git/Documentation/git-cvsserver.txt

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 gitcvs only works over ssh connections.


INSTALLATION
------------
1. Put server.pl somewhere useful on the same machine that is hosting your git repos

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
        logfile=/path/to/logfile

   n.b. you need to ensure each user that is going to invoke server.pl has
   write access to the log file.

5. On each 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.
     CVS_SERVER should be set to the server.pl script that has been put on the
                remote machine.

6. Clients should now be able to check out modules (where modules are the names
   of branches in git).
     $ cvs co -d mylocaldir master

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

To get a checkout with the Eclipse CVS client:

1. Create a new project from CVS checkout, giving it repository and module
2. Context Menu->Team->Share Project...
3. Enter the repository and module information again and click Finish
4. The Synchronize view appears. Untick  "launch commit wizard" to avoid
committing the .project file, and select HEAD as the tag to synchronize to.
Update all incoming changes.

Note that most versions of Eclipse ignore CVS_SERVER (which you can set in
the Preferences->Team->CVS->ExtConnection pane), so you may have to
rename, alias or symlink git-cvsserver to 'cvs' on the server.

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 will set the -k mode to binary when relevant. 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> and Martin Langhoff <martin@catalyst.net.nz>Matthias Urlichs <smurf@smurf.noris.de>.

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