Concurrent design versioning system, based on XML file

Electrical engineers are interested in sharing knowledge with other disciplines like mechanics, thermal, etc.. Indeed, to design an electromechanical product requires more and more skills leading naturally to the concurrent design. A collaborative work, based on several exchanges (like data, expert rules, negotiations), by mainly using Internet protocols, needs dedicated supports, lighter than technical data management system and more dynamic. In this way, the paper proposes a software called Concurrent Design Versioning System (CoDVS). It is based on XML semi-structured file standard and concurrent versions system (CVS) concept. The software allows designer to exchange information and to work in a collaborative design process. This information is versioned as the nodes of an XML tree. The paper briefly reviews several versioning methods and details the CoDVS software.