This monograph, and accompanying open-source software Vesta, addresses two core problems in developing large software projects: 1) versioning and 2) building. In order to develop and sustain automated, scalable "software configuration management (SCM) systems," software systems engineers need to understand how large software code bases can be effectively managed and evolved. Using a well-known open-source software prototype system (Vesta developed at Digital and Compaq Systems Research Lab), the authors meticulously assess, develop, and demonstrate key concepts and methods to achieve such evolvable and scalable software systems. The concepts, lessons, and executable code allow researchers to develop a deeper understanding of the problems, and solution domains possible, for large-scale software construction practices.