Documentation/git-cvsserver.txt - jrn/git - Git at Google

 git-cvsserver(1)
 ================

 NAME
 ----
 git-cvsserver - A CVS server emulator for git

 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
 export CVS_SERVER=git-cvsserver
 'cvs' -d :ext:user@server/path/repo.git co <HEAD_name>

 DESCRIPTION
 -----------

 This application is a CVS emulation layer for git.

 It is highly functional. However, not all methods are implemented,
 and for those methods that are implemented,
 not all switches are implemented.

 Testing has been done using both the CLI CVS client, and the Eclipse CVS
 plugin. Most functionality works fine with both of these clients.

 LIMITATIONS
 -----------

 Currently cvsserver works over SSH connections for read/write clients, and
 over pserver for anonymous CVS access.

 CVS clients cannot tag, branch or perform GIT merges.

 git-cvsserver maps GIT branches to CVS modules. This is very different
 from what most CVS users would expect since in CVS modules usually represent
 one or more directories.

 INSTALLATION
 ------------

 1. If you are going to offer anonymous CVS access via pserver, add a line in
    /etc/inetd.conf like
 +
 --
 ------
    cvspserver stream tcp nowait nobody git-cvsserver pserver

 ------
 Note: In some cases, you need to pass the 'pserver' argument twice for
 git-cvsserver to see it. So the line would look like

 ------
    cvspserver stream tcp nowait nobody git-cvsserver pserver pserver

 ------
 No special setup is needed for SSH access, other than having GIT tools
 in the PATH. If you have clients that do not accept the CVS_SERVER
 env variable, you can rename git-cvsserver to cvs.
 --
 2. For each repo that you want accessible from CVS you need to edit config in
    the repo and add the following section.
 +
 --
 ------
    [gitcvs]
         enabled=1
         # optional for debugging
         logfile=/path/to/logfile

 ------
 Note: you need to ensure each user that is going to invoke git-cvsserver has
 write access to the log file and to the database (see
 <<dbbackend,Database Backend>>. If you want to offer write access over
 SSH, the users of course also need write access to the git repository itself.

 [[configaccessmethod]]
 All configuration variables can also be overriden for a specific method of
 access. Valid method names are "ext" (for SSH access) and "pserver". The
 following example configuration would disable pserver access while still
 allowing access over SSH.
 ------
    [gitcvs]
         enabled=0

    [gitcvs "ext"]
         enabled=1
 ------
 --
 3. On the client machine you need to set the following variables.
    CVSROOT should be set as per normal, but the directory should point at the
    appropriate git repo. For example:
 +
 --
 For SSH access, CVS_SERVER should be set to git-cvsserver

 Example:

 ------
      export CVSROOT=:ext:user@server:/var/git/project.git
      export CVS_SERVER=git-cvsserver
 ------
 --
 4. For SSH clients that will make commits, make sure their .bashrc file
    sets the GIT_AUTHOR and GIT_COMMITTER variables.

 5. Clients should now be able to check out the project. Use the CVS 'module'
    name to indicate what GIT 'head' you want to check out. Example:
 +
 ------
      cvs co -d project-master master
 ------

 [[dbbackend]]
 Database Backend
 ----------------

 git-cvsserver uses one database per git head (i.e. CVS module) to
 store information about the repository for faster access. The
 database doesn't contain any persitent data and can be completly
 regenerated from the git repository at any time. The database
 needs to be updated (i.e. written to) after every commit.

 If the commit is done directly by using git (as opposed to
 using git-cvsserver) the update will need to happen on the
 next repository access by git-cvsserver, independent of
 access method and requested operation.

 That means that even if you offer only read access (e.g. by using
 the pserver method), git-cvsserver should have write access to
 the database to work reliably (otherwise you need to make sure
 that the database if up-to-date all the time git-cvsserver is run).

 By default it uses SQLite databases in the git directory, named
 `gitcvs.<module_name>.sqlite`. Note that the SQLite backend creates
 temporary files in the same directory as the database file on
 write so it might not be enough to grant the users using
 git-cvsserver write access to the database file without granting
 them write access to the directory, too.

