Essential CVS: Version Control and Source Code Management

by Jennifer Vesperman

Overview

This easy-to-follow reference shows a variety of professionals how to use the Concurrent Versions System (CVS), the open source tool that lets you manage versions of anything stored in files. Ideal for software developers tracking different versions of the same code, this new edition has been expanded to explain common usages of CVS for system administrators, project managers, software architects, user-interface (UI) specialists, graphic designers and others.

Current for version 1.12, Essential CVS, 2nd Edition offers an overview of CVS, explains the core concepts, and describes the commands that most people use on a day-to-day basis. For those who need to get up to speed rapidly, the book's Quickstart Guide shows you how to build and use a basic CVS repository with the default settings and a minimum of extras. You'll also find:

• A full command reference that details all aspects of customizing CVS for automation, logging, branching, merging documents, and creating alerts
• Examples and descriptions of the most commonly used options for each command
• Why and when to tag or branch your project, tagging before releases, and using branching to create a bugfix version of a project
• Details on the systems used in CVS to permit multiple developers to work on the same project without loss of data

An entire section devoted to document version management and project management includes ways to import and export projects, work with remote repositories, and shows how to fix things that can go wrong when using CVS. You'll find more screenshots in this edition as well as examples of using graphical CVS clients to run CVS commands. Essential CVS also includes a FAQ that answers common queries in the CVS mailing list to get you up and running with this system quickly and painlessly.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596551407
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/20/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	430
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jennifer Vesperman is the author of Essential CVS. She writes for the O'Reilly Network, the Linux Documentation Project, and occasionally Linux.Com. As a programmer and system administrator, she currently works with Cybersource, an Australian IT consulting firm. She is the current Coordinator for LinuxChix, an advocacy and support group that focuses on women who use and develop open source programs (especially Linux).

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I. Introduction

1. What Is CVS?
     What Is a Versioning System?
     CVS in the Field

2. CVS Quickstart Guide
     Installing CVS
     Building Your First Repository
     Importing Projects
     Accessing Remote Repositories
     Checking Out Files
     Committing Changes
     Updating Sandboxes
     Adding Files
     Removing Files
     Quick Tips for Success

Part II. Using CVS

3. Basic Use of CVS
     General Information
     Sandboxes and Repositories
     Committing Changes to the Repository
     Checking File Status
     Updating the Sandbox Files from the Repository
     Adding Files to the Repository
     Removing Files from the Repository
     Moving Files or Directories
     Releasing a Sandbox
     Keywords
     Binary Files and Wrappers
     Specifying Default Command Options

4. Tagging and Branching
     Tagging
     Stickiness
     Branching
     Branching Strategies

5. Multiple Users
     Using Simultaneous Development
     Watching a File
     Reserving Files
     Comparing File Revisions
     Displaying Recent Changes
     Displaying File History

Part III. CVS Administration

6. Repository Management
     Creating a Repository
     Deleting a Repository
     Securing Your Projects
     Repository Structure
     CVSROOT Files
     Server Environment Variables
     Backing Up a Repository
     Editing a Repository
     Sandbox Structure
     Client Environment Variables
     Exit Status

7. Project Management
     Creating a Project
     Distributing Files
     Running Scripts
     Interfacing with External Programs
     Tools
     Strategies and Practices

8. Remote Repositories
     Specifying Repository Paths
     The local Access Method
     The ext and server Access Methods
     The fork Access Method
     The gserver Access Method
     The kserver Access Method
     The pserver Access Method
     Using inetd with gserver, kserver, and pserver

9. Troubleshooting
     General Troubleshooting Techniques
     Connectivity Problems
     Filename Problems
     Line-Ending Problems
     Permission Problems
     Lock Files

Part IV. Reference

10. Command Reference
     CVS Command-Line Options
     CVS Commands

11. Miscellaneous Topics Reference
     Administrative Files
     CVSROOT Files
     CVSROOT Variables
     Dates
     Environment Variables
     Keywords and Keyword Modes
     Pattern Matching
     Repository Access Methods

Part V. Appendixes

A. Clients and Operating Systems

B. Administrator's Tools

Index

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Every programmer needs a source control system, and every programmer’s got one: CVS. It’s omnipresent in UNIX/Linux environments, available with GUI flavoring for Windows and Mac, and can be integrated with development environments ranging from Eclipse to CodeWarrior. Sure, the documentation can be dicey, but for that, you’ve got Essential CVS by Jennifer Vesperman.

Vesperman, who’s been writing about CVS at O’Reilly.com for years, has assembled an exceptionally clear and accessible CVS tutorial. Her one-chapter “quick start guide” covers all you need to know to get rolling: installing and building CVS from source, or with apt, rpm, or yast; building repositories and importing projects into them; access existing repositories; checking out files; working with temporary “sandboxes,” and committing changes.

You’ll find detailed coverage of tagging and branching, including techniques you can use to fix bugs in older versions without changing current code, or modify configuration sets for staging servers without modifying production servers. Next, you’ll learn how to use CVS in environments with multiple users -- including reserving files, displaying recent changes and file histories, and more.

The book’s thorough coverage on CVS administration includes a detailed chapter on repository management, structure, and backups; another on using CVS as a project management tool; and yet another on working with remote repositories. Vesperman presents dozens of troubleshooting techniques, covering everything from connectivity and permissions to filename and line-ending problems. She wraps up with complete references to CVS commands, CVSROOT files and variables, environment variables, keywords, and more. Very handy. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

bn.com