Up until now I’ve just been using the file system and a backup process (mixture of actual backups to a NAS and a little bit of SyncToy use) but since I’ve started using axosoft OnTime for tracking tasks, defects and features on the project I wanted more tracking capabilities around the code.
This coincided nicely with the decision to change the old, creaking, warning light flashing NAS (Maxtor Shared Storage II) to something a bit more robust. Step up the Netgear ReadyNAS NV+.
What a device! I haven’t had so much fun playing with a new gadget for long time. Install a couple of disks, switch it on and a little configuration later it’s off and running as the new NAS. Attach an external USB drive for important backups, configure the NV+ backup schedule and there’s a bit more comfort around important data.
But, it’s also easy to modify.
First up was a need to have a standard web server for some development work. All I needed was PHP and it was set. Easy – now there’s a fully functional Apache web server available that doesn’t need a PC running.
Yesterday was SCM day. I initially tried to put a Git installation on it but ran into some problems with the SSH setup. It just didn’t want to work with Windows, seemed overly onerous, and I gave up.
Second trial worked a charm. I put a Subversion installation on the NV+ and liked it. Easy to manage, simple and great performance.
For Windows integration I’ve installed TortoiseSVN which, given its reputation an level of integration with Windows, was a real no brainer.
Visual Studio integration? Check – downloaded a trial of VisualSVN and I think it’s fantastic. That’ll be an easy purchase.
So now I have StrokePlay under proper source control I’m happier that I have a versioning capability. Just another thing ticked off the To-Do list.
