[Note] Setup subversion server with Apache2, and e-mail hook

Have done this for several times recently, so I put down a note for it. On a Snow Leopard server, extra tools may be required, here is a reference.

1. Install subversion. On a Debian-family Linux box, simply type:
   
$ sudo apt-get install subversion

   


2. Find a place to put the repository, for example, /usr/local/myrepo. Create your repository by typing:
   
$ sudo svnadmin create /usr/local/myrepo

   



3. Setup remote connection with Apache2 and WebDAV.
   
   
   
   1. Make sure you have apache2 installed and DAV module enabled (reference).
   
   
   2. Edit the configuration file. For example, /etc/apache2/sites/0000_xxxxx.conf
   
   
   3. Add the following code section somewhere before the </VirtualHost> tag.
      

      
              <Location "/myrepo_http">
                      DAV svn
                      AuthName "giftalk"
                      SVNPath /usr/local/myrepo
                      AuthType Basic
                      AuthUserFile /usr/local/myrepo/myrepo.pw
                      Order deny,allow
                      <Limit GET HEAD OPTIONS CONNECT POST PROPFIND PUT DELETE PROPPATCH MKCOL COPY MOVE LOCK UNLOCK>
                              Require  valid-user
                      </Limit>
              </Location>

   
   
   4. To restart the apache2 server:
      
$ apachectl restart

   
   
   
   



4. Add authentication mechanism with htpasswd. In the previous step we specify an file for authentication with AuthUserFile /usr/local/myrepo/myrepo.pw. To create an user account to access this repository, do:
   
$ htpasswd -c /usr/local/myrepo/myrepo.pw myaccount

   And then input a password twice for the user myaccount. The option -c is used to create this file (assume it doesn't exist), and add an user named myaccount. To add more accounts or to change the password, just skip this -c option.



5. Add e-mail hook
   This step requires either a perl or a python script, depending on your system.
   
   
   
   1. Go to the hooks folder in the repository, say, /usr/local/myrepo/hooks. There are many scripts with affix .tmpl within. Do:
      
$ cp post-commit.tmpl post-commit

      
   
   
   2. Assume the system use python scripts, mailer.py. Find the script and corresponding configuration file mailer.conf from the apache2 installation, or from internet. Copy these two files into /usr/local/myrepo/hooks/, and make sure their are executable.
   
   
   3. Edit the /usr/local/myrepo/hooks/post-commit, at the end of the file, add the mailing mechanism:
      
/usr/local/myrepo/hooks/mailer.py commit "$REPOS" "$REVS" /usr/local/myrepo/hooks/mailer.conf

      
   
   
   4. In the mailer.conf, add the e-mail address to receive the updates at the line:
      
to_addr = myemail@my.email.server

      
   
   
   

Now, this repository should be able to work properly. More on access control, please see here.