Develop for 5.3 and 6.0 on same workstation

rvalenzuela

Hi,

first of all I'm new to Documentum so I might say some things that won't make sense, please indulge me.

Situation:

I'm involved on two different projects one for CS 5.2 SP3 (it's already built and need some maintenance) and the other on C.S. 6.0. I need to work using the same tools on my workstation. Is there a way to install everything - DFC, DFS SDK's you know better.

Developer Software:

Can I have both environments installed on my laptop without interfering one another?

What would be the recomended software to install? for Java and .NET (primarily I use Visual Studo 2008 .NET 2.0+)

I've already gone thru 5.2 SP3 software install and have: Documentum Desktop, Application Builder, Application Installer, Offline Client, Virtual Document Manager and Workflow Manager. Is there anything else to install for this version?

Samples:

Are there any samples to download o included when installing Documentum tools?

Manuals and References

I've been reading several manuals from emc, which would you recomend to read in order to grab the concepts correctly.

UPGRADES:

I must finish deployment on the 5.2 project before considering upgrade to 6.0. how dificult will it be then? Any considerations to take into account?

I've also been watching the new version 6.5 is it easy to move from 6.0 to 6.5 will I need major changes to my solution?

Thanks

Ruben

Chris_Campbell

Oh boy.  This is going to be a doozy.  First, could you clarify what 5.x version you are using?  The subject line says 5.3 and the text of your message states 5.2 several times.  It better not be 5.2 because it's going to be a very painful upgrade path.

Regardless of what version (5.2 or 5.3) it would be a mistake to develop for both on the same workstation.  The main reason is that each use different JDK and DFC versions.  There are workarounds for the JDK by making sure that you install 1.5 and compile for 1.4, but the DFC is another story.  The DFC is installed in the c:\documentum\shared directory and you can't separate the two DFC versions by sticking them into different directories.  If you can't get another desktop to develop on, then you could look into using a virtual PC solution.  Microsoft has one that allows you to flip between two simultaneous OS installations on the same box.  Not the best solution, but works in a jam.

As to manuals and documentation, memorize the Content Server Fundamentals manual for both 5.3 and 6.5.  If I were you, consider skipping upgrading to 6.0 and go straight to 6.5.  There's a simple upgrade path from 5.3 to 6.5 that doesn't require you to upgrade to 6.0 first.  Also, there's enough features and fixes in 6.5 to more than justify skipping 6.0 in my opinion.

As for upgrade considerations... well, the biggest one you're facing at the moment is support.  If you are really on 5.2, then your support ended a long time ago.  If you are on 5.3 SP3, then you've got 2 more weeks of support before you have to pay $$$$ for extended support.  That matters when you're working with 5.3 and feel like opening a support ticket only to find that you're not going to get help unless your maintenance contract is rewritten.  So consider upgrading to 6.0 (if not 6.5) as soon as possible.  Convince anyone that new projects can wait until you upgrade.  Half the stuff you would code in 5.3 is already in 6.5.

Other than that... the only other major consideration is that Documentum Desktop is hardly ever used anymore, except those of us who are hardcore admins and find the speed and debugging superior to Webtop.  I'm using it less and less though.  Learn Composer/Eclipse as soon as possible and watch as many EMC events as possible to get knowledge of what is already there and what's coming down the pipeline.  Oh, and keep posting questions here.  Your fellow users are going to be your best resource... and we're also free.