New features in Rational ClearCase and Rational ClearCase MultiSite 8.0

Answer

New in Rational ClearCase

• ClearTeam Explorer
  
  The ClearTeam Explorer (CTE) client supports both dynamic view and web view access to ClearCase through a single, unified GUI. Users on WANs use ClearCase web views, while those working on LANs can choose between web or dynamic views. To support web views, the CM server has been replaced by the CCRC WAN server. For more details on CTE features, review the What's new in Rational ClearTeam Explorer version 8.0 topic in the IBM Knowledge Center.
  
  This release introduces substantial performance improvements to UCM and web view load operations:
• Most UCM operations are 1.15 to 1.25 times faster than they were in V7.1.2, and some are more than three times faster.
• Depending on WAN conditions, web View load operations can be more than 25% faster when running with multiple threads.
  
  
• WAS and IHS decoupled from product installation
  
  The installation of WebSphere Application Server (WAS) and IBM HTTP Server (IHS) has been decoupled from the installation of ClearCase. The decoupling enables you to apply WAS and IHS fixes independent of installing ClearCase releases.
  
  
• Evil twin detection and prevention
  
  "Evil twins" are two elements of the same name that have been created in different versions of the same directory element. When the directory versions are merged, it is not clear which twin has been lost, nor even that the twins may have different versions that need to be merged. The evil twin detection and prevention feature enables you to detect evil twins and suppress their creation. It also enables you to detect and locate existing evil twins.
  
  
• Associating CLM tasks with element versions
  
  You can associate Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) tasks with element versions. The ClearTeam Explorer enables you to decorate (i.e., annotate) element versions with associated Rational Team Concert (RTC) work items. The cleartool describe command retrieves CLM task information that is associated with such versions, and that information can then be used in scripts. Versions with such associations are considered significant and cannot be removed unless you explicitly destroy their task associations.
  
  
• The text_whole_copy type manager
  
  The text_whole_copy type manager can store different versions of a text file in different character encodings, while preserving their histories. This type manager uses the same storage mechanism as that used by the z_whole_copy type manager. Version comparison and merging is similar to that of the utf*_file_delta type managers.
  
  
• Unicode element types
  
  This release provides predefined element types corresponding to the utf*_file_delta type managers.
  
  
• New VOB schema and feature level
  
  This release introduces VOB schema 80 and feature level 7. VOBs at schema 54 can now coexist on the same machine with VOBs at schema 80.
  For information about 8.0 features that are enabled when the feature level is raised to 7, review technote 1119269: About Feature Levels and ClearCase.
  
  
• CM API support for dynamic views
  
  The ClearCase CM API now supports dynamic views. For detailed information on API changes, review technote 1566474: New Features in CM API in ClearCase 8.0
  
  
• Preservation of microsecond timestamps
  
  VOB internals have been modified such that on Windows, if a file has a timestamp with microsecond values, the timestamp on the file is preserved when it is checked in

• Synchronous request for mastership
  
  A checkout operation issued synchronously with a request for mastership enables you to edit a remotely mastered branch without waiting for branch mastership to be acquired. The state of such a checkout is pending_reserved state and although you can edit the element immediately, you cannot check in a new version until the replica acquires mastership of the branch.