2004-11-02 15:23:03
Vault 3.0 and Dragnet 1.0 -- Beta 2
I am pleased to announce our second beta release of Vault 3.0 and Dragnet 1.0. Beta 1 was made available privately to a small group of testers. This is the first publicly available beta release.
For Early Adopters only
These are beta releases. We are not done testing and we still have more bugs to fix. A level-headed person wouldn't even consider deploying these builds on a production server.
However, since I am reckless early adopter, I can only assume that many of my readers are as well. For those of you who will be throwing prudence to the wind, please be aware of the following:
- You can't go back. Installing Vault 3.0 will upgrade your Vault database to 3.0, and there is no way to go back. The state files on your client will be changed to a new format as well, and there is no way to go back. Upgrading to 3.0 is a one-way trip.
- You can't mix and match. Vault 3.0 clients will not talk with Vault 2.0 servers. Vault 3.0 servers will not talk with Vault 2.0 clients. Everyone will have to upgrade, all at once.
- You should not use .NET 2.0. Right now, Vault 3.0 is only supported and compatible with the current shipping release of the .NET Framework. If you are using the .NET 2.0 betas, you should not use this release of Vault. (Yes, we will test and verify with .NET 2.0 later.)
- You should do backups. Please, before you do the upgrade, backup your data and put the backup in a safe place. Consider doing backups at least once a day while you are using the beta release. (Daily backups are a darn good idea anyway, so once you've started the habit, keep it.)
What's new in Vault 3.0?
- Bunches-o-bug-fixes
- Integration with our new bug-tracking product, Dragnet
- Email notifications
- New dialog for adding files, much easier
- New dialog for setting working folders
- Much improved handling of files in status "unknown"
- Greatly simplified license tracking
- Integration with Active Directory
- Several improvements to make Merge Branches even easier to use
- Improvements to the DiffMerge tool, including Unicode support
- Significant improvements to performance and scalability, especially for larger teams
What is Dragnet?
Dragnet is a web-based bug-tracking system. The SourceGear corporate website does not yet contain any basic product information on Dragnet. This stuff will be published soon. For now, here is a list of highlights:
- Built on ASP.NET and SQL Server. Dragnet is entirely web-based.
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Integration with Vault 3.0 and SourceOffSite 4.1. Dragnet offers full, rich integration with both of SourceGear's version control products.
- Item types. Dragnet can track other kinds of items besides bugs, allowing it to be used as more general project management tool.
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Audit trails. Dragnet remembers every change which has ever been made to an item, allowing you to see the full history of the issue.
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Customizable fields. Store the information you want to store for your particular situation.
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Keyword search. Easily retrieve all items which match one or more search terms.
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Email notifications. Configure Dragnet to let you know when things happen.
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Web Services API. Access the contents of your Dragnet database through XML Web Services.
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Milestones. Divide your items into milestones you define, helping your team to focus on immediate goals.
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Seamless transition from Collab. Users of SourceOffSite Collab will be able to import all their data into Dragnet.
Release date
We plan to release Vault 3.0 and Dragnet 1.0 before the end of November.
Pricing
The base price of Vault will remain at $199 per user (without a support contract). However, it's fair to warn you that the volume discounts will be a bit less aggressive after 3.0 is released. I can't publish the new numbers yet, but I can say this: If you are planning to buy Vault, doing it in the next week or two will save you some money.
In order to upgrade to Vault 3.0 from a previous release, you will need a current support contract, which we call a "Gold Support subscription". Gold Support costs $99 per user per year.
Our policy is that all Vault customers receive free tech support and free upgrades for 30 days after your purchase. So, if you buy Vault 2.0 sometime during the 30 days just before the 3.0 release, you will get the 3.0 upgrade for free whether you buy Gold Support or not.
Dragnet will be priced at $99 per user (without a support contract). As a gesture of goodwill to our best customers, each Vault customer who purchased Gold Support prior to this release will get Dragnet 1.0 for free.
Please note that the benefits of Gold Support are only available if you have purchased Gold Support for all your users. If you bought 25 Vault licenses and only one Gold Support subscription, you don't really have Gold Support. You'll need to buy the other 24 subscriptions in order to get the upgrade or the free Dragnet licenses. (Unfortunately, the current implementation of our online store allows customers to buy fewer Gold Support subscriptions than Vault licenses. This problem will be fixed when we deploy the new store software for the new release.)
I'm only mentioning a few key highlights about pricing here. The full details will be available by the time of the release.
Serial numbers
Here are demo serial numbers for 25 users, expiring 60 days from today:
Vault: | P4YLN-M5639-274MD-EJQK9-FY847 |
Dragnet: | GGYLN-DM6K9-274MD-EJQN4-FU88W |
Please note that your 2.0 serial numbers will not work with 3.0. In part, this is because Vault 3.0 is a paid upgrade, but in addition, Vault serial numbers have changed with the 3.0 release. The new serial numbers are simpler, shorter, and do not require activation.
Download
The download directory for the Vault and Dragnet betas is:
http://download.sourcegear.com/beta/
Get build 2711 of Vault, and build 1136 of Dragnet.
Reporting Bugs
If you download and install these builds, you are a beta tester. We hope you'll give us some feedback. Tell us what works. Tell us what doesn't work. Ask us questions.
The place to do all this is the Vault discussion forum. Please don't email me directly, as we would prefer that discussion of the beta happen publicly on the forum.
FAQs
Q: I want to upgrade to Vault 3.0, but I don't want to buy Gold Support. Is there another way?
A: No. Gold Support is the way to get the upgrade.
Q: Are you guys using Vault and Dragnet internally for your own development?
A: Of course! We've been using early versions of Vault 3.0 and Dragnet 1.0 for several months.
Q: Is SourceOffSite 4.1 beta available yet?
A: Nope -- not yet.