[Gnu-arch-users] Question about branching a subset

[Dick Knol]

I have to implement a versioning system for my company, but the problem is that there are very many files involved. A lot of them are text, others are encrypted source, thus binary. There are also a lot of binary object files. The structure of the environment works with different layers (one for our software vendor, one for customizations FROM our vendor, and one for all our own developments). These are also divided into subcategories for each site, because not all software is for all sites, and a CORE for something that is for all sites.

Furthermore, for every site there is a production and test-environment. The test-environment only contains software that is in test, when it is OK, it will be removed from test and put into production. The test environments also look in the production environment for all object-files it hasn't itself.

I came up with the idea to work with little projects. Develop in a project, copy source from the destination environment, or create new. Then, when finished, it must be delivered to test. Sometimes there must be more changes after testing, so it must be redelivered to test. When testing completes, it will be delivered to prod.

Test will be a branch of Prod, only containing the needed files for testing. What I want is to create a branch (as a project) from the target production environment. But it must only contain the source file I want in it. Then, when all is finished, the branch is merged with the target test environment. When testing completes, the patch is applied to prod.

Is it possible to work with Arch in this way. Seems to me it doesn't, because Arch only works with whole trees. 

Another (better) option may be that test is a full environment, not just a subset that needs to be tested. This way branching test should be simple, and merging changes from test to prod should be straightforward. Only the project-branches don't fit into this picture.

Does anyone have an idea how I can resolve this problem?

--
Dick Knol <address@hidden>

signature.asc
Description: Dit berichtdeel is digitaal ondertekend