 You can configure the database backend with the following
 configuration variables:

 Configuring database backend
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 git-cvsserver uses the Perl DBI module. Please also read
 its documentation if changing these variables, especially
 about `DBI->connect()`.

 gitcvs.dbname::
 	Database name. The exact meaning depends on the
 	used database driver, for SQLite this is a filename.
 	Supports variable substitution (see below). May
 	not contain semicolons (`;`).
 	Default: '%Ggitcvs.%m.sqlite'

 gitcvs.dbdriver::
 	Used DBI driver. You can specify any available driver
 	for this here, but it might not work. cvsserver is tested
 	with 'DBD::SQLite', reported to work with
 	'DBD::Pg', and reported *not* to work with 'DBD::mysql'.
 	Please regard this as an experimental feature. May not
 	contain double colons (`:`).
 	Default: 'SQLite'

 gitcvs.dbuser::
 	Database user. Only useful if setting `dbdriver`, since
 	SQLite has no concept of database users. Supports variable
 	substitution (see below).

 gitcvs.dbpass::
 	Database password.  Only useful if setting `dbdriver`, since
 	SQLite has no concept of database passwords.

 All variables can also be set per access method, see <<configaccessmethod,above>>.

 Variable substitution
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 In `dbdriver` and `dbuser` you can use the following variables:

 %G::
 	git directory name
 %g::
 	git directory name, where all characters except for
 	alpha-numeric ones, `.`, and `-` are replaced with
 	`_` (this should make it easier to use the directory
 	name in a filename if wanted)
 %m::
 	CVS module/git head name
 %a::
 	access method (one of "ext" or "pserver")
 %u::
 	Name of the user running git-cvsserver.
 	If no name can be determined, the
 	numeric uid is used.

 Eclipse CVS Client Notes
 ------------------------

 To get a checkout with the Eclipse CVS client:

 1. Select "Create a new project -> From CVS checkout"
 2. Create a new location. See the notes below for details on how to choose the
    right protocol.
 3. Browse the 'modules' available. It will give you a list of the heads in
    the repository. You will not be able to browse the tree from there. Only
    the heads.
 4. Pick 'HEAD' when it asks what branch/tag to check out. Untick the
    "launch commit wizard" to avoid committing the .project file.

 Protocol notes: If you are using anonymous access via pserver, just select that.
 Those using SSH access should choose the 'ext' protocol, and configure 'ext'
 access on the Preferences->Team->CVS->ExtConnection pane. Set CVS_SERVER to
 'git-cvsserver'. Note that password support is not good when using 'ext',
 you will definitely want to have SSH keys setup.

 Alternatively, you can just use the non-standard extssh protocol that Eclipse
 offer. In that case CVS_SERVER is ignored, and you will have to replace
 the cvs utility on the server with git-cvsserver or manipulate your `.bashrc`
 so that calling 'cvs' effectively calls git-cvsserver.

 Clients known to work
 ---------------------

 - CVS 1.12.9 on Debian
 - CVS 1.11.17 on MacOSX (from Fink package)
 - Eclipse 3.0, 3.1.2 on MacOSX (see Eclipse CVS Client Notes)
 - TortoiseCVS

 Operations supported
 --------------------

 All the operations required for normal use are supported, including
 checkout, diff, status, update, log, add, remove, commit.
 Legacy monitoring operations are not supported (edit, watch and related).
 Exports and tagging (tags and branches) are not supported at this stage.

 The server should set the '-k' mode to binary when relevant, however,
 this is not really implemented yet. For now, you can force the server
 to set '-kb' for all files by setting the `gitcvs.allbinary` config
 variable. In proper GIT tradition, the contents of the files are
 always respected. No keyword expansion or newline munging is supported.

 Dependencies
 ------------

 git-cvsserver depends on DBD::SQLite.

 Copyright and Authors
 ---------------------

 This program is copyright The Open University UK - 2006.

 Authors:

 - Martyn Smith    <martyn@catalyst.net.nz>
 - Martin Langhoff <martin@catalyst.net.nz>

 with ideas and patches from participants of the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

 Documentation
 --------------
 Documentation by Martyn Smith <martyn@catalyst.net.nz>, Martin Langhoff <martin@catalyst.net.nz>, and Matthias Urlichs <smurf@smurf.noris.de>.

