Configuring a subversion repository over DAV authentication ^{[18 May 2009]}

Needs:

• Debian >=4.0 (or Ubuntu >=7.04)
• apache2 installed

Step 1: installing packages

First you need to install the following packages:

• the subversion software

  # apt-get install subversion
  

• the apache2 support for subversion

  # apt-get install libapache2-svn
  

Step 2: creating a svn repository

Locate in your favorite directory, eg /srv/, and create a folder for your future svn repositories. I will name it 'mysvn'.

# makedir mysvn

Now change position into mysvn directory and create a folder with the svn repository for your new project. I will create a 'test' repository.

# cd /srv/mysvn
# mkdir test

Now it's time to install the repository.

# svnadmin create /srv/mysvn/test

Step 3: set-up apache

Step 3.1: enabling DAV

# a2enmod dav

Step 3.2: creating an authorized users file

Create an empty text file in which you will save your valid users and passwords. I will use /etc/apache2/users-svn.

# > /etc/apache2/users-svn

Now add a user and his/her password. I will create user 'pippo':

# htpasswd /etc/apache2/users-svn pippo

The system will ask you to type twice the password for pippo. In that file you will find a line similar to:

# cat /etc/apache2/users-svn
pippo:3nx4Dlg.S.ERY

Where pippo is the user and the string after ':' is the md5 of your password.

!Tips:

• Run the same command for each new user.
• If you run htpasswd using the name of an existing user you will override the old password
• Instead of creating the file the first time you run htpasswd you can use '-c' option. Care: if you use this option on an existing file you will completely override it.

Step 3.3: apache2 configuration

Add the following code into your apache2 configuration file. The file is something like /etc/apache2/sites-available/default or /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl, it depends on using or not SSL and on apache/Debian version. The file could also be something like /etc/apache2/sites-available/www.mysite.com: it depends on wich website this svn resource will be available for. Add:

	<Location /myrepo>
		DAV svn
		SvnPath	/srv/mysvn/test
		ForceType text/plain
		AuthType Basic
		AuthName "My test Repository - Login"
		Require valid-user
		AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/users-svn
	</Location>

It means that on http://www.mysite.com/myrepo apache will make you find the repository.

Step 3.4

Last, you need to grant to apache full access to the repository. Type:

# chown -R www-data\: /srv/mysvn/test

Step 3.5

Restart apache

# /etc/init.d/apache2 restart