Everything you want to know about Visual Studio ALM and Farming
Brian Harry is a Microsoft Technical Fellow working as the Product Unit Manager for Team Foundation Server. Learn more about Brian.
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We’ve also just released the first cut at the TFS 2010 Best Practices Analyzer that will help you diagnose configuration issues on TFS 2010 servers. It’s a long way from being done – we’ll be continuing to work on it hard between now and the 2010 release but it’s a start.
Updating the BPA tool was a major undertaking due to all of the new TFS topologies and features in 2010. Application Tier scale out, Data Tier scale out, Build agent pooling, Sharepoint flexibility and Lab Management are just a few of the new features that required a pretty major overhaul of the BPA tool. Our goal for this initial release was to get the BPA infrastructure updated to support the new multi-machine topologies, remove all of the old rules that don’t make sense any longer and add a handful of new rules that show we can scan the breadth of a TFS 2010 Server Farm. Over the next few months, we’ll be building out the new rules to provide a more comprehensive validation of a TFS install.
We’d certainly appreciate you giving it a try at some point and letting us know how it works for you.
You can read more about it on Ladislau’s blog here: http://blogs.msdn.com/lszomoru/archive/2009/11/17/team-foundation-server-2010-beta-2-best-practices-analyzer.aspx
Brian
All very interesting, but TFS in general is like trying to clean your fingernails with a Backhoe. Why oh why oh why does MS feel compelled to take the most simple of things and complicate them beyond any understanding!?!?!? We are talking about a system to check in/out files, and maintain some order - not much else. Why does MS feel they have to add these overly-complicated features as though we will soon all be complete dummies who require software to tell us what to do rather than vice-versa.
Instead of building new "oh wow but useless" features, how about going back to TFS 2005, or 2008 and just get the darn thing working correctly? I spend more time each and every week just trying to decipher the confusing and conflicting messages out of TFS!!! Example? Sure...
I go to download an existing project and TFS tells me in Souce Control Explorer "Not Downloaded" - OK, I click "Get latest" and then it tells me "all files are up to date"... Talk about confusing!!! And try debugging that? Impossible!!! What kind of insanity produces "Your software is not downloaded (at all) but somehow the file are 'up to date'"???
And the documentation? Again, we are talking about a simple check in/out system, right? Then why does MS produce reams and reams of documentation - not only does one have to dig dig and dig some more to find even a related topic, but then when you find it, larger chances are the docs are wrong, or simply not even understandable.
We have struggled now for four years with TFS. It wastes time, money, and frustrates an entire staff of developers. Is THAT the measure of success for MS???
But here is the problem in a nutshell... If you need to travel from your home, one block to the corner store, which mode of travel makes more sense? A skateboard, or the Space Shuttle? It seems for Microsoft the answer is of course, the Space Shuttle, which is big, complex, powerful, expensive, and will COST you time, not save you time.... For the rest of the world that has not gone insane - its obvious, a skateboard is the far better approach.
TFS should be a skateboard - what we have now is the Space Shuttle - which by the way, is NOT the most efficient manner of travel one block to your corner store. You would think with all the brain power in Redmond Washington, this would be obvious. But alas, the missing piece in Redmond is and always has been good old common sense. And intelligence, no matter how vast, without good old common sense produces, well... Beasts like TFS.
And now? Well, now MS wants to add yet more blather to TFS. What is the goal? So that all developers anywhere in the solar system are doing development the "same" way??? And I guess that would be the MS way???
Say goodbye to creativity, say goodbye to common sense, and most of all, say goodbye to sanity.
I just wish you guys would get things right the first time LONG BEFORE you go adding more unneeded grissle to an already overblown, over-complicated, barely functional behemoth.
Just installed TFS 2010. Works like a charm. Works great for source control. You can avail yourself of the new functionality as you need it. At Export Development Canada, with 100 apps, we need it.
So... works like a skateboard, and a space shuttle too, at a reasonable price.
Nice comment Andy. I agree.
I respect Andy's perspective. However, we are looking at TFS as an ALM tool. Source control is just one part of it. In addition, we will be supporting hundreds of developers, so a diagnostic of the fully distributed installation is greatly appreciated. Bob