Wednesday, July 30, 2014

TFS 2013 Pre Build Script Assembly Version Updates

I was looking at a "simple" way to update the TFS build definitions and adjust the Assembly versions of the projects being compiled. I came across this article (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn376353.aspx) leveraging the pre and post build scripts that are available in the newer build definitions.

The problem I had with the scripts included in the TFS Build Extensions is that it uses the Build Number or Label. This does not really make sense to me so I started hacking at it.
Fortunately it was not as big a task as trying to delve into the new build definition's workflow and trying to find the variables that "used to" exists.

If you are interested, I have posted the resulting PowerShell.
Simply add this to the TFS repository, and then reference it as a pre-build step in your build definition and you will notice that your AssemblyVersionInfo.cs files are updated before the build, replacing the revision to the changeset number.
This will give you a reference from the actual assemblies back to the code or changeset that they originate from.



Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Release Management Event

Full_Small

Last week Microsoft hosted a Release Management for Team Foundation Server 2013 talk where I ran through managing releases using Release Management.

I am pleased to say that there was literarily not a seat available, and the audience was responsive and interested. This is obviously a topic that is on a lot of people's minds.

For more information, you can visit the official site.Full_Small2

If you are interested, I have uploaded the slides here.

We will have to try and schedule a similar event shortly Smile

Thank you to all those that attended and participated, and to Microsoft for making it possible.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Comparing TFS and Rational Team Concert

A while ago I did a comparison between TFS and Rational Team Concert.
It came up in a discussion amongst the ALM Rangers and I posted it here for information purposes.

ALM Discipline

TFS

Rational Team Concert

Requirements Management

Project Management

Change Management

Configuration Management

Build Management

Test Case Management

(MS Test Manager)

(Rational Quality Manager)

Software Deployment

Design

(VS Ultimate)

(Rational Software Architect)

Release Management (Release Management) (Rational Build Forge)

Feature / Component

TFS

Rational Team Concert

Automated Testing

Visual Studio & MS Test Manager

Rational Functional Tester

Visual Studio Integration

(VS 2012 as of v4.0.1)

Build Infrastructure

Windows Workflow Foundation and MSBuild

MSBuild

Check-in policies

Code review workflow

(TFS 2012)

Branching & Merging

This is a very high level and brief overview, if you have any comments corrections or additional information, feel free to give me a shout.



























Sunday, June 1, 2014

Release Management Event in Cape Town

Getting to know Release Management…

In partnership with Microsoft SA, Team Foundation Consulting will be bringing you an afternoon focussed on Release Management.

Join us and see how to manage your deployment to create better value.

This event is free and seats are limited.

Please reserve your seat now.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Visual Studio Online Pricing

Seems Microsoft has finally released the pricing model for Visual Studio Online!

Edition Note Intro Price Actual Price More info
Basic 5 users free $10.00 per additional user $20.00 http://www.visualstudio.com/en-za/products/visual-studio-online-basic-vs
Professional Incl VS Pro $22.50 pp $45.00 http://www.visualstudio.com/en-za/products/visual-studio-online-professional-vs
Advanced   $30.00 pp $60.00 http://www.visualstudio.com/en-za/products/visual-studio-online-advanced-vs

The interesting thing here is that the Professional subscription actually includes a "rented" version of VS Professional for the duration of the subscription. The downside is that you can only have up to 10 pro users on your account.

For an overview go and look here: http://www.visualstudio.com/products/visual-studio-online-overview-vs

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

TFS 2013 Update 2 Gems

Just been busy installing and playing around with TFS 2013 Update 2 RC and just off the bat noticed two little gems…
1) You can now specify the TFS server's cache as part of the install. So you are able to put it on a non-system drive
image
2) Looking at the upgrade process there were a couple of hints, and I finally tracked it down in the test area… It would appear that you are - or at least will be able to share parameters across test cases -- very cool…
image
You will also notice that web access is looking a lot closer to Visual Studio Online
image
 
 
And yes, if you look close enough you may notice some indication that it is in fact a RC and some polishing for on-premise purposes may still be needed...
image

Wonder when the application insights will become available on-premise Smile

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Free books from Microsoft

I found a great resource for free ebooks from Microsoft.
Go see for yourself : http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/ebooks

I have been delving into Azure Pack and DSC recently and this helped a great deal…