About binary files in a deliver operation

If you have a binary file in any of your activities when you perform the deliver operation (or a rebase), and your organization does not have a type manager for that file type, a Rational® ClearCase® error is generated when the binary file is encountered during the deliver operation (or rebase). The error occurs because there is no type manager that can merge the version of the file in your development stream with the version of the file in the target stream.

Your project manager can overcome this problem by creating a special element type for the binary file type and specifying one of the following mergetypes:

copy
During a merge or findmerge operation within a delivery or a rebase, a version whose element type has the mergetype copy is not merged. The source version is copied to the target version so that you do not have to take any action to handle the file.
never
A merge or findmerge operation ignores versions whose element type has never as a mergetype.
user
A merge or a findmerge operation performs trivial merges only. You must handle nontrivial merges manually. The graphic user interface (GUI) tools provide the following options for user mergetype:
  • Copy the version from the source stream and set its status to merged
  • Keep the version that is currently checked out in the target stream and set its status to merged
  • Skip the element and set its status to not merged so that it can be merged later or merged manually
  • Back out of the current deliver operation and return all versions to the state before the delivery began

The special element type is then associated with the binary file in the VOB when the derived object is added to source control. This special element type tells the Rational ClearCase system not to attempt merging the file and the mergetype specifies the action to take. Because the special element type indicates the merge behavior, no type manager error occurs.

For more information, see the IBM Rational ClearCase Guide to Managing Software Projects.

Parent topic: About the deliver operation
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