[cvsnt] Re: Absolute module reference invalid error

[Bo Berglund]

On Tue, 23 May 2006 15:45:38 +0200, "Webmaster33"
<webmaster33 at gmail.com> wrote:

>> >> Server CVS version
>> >Concurrent Versions System (CVSNT) 2.0.51d (client/server)
>> Arcane to say the least! Why not use a supported recent version?
>> If you wanted to *start* working with CVSNT why in the world did you
>> choose the CVSNT server as version 2.0.51d???
>> That is a several years old unsupported and buggy version!
>
>That one was shipped with the WinCVS client.
Can't help that, it is still *very* old and *unsupported*

>And I installed the latest stable CVSNT and the Control Panel
>was not working in it. Double clicking on it, did not pop up a window.
"latest stable" does not say anything, it is a fleeting object and
moves over time. Which actual "latest stable" version did you in fact
install?


This guide actually works and on it you can find download links to the
latest version too:
 http://web.telia.com/~u86216177/InstallCVSNT25.html

>> XP-Pro or XP-Home????
>> If you have XP-Home then it is unsuited for a CVSNT server...
>Windows XP-Pro
OK then...

>
>> >> Client CVS version
>> >v2.0.2.4 (Build 4)
>> THis is not a CVS version at all. You are probably referring to the
>> *WinCvs* client GUI front end version. But that is of no use until you
>> have gotten the basics to work. So again: which cvs version are you
>> using on the client?
>Then I don't know, what you are asking.
>How can I check client cvs version?
Generally speaking, until you have your server up and running you
should not bother with the additional complication of a GUI front end
for the client. Just use the command line cvs (which is what WinCvs is
doing behind the curtains anyway).
To find its verison is simple in a command window:
c:\>cvs ver
Concurrent Versions System (CVSNT) 2.5.03 (Scorpio) Build 2330
(client/server)

>I tried, and this is the result:
>cvs -d E:\temp\test_cvs checkout E:\temp\test_cvs 
>cvs checkout: cwd=E:\temp\test_cvs\CVSROOT\Z\Work ,current=E:\temp\test_cvs\CVSROOT\Z\Work
>cvs [checkout aborted]: Absolute module reference invalid: `E:\temp\test_cvs'
>***** CVS exited normally with code 1 *****

Well, with this you are not using your server at all....
A more appropriate approach would be to use
  cvs -d :sspi:localhost:/repo checkout mymodule
where /repo is the configured repository served by the CVSNT server
and mymodule is a module in that repository.
Go and read the link for installation I provided above and you will
get much further along.

>
>> Which checkout advice?
>
>This and similar others, which gives advice, how to 
>convert RCS repositories to CVS:
>http://www.cvsnt.org/wiki/Rcs2Cvs

Oh, gosh! So *that* is how RCS works!
Basically each folder in your project tree contains a subfolder named
rcs and this contains the repository files file,v
And so the repository is totally mixed with the active working files.
This is completely backwards as compared to how CVS works where you
have a server holding the repository files and a client only holds his
working files. They are completely separate!

A CVS repository contains the file,v files in a directory structure
that mimics the project directory tree minus the rcs directories.
In a CVS repository there is no single ordinary file, all files have
an extension ending in ,v signifying thta they are RCS files!

So what you have to do is to manufacture a repository from your
project tree by doing these steps:

1) Copy all of the files and dirs from your working live project
location to the top of the new cvs repository. Preferably copy the
complete folder containing your project.

2) Manually or using a script locate all files named <something>,v and
move them one level up in the directory structure out of the 'rcs'
folder.

3) Delete all rcs folders throughout the directory tree

4) Delete all files *not* ending in ,v from the entire directory tree

5) Now go to the CVSNT control panel and define the top of the tree
(the folder where you copied your project folder into) as a
repository.

6) Now finally using the cvs client you will be able to check out the
project from this converted repository (provided that the RCS files
are compatible with CVS as I believe they are).
Of course using a sane command like
  cvs -d :sspi:localhost:/repo myproject


>http://ximbiot.com/cvs/wiki/index.php?title=CVS_FAQ#Can_I_convert_an_RCS_directory_into_a_CVS_directory.3F
Very good answer: "Yes, just move your RCS files into the CVS
repository...."

HTH

/Bo
(Bo Berglund, developer in Sweden)