SVN : Client Side Backup

[b4u]

Hi,

I'm using SVN for versioning a project. I currently use SmartSVN for managing my repository, and I'm commiting the code with full comments to keep a well documented versioning system.

Now looking from the client side, and since I can checkout any revision and look into any revision comment, I want to do a backup of all that, just in case.

I know I can do it on the server, but since I have access to the info on the client, how can I do the backup?

I would like to do, from time-to-time, a full backup of the repository files and comments.

How can I do that? What tools do I need?

I currently use windows, but I tried to do it on Ubuntu with subversion-tools and all, to no success ... I'm trying it at the moment, but still no success.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Markbnj]

I'm thinking you can just do a full checkout of the repo and then zip it up... but I'm not sure where the comments are stored.

 

[iCyborg]

You want to backup every file from every revision and all the revision comments from client-side? They are stored in a DB by svn in an incremental fashion and generated when you check-out. It seems like you'd have to recreate that whole DB or invent your own way of storing deltas, as I don't think storing complete files is practical. Actually, since SVN is open source, the best way would be to like duplicate on the client side everything SVN does on the server side, which is quite pointless. IMO, this kind of backup simply isn't meant to be done by the client. Unless I misunderstood something.

 

[mundane]

\t\t

 

[statik213]

You might be able to import it into a git, bzr or hg repo. These tools have svn import tools that might do the trick.

 

[chronodekar]

Why do you need to do it from the client side? At first glance, it seems (to me) like your don't something shady. 😉

Do it from the server. I don't think there are any tools available that let you do a full backup from the client. Like Mark says, if you really need a local backup then zip the whole folder up !

Now this whole issue would be irrelevant if you were using a distributed version control system. Such as Mercurial or git. Think about it.

-chronodekar

 

[b4u]

The main reason is that I don't have access to the server, and I will not even try to ask for it, or ask for a dump, because in this specific case, admins like to complicate the task. Last time I asked for a login access to SVN, it took over a week ... :O

Since I'm the only one working on the project, and I have full access from client side, and I tend to commit code with good comments to document any changes or help on identical future changes, I would like to retain a copy of the history and changes made.

One way would be to checkout every single revision (manually), and have a bunch of revisioned code on my disk. But since I can see the files changed in each revision, together with the comments, I find it strange that no one ever created such a tool/script.

I'll look into the replication on the manual, maybe I can get something from there.

Any more tips are welcome. 🙂

Thanks.

 

[chronodekar]

Ah! Corporate bureaucracy!! It explains why you don't have access to the server. Is access to the server that slow ? Perhaps you can complain to the network administrators that due to the slow repo access it's difficult for you to work ?

It might not always work, but I've had instances where it helped. (On a different problem)

-chronodekar

 

[guohua_liu]

I also wonder whether there are any such tools. For svn client can get all information to backup the repository, it's complelely feasible to make a tool to do the backup.