Managing Managed Models

Purpose

Model versions of a managed model can be created, changed, saved and deleted in the administration program. You can use the integrated version management to organize various versions of one model into an individually-structured version tree. This allows support for the most varied of procedures when working with models.

For example, you can create your own model version for a development iteration (for example, a sprint for SCRUM) from a main version and can feed the development results back into the main version using the Merge function in the Align Models editor once the iteration is complete. The distribution of the different development states to the corresponding model versions gives you more control over your model contents and allows you to ensure the technical consistency of your models at all times.

You can also organize model versions in accordance with product line semantics, for example: Version 1, Version 2 and - beneath these - enhancement Version 2.1 and enhancement Version 2.2.

The structure of the version tree and the technical semantics inherent in the individual model versions are determined by your desired procedure; Innovator makes no constraints here.

Each model version that you create is a technically complete model with which you can execute all actions that you could execute with a traditional model.

You can create backups for a model version. These allow you to retain a certain model state. Backups can be started later on in read-only mode only, and cannot be edited further.

Prerequisites

The bus (inobus) and agent (inoagent) architecture components must be installed to enable the use of the version management functions.

• A bus ensures the transmission of messages between all of the system components.

  A NATS server is used for executing buses.

  A bus must be installed for each license server on which you want to use model versions.

• As a service program, an agent enables the creation, monitoring, management, and starting of model versions of an INOPRJ directory.

  Agents use Apache Commons Daemon as a service manager.

  An agent must be installed as a service on the computers on which you want to use model versions.

  You can use model versions and traditional models at the same time without any problems, and you can also operate them on the same server hosts. However, access to multiple agents with various license servers to the same INOPRJ directory is not permitted.

Model Versions in Version Management

As service programs, agents enable the creating, monitoring, management and starting of model versions. A bus guarantees the transmission of messages between all system components.

To use integrated version management, you can initially transfer each Innovator model to a model version in the Standalone Servers tab in the Administration Program. It is then available for version management. You can then also add a model as another version.

You can manage the model versions in the Managed Models tab. You can, for example, create a new version from an existing model version, move model versions in the hierarchy, and back them up. To do so, the model server of the model you want to transfer or of the model version must be started on the host on which an agent is located.

Model servers of model versions can also be started and stopped on reachable computers in the network.

You can create backups for model versions. These can then be started in read-only mode and are therefore permanently protected against changes.

Started model versions can be opened in the administration program or in the model editor and can be fully edited in the model editor.

Storage of Model Versions

Each model version is stored in a separate repository. These repositories are beneath the $INOPRJ/ivm directory. A directory exists there for each model; its versions are stored there as subdirectories. To enable unique identification, UUIDs are used as the names of the directories for models and model versions.

Client Settings for Model Versions

Model-based user settings, such as last opened documents and bookmarks, are managed for all versions together in managed models. You can specify whether this should happen separately for each version or not in the Manage tab in the model editor's Options dialog.

User Rules for Model Versions

Version rules determine whether the user, or all users of the group, respectively, can start managed models and edit them. This command is available on both users and groups. If defined on a group, a version rule is valid for all users of this group.

A version administrator (with * version rule) can

• Create managed models and their versions

• Edit properties

• Create back-ups

• Restore back-ups

• Delete versions

Notifications for subareas are defined using version rules with a name pattern.

Alternatively, it is also possible to use the environment right.