 GIT
 ---
 Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite
	git-cvsserver(1)
	================

	NAME
	----
	git-cvsserver - A CVS server emulator for git

	SYNOPSIS
	--------
	[verse]
	export CVS_SERVER=git-cvsserver
	'cvs' -d :ext:user@server/path/repo.git co <HEAD_name>

	DESCRIPTION
	-----------

	This application is a CVS emulation layer for git.

	It is highly functional. However, not all methods are implemented,
	and for those methods that are implemented,
	not all switches are implemented.

	Testing has been done using both the CLI CVS client, and the Eclipse CVS
	plugin. Most functionality works fine with both of these clients.

	LIMITATIONS
	-----------

	Currently cvsserver works over SSH connections for read/write clients, and
	over pserver for anonymous CVS access.

	CVS clients cannot tag, branch or perform GIT merges.

	git-cvsserver maps GIT branches to CVS modules. This is very different
	from what most CVS users would expect since in CVS modules usually represent
	one or more directories.

	INSTALLATION
	------------

	1. If you are going to offer anonymous CVS access via pserver, add a line in
	/etc/inetd.conf like
	+
	--
	------
	cvspserver stream tcp nowait nobody git-cvsserver pserver

	------
	Note: In some cases, you need to pass the 'pserver' argument twice for
	git-cvsserver to see it. So the line would look like

	------
	cvspserver stream tcp nowait nobody git-cvsserver pserver pserver

	------
	No special setup is needed for SSH access, other than having GIT tools
	in the PATH. If you have clients that do not accept the CVS_SERVER
	env variable, you can rename git-cvsserver to cvs.
	--
	2. For each repo that you want accessible from CVS you need to edit config in
	the repo and add the following section.
	+
	--
	------
	[gitcvs]
	enabled=1
	# optional for debugging
	logfile=/path/to/logfile

	------
	Note: you need to ensure each user that is going to invoke git-cvsserver has
	write access to the log file and to the database (see
	<<dbbackend,Database Backend>>. If you want to offer write access over
	SSH, the users of course also need write access to the git repository itself.

	[[configaccessmethod]]
	All configuration variables can also be overriden for a specific method of
	access. Valid method names are "ext" (for SSH access) and "pserver". The
	following example configuration would disable pserver access while still
	allowing access over SSH.
	------
	[gitcvs]
	enabled=0

	[gitcvs "ext"]
	enabled=1
	------
	--
	3. On the client machine you need to set the following variables.
	CVSROOT should be set as per normal, but the directory should point at the
	appropriate git repo. For example:
	+
	--
	For SSH access, CVS_SERVER should be set to git-cvsserver

	Example:

	------
	export CVSROOT=:ext:user@server:/var/git/project.git
	export CVS_SERVER=git-cvsserver
	------
	--
	4. For SSH clients that will make commits, make sure their .bashrc file
	sets the GIT_AUTHOR and GIT_COMMITTER variables.

	5. Clients should now be able to check out the project. Use the CVS 'module'
	name to indicate what GIT 'head' you want to check out. Example:
	+
	------
	cvs co -d project-master master
	------

	[[dbbackend]]
	Database Backend
	----------------

	git-cvsserver uses one database per git head (i.e. CVS module) to
	store information about the repository for faster access. The
	database doesn't contain any persitent data and can be completly
	regenerated from the git repository at any time. The database
	needs to be updated (i.e. written to) after every commit.

	If the commit is done directly by using git (as opposed to
	using git-cvsserver) the update will need to happen on the
	next repository access by git-cvsserver, independent of
	access method and requested operation.

	That means that even if you offer only read access (e.g. by using
	the pserver method), git-cvsserver should have write access to
	the database to work reliably (otherwise you need to make sure
	that the database if up-to-date all the time git-cvsserver is run).

	By default it uses SQLite databases in the git directory, named
	`gitcvs.<module_name>.sqlite`. Note that the SQLite backend creates
	temporary files in the same directory as the database file on
	write so it might not be enough to grant the users using
	git-cvsserver write access to the database file without granting
	them write access to the directory, too.

