline and optimize their processes around accepted industry development models will benefit from the SURE task management mechanism.

Versioning Management

SURE provides extensive versioning management. This facility enables you to place software in separate environments for each distinct phase of the development and deployment processes. For example, when a new version of the software is delivered, it can be transferred to a separate environment for testing to ensure that test activities do not have any impact on development or production. The options to develop through patch files and/or to create additional branches make versioning management complete.

Change History

SURE keeps a logical and a physical history of each source, including who changed a source, when and why they made the change, and an explanation of the change. This change history is useful for developers analyzing application software issues.

File-Level Cross Reference

SURE keeps a maintains a cross-reference at the file level, which contains information on which data-files, include-files, datasets, databases and so on are used by which sources. This information is often used by the change-control staff, in addition to developers and analysts.

Authentication, Authorization, and Security

SURE supports various methods of authentication such as the traditional usercode and password method through the MCP USERDATAFILE.; Kerberos authentication; and authentication through the Windows account. SURE offers a customizable, role-based authorization scheme. It supports shared work/development environments as well as an individual work environment for each developer.

Client/Server Architecture

The SURE client is a development workbench running on a Windows-based PC. The SURE server, including the repository, executes on a ClearPath server.

PC-Based Development Workbench

The PC-based SURE development workbench has a Windows Explorer look-and-feel and makes it possible to develop application software for a Unisys enterprise server on a local PC.

SURE enables you to completely isolate the development team from the traditional mainframe environment. This capability is of particular value in the recruiting of new employees who are most comfortable with a PC environment and do not want to invest in learning the “back-office” details.

You can connect the PC to the server by a LAN or a WAN using TCP/IP. You can also use Internet connections to offer capabilities for telecommuting to the development staff.

Enterprise Database Server-Based Repository

The SURE repository is stored in an Enterprise Database Server database that is installed in the MCP Environment of a ClearPath server. In addition to storing the source file for MCP-based applications, the repository can store the source files of applications for the Windows platform.

Ordering Information

SURE is licensed on a per-user basis. A user is defined as a PC that accesses the SURE repository.

The following styles are available on ClearPath servers.

Additional styles are available to order SURE Software Update Subscriptions.

Source code is not available for this product.

Product Information

Refer to the SURE Software Management and Change Control User's Guide (8999 8298) for more information.