NetApp Delivers Greater Performance at Lower Latency with Perforce Helix

NetApp, the leader in storage hardware and software, has 4,000+ developers on Helix. Since its implementation, they have realized dramatic improvements in workflow including the ability to manage files at the storage level rather than inside a database.

Fast Continuous Integration

Continuous Builds

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Automatically Identify Problems

Scalability

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Storage

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Testing

Helix VCS allows NetApp to follow what we call a single branch model of development,

which improves time to market for new products significantly."

Kumaraswamy (Kumar) Namburu, Manager of Build Release Engineering at NetApp
Image Testimonial NetApp
NetApp building via speaknetworks.com

 

Environment

  • 2,000+ developers in five offices working on ONTAP applications; another 2,000 working on non-ONTAP apps.
  • All of the tools, scripts, and development test code, everything required for testing, building, releasing, and continuous integration, all of the repositories and all of the generated files are checked into Helix.
  • ONTAP features a 570GB code base and 1TB database.
  • Developers work in 120GB workspaces.
  • 500,000 changes take place each day resulting in 1.7 million Helix xacts.
  • Perforce is integrated with third-party tools: Reviewboard for code review; OpenGrok for code navigation; Jenkins for continuous integration; HP ALM for automated testing; and internally-created bug tracker (based on Bugzilla).
  • Integrated with key NetApp applications:
    • FlexClone to replicate data volumes
    • Snapshot to create virtual point-in-time copies of file systems
    • Together results in no network latency and a true clone without additional storage space.

"With our distributed environment, workspace creation at all sites takes the same amount of time and the developer can be at any site to deliver the application to the customer. That's the key here," said Namburu.

 

Fast Continuous Integration

"With Helix, NetApp applications are constantly being updated and improved while the integrity of each application is maintained throughout the build, test, and release cycle," said Namburu. 

"We are trying to build a data center using NetApp storage that, together with Helix, can deliver greater performance at lower latency and provide backup for databases so that our customers can develop an easy out-of-the-box solution to their storage needs."