Not surprisingly, one of the most bandwidth-demanding operations is file check-out. Even with compression strategy, checking out a large number of files can require a lot of data transfer.
Most users maintain a working set of files on their local disks, allowing them to check out only the new file revisions they need to get caught up. Suppose, for example, that you are working on a project that has 75 out of date files. This means that you have an older revision of each file on your local drive, but you need a newer revision to get caught up. Normally, when you select those files and perform a checkout, you get a new file as a “full” revision. For high-speed to broadband network connections, normal file check-out will give you satisfactory performance.
But what if network bandwidth is very tight or congestion is a constant concern? There is an option to check out newer file revisions with a different strategy called delta check-out. Instead of sending full file revisions, delta check-out causes “delta” records to be sent by the StarTeam Server that allow the existing revision of each file to be “patched” to the revision you’re checking out. Because delta records are usually much smaller than the whole file revision, they require even smaller file check-out messages.
Delta check-out is enabled individually at the client level with the option called Optimize for Slow Connection on the File page of the Personal Options dialog box.
Below are some points to consider in deciding if delta check-outs will help you: