Getting started using Subversion

Common questions about setting up and starting to use Subversion.

• Is there an SVN architecture figure?
  Yes, see the Subversion documentation at the link below.
• What operating systems does Subversion run on?
  All modern flavors of Unix, as well as Win32, BeOS, OS/2, and MacOSX.
• What is the difference between CollabNet Subversion and Subversion?
  CollabNet Subversion is a distribution of Subversion with added-value for enterprise deployments, including:
• How does Subversion handle binary files?
  When you first add or import a file to Subversion, the file is examined to determine if it is a binary file. Currently, Subversion only looks at the first 1024 bytes of the file; if any of the bytes are zero, or if more than 15 percent are not ASCII printing characters, then Subversion calls the file binary. This heuristic might be improved in the future.
• How do I create a repository and import data?
  You can get new files into your Subversion repository in two ways: svn import and svn add.
• How do I create a local backup of a remote SVN repository?
  You can back up your remote Subversion repository to your local system by keeping a mirror copy of the repository locally using svnsync.
• What is the difference between an SVN checkout and an SVN export?
  They are the same except that Export doesn't include the.svn folders and Checkout does include them. Also note that an export cannot be updated.
• What is Subversion's client/server interoperability policy?
  The client and server are designed to interoperate as long as they are not more than one major release version apart. For example, any 1.X client will work with a 1.Y server. However, if the client and server versions don't match, certain features may not be available.
• What is AnkhSVN?
  AnkhSVN provides source control with Subversion for Visual Studio. It allows you to perform common version control operations directly within the Visual Studio environment.
• What files are included in the CollabNet Subversion RPM packages?
  Client, Server and Extra files are included with this distribution.
• How do I check out the Subversion code?
  Use the Subversion client: $ svn co http://svn.collab.net/repos/svn/trunk subversion This will check out a copy of the Subversion source tree into a directory named subversion on your local machine.
• How can I make each of my projects to have their own revision number?
  The revision number is only relevant to the whole repository, and cannot be changed.
• What kind of hardware do I need to run a Subversion server?
  In general, you can expect to need much less server memory than you would for comparable CVS repositories.
• Should I store my repository on an NFS server?
  If you are using a repository with the Berkeley DB back end (default for repositories created with Subversion 1.0 and 1. 1, not the default thereafter), we recommend not storing the repository on a remote filesystem (for example, NFS).
• Why is my repository taking up so much disk space?
  The logfiles will grow forever, eating up disk space, unless you, (as the repository administrator) do something about it.
• Does CollabNet have any tools to migrate VSS to SVN?
  Unfortunately there are no automated tools for migrating from VSS to SVN. This is usually just done by checking out key baselines from VSS and checking them into SVN.
• Is there a reporting tool available to track the transactions on a Subversion repository?
  A partner tool is available to track transactions on a Subversion repository. See the link below for more information.
• How do I convert my repository from using BDB to FSFS or from FSFS to BDB?
  There are three steps: 1. A dump/load from the old format to the new one; 2. Copy the hook scripts; 3. Copy the configuration files.
• How do I do a network trace of Subversion client/server interaction?
  Use Wireshark (formerly known as "Ethereal") to eavesdrop on the conversation.
• What should I consider in planning a migration to Subversion?
  First, you need to perform a needs analysis to evaluate the cost vs. benefit for performing the migration. Second, you need to execute an environment assessment to determine what limitations there will be on any migration given the differences between your legacy version control tool and Subversion. Third, you need to establish a new configuration management plan that starts with identifying your true business needs and then looks to best implement them given Subversion's functionality. Finally, you will need to educate the users on Subversion, your modified processes, and on the migration process itself.
• What files are installed and what registry settings are changed when the MS Office Plugin is installed?
  Below is a list of most of the files installed and registries that are changed when the plugin is installed. Note: This is not a comprehensive list and may vary from computer to computer.