	You can configure the database backend with the following
	configuration variables:

	Configuring database backend
	~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	git-cvsserver uses the Perl DBI module. Please also read
	its documentation if changing these variables, especially
	about `DBI->connect()`.

	gitcvs.dbname::
	Database name. The exact meaning depends on the
	used database driver, for SQLite this is a filename.
	Supports variable substitution (see below). May
	not contain semicolons (`;`).
	Default: '%Ggitcvs.%m.sqlite'

	gitcvs.dbdriver::
	Used DBI driver. You can specify any available driver
	for this here, but it might not work. cvsserver is tested
	with 'DBD::SQLite', reported to work with
	'DBD::Pg', and reported not to work with 'DBD::mysql'.
	Please regard this as an experimental feature. May not
	contain double colons (`:`).
	Default: 'SQLite'

	gitcvs.dbuser::
	Database user. Only useful if setting `dbdriver`, since
	SQLite has no concept of database users. Supports variable
	substitution (see below).

	gitcvs.dbpass::
	Database password. Only useful if setting `dbdriver`, since
	SQLite has no concept of database passwords.

	All variables can also be set per access method, see <<configaccessmethod,above>>.

	Variable substitution
	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	In `dbdriver` and `dbuser` you can use the following variables:

	%G::
	git directory name
	%g::
	git directory name, where all characters except for
	alpha-numeric ones, `.`, and `-` are replaced with
	`_` (this should make it easier to use the directory
	name in a filename if wanted)
	%m::
	CVS module/git head name
	%a::
	access method (one of "ext" or "pserver")
	%u::
	Name of the user running git-cvsserver.
	If no name can be determined, the
	numeric uid is used.

	Eclipse CVS Client Notes
	------------------------

	To get a checkout with the Eclipse CVS client:

	1. Select "Create a new project -> From CVS checkout"
	2. Create a new location. See the notes below for details on how to choose the
	right protocol.
	3. Browse the 'modules' available. It will give you a list of the heads in
	the repository. You will not be able to browse the tree from there. Only
	the heads.
	4. Pick 'HEAD' when it asks what branch/tag to check out. Untick the
	"launch commit wizard" to avoid committing the .project file.

	Protocol notes: If you are using anonymous access via pserver, just select that.
	Those using SSH access should choose the 'ext' protocol, and configure 'ext'
	access on the Preferences->Team->CVS->ExtConnection pane. Set CVS_SERVER to
	'git-cvsserver'. Note that password support is not good when using 'ext',
	you will definitely want to have SSH keys setup.

	Alternatively, you can just use the non-standard extssh protocol that Eclipse
	offer. In that case CVS_SERVER is ignored, and you will have to replace
	the cvs utility on the server with git-cvsserver or manipulate your `.bashrc`
	so that calling 'cvs' effectively calls git-cvsserver.

	Clients known to work
	---------------------

	- CVS 1.12.9 on Debian
	- CVS 1.11.17 on MacOSX (from Fink package)
	- Eclipse 3.0, 3.1.2 on MacOSX (see Eclipse CVS Client Notes)
	- TortoiseCVS

	Operations supported
	--------------------

	All the operations required for normal use are supported, including
	checkout, diff, status, update, log, add, remove, commit.
	Legacy monitoring operations are not supported (edit, watch and related).
	Exports and tagging (tags and branches) are not supported at this stage.

	The server should set the '-k' mode to binary when relevant, however,
	this is not really implemented yet. For now, you can force the server
	to set '-kb' for all files by setting the `gitcvs.allbinary` config
	variable. In proper GIT tradition, the contents of the files are
	always respected. No keyword expansion or newline munging is supported.

	Dependencies
	------------

	git-cvsserver depends on DBD::SQLite.

	Copyright and Authors
	---------------------

	This program is copyright The Open University UK - 2006.

	Authors:

	- Martyn Smith <martyn@catalyst.net.nz>
	- Martin Langhoff <martin@catalyst.net.nz>

	with ideas and patches from participants of the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

	Documentation
	--------------
	Documentation by Martyn Smith <martyn@catalyst.net.nz>, Martin Langhoff <martin@catalyst.net.nz>, and Matthias Urlichs <smurf@smurf.noris.de>.

	GIT
	---
	Part of the gitlink:git[7] suite