Perforce Helix Installer ("HI")
===
Welcome 
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This is the home of the Perforce Helix Installer project.

Perforce [Helix](http://www.perforce.com/helix) is a unified platform for collaborative development, version management, and protection of intellectual property.  It consists of an integrated ecosystem of proven, enterprise-grade systems for versioning, code collaboration and review, continuous delivery.

Helix Installer is capabile of quickly transforming a vanilla machine -- virtual or bare metal -- into a demonstraion grade deployment of Helix, suitable for a Proof of Concept rollout.  Further, because the demo-grade uses the Perforce Server Deployment Package ([SDP](https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/projects/perforce-software-sdp), also availalbe in The Workshop), it is very easy to convert it to a production-grade installation.

This is an alternative to the [Helix Enterprise Evaluation virtual appliance (OVA)](http://www.perforce.com/downloads/helix).

Features
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* Fast.  Runs in under 20 minutes, including download time.
* Easy.  Provides reasonable defaults for port numbers, passwords, data storage areas, and all inputs that would otherwise require human interaction.
* Comprehensive.  Installs P4D and P4Broker, SDP, and a complete development pre-configured environment include Perl, P4Perl, Python, and P4Python, with appropraite shell environment settings to use them all immediately.  And more to come --  future versions will include Swarm, Git Fusion, and GitSwarm.
* Automates connction to the [Perforce Package Repository](http://package.perforce.com/).
* Pre-loads the [Perforce Sample Depot](http://answers.perforce.com/articles/KB/2439)
* Simplifies Entrerprise Deployment.  While optimized for getting going quickly, the Helix Installer is designd to enable a fast path from a PoC to small-scale production deployment following the Helix evaluation, with a nominal hop from there to a large-scale enterprise deployment.  It is based on the Consulting [Server Deployment Package (SDP)](https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/projects/perforce-software-sdp), use by the Consulting Services team at Perforce to manage various Helix components in large, globally districuted organizations.

Real-Life Usage Example
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The Component Based Development ([CBD](https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/projects/perforce-software-cbd)) system, another project in The Workshop, uses this Helix Installer as part of its automated test suite.  In conjunction with Vagrant and Virtual Box, which build a vanilla VM from the groud up, the [CBD Test Suite](https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/projects/perforce-software-cbd/files/main/test/auto_test_cbd_vagrant.sh) uses the Helix Installer to deploy a Perforce server, complete with Sampe Depot test data set, plus Python and P4Python needed to test the CBD scripts.

Helix Installer Roadmap
===

HI 1.0
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HI 1.0, available today, can install the following Helix Components, all fully configured an intgegrated:
* P4D 2015.2 - the Helix Versioning Engine, the core of Helix.
* P4Broker 2015.2 - the Helix Broker, enhances custom automation capabilities, simplifies maintenances.
* SDP 2015.2 - Consulting Services Server Deployment Package
* Swarm and Git Fusion packages are installed, but not configured.

Helix 1.5 (ETA February 2016) will add support for:
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* Helix Swarm - Collaborative web-based code review and continuous delivery.
* Helix Git Fusion - enables Git collaboration and access to the Helix  Versioning Engine for Git users.
* Helix GitSwarm
* Optimized for easy Git repo insertion.  A <code>p4import</code> user is created and configured with an SSH key, ready to immediately start Git repo imports.  A supplemental <code>higf_import</code> tool imports Git the master branch of a git repos in a single step, needing only the cloning URL as input.

Platform Support
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HI v1.0 supports: 
* CentOS/RHEL 6.5 thru 6.7.
* Limited support for Mac OSX/Darin

Future releases may add support for other popular Linux distributions, including those using APT, e.g. Ubuntu and Debian.  It may well work as-is presently on other YUM-based installastions.

Contact Us
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Please contact Perforce Consulting (mailto:Consulting@Perforce.com) for more information.

Project Status
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This project is functional.

Safety Warning
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Note that this software ***SHOULD NEVER EXIST*** on a Production Perforce server.  The is intended to quickly tear down and rebuild a fresh Perforce server (e.g. for operating test suites).  It shoudl not exist on a machine containing real Perforce data.