Re: cvs read-write mirror with cvsup

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Friday, May 10, 2002 at 18:48:52 (+0200), YWG wrote: ]
> Subject: cvs read-write mirror with cvsup
>
> I have been doing some research on cvsup. It is capable of being used as a
> cvs mirror. But what if I want the master cvs repository to be updated when
> a new file has been updated into the cvs mirror? Can cvsup be used a set up
> a cvs read-write mirror?

Nope, not really.  Even basic research on CVSup should have told you
this.  Where did you look that didn't tell you this basic fact?  Try
reading the author's introduction:

        http://www.polstra.com/projects/freeware/CVSup/

CVSup is a general purpose mirroring tool.  There is no such thing as a
read-write mirror.  Mirrors are one-way.  You can't expect to change the
image in/on the mirror and then write it back to the original -- a
mirror only reflects what is placed in front of it.  The very concept
you're looking for implies some protocol a great deal more complex than
what basic mirroring entails.  In computer science we really haven't
solved that problem well in any generally applicable way.  It always
boils down to effectively centralizing the write access protocol, even
if the way it is done is by peer-to-peer consensus or token passing or
whatever.

If your goal is to improve performance there are a great number of more
effective ways to go approach a reasonable solution.

The only really cool thing about CVSup (other than its speed and other
general nifty features), and what makes it special for CVS, is:

   CVSup is able to merge new deltas and tags from the server with
   deltas and tags added locally on the client machine.  This makes it
   possible for the client to check local modifications into his
   repository without their being obliterated by subsequent updates from
   the server.

-- 
                                                                Greg A. Woods

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