When our source code is used again on Windows 7 (and was on Vista) using Tortoise SVN, will there be any problem?

Question

If our source code was on

C:\code

when on Windows Vista, and now the machine is made into dual boot Vista and Windows 7.

So when booting to Win7, the folder is now

D:\code

and there are hidden folders ".svn" that was there from the Tortoise on Vista.

So now if Tortoise is installed again on Win 7 (as well as VisualSVN Server) and using D:\code, will there be any problem that the hidden folder will interfere with the new Tortoise? Will all the .svn be better removed?

Then, when occasionally we boot to Vista, can we use the Tortoise there too?

Update:

Originally, I thought I would set up a brand new SVN repository on the Win 7 partition and then SVN check in all the source code again, but then all the previous commit comment and versioning will be lost that way. So I think I will some how relocate the repository from the Vista VisualSVN Server to the Win7 VisualSVN Server. The problem is that I cannot have both of them running at the same time (it is a dual boot machine), so I may need to relocate to another machine first and relocate back? Or can I install VisualSVN Server on top of the old folders and have the new VisualSVN resume serving the old repository? thanks.

Answer 1

Why don't you just check all the code out again to the new OS install from the repository?

Install Win 7 and Tortoise, then just check the code out from the repo. On Vista, keep your Tortoise--upgrade it, whatever--and keep working with the code. The beauty of SVN (and other version control systems) is that you can develop in multiple places on multiple machines.

Answer 2

I went from Vista 32 bit to Windows 7 64 bit. I kept my repository in tact on the same box. I had to reinstall the server (pointing to the old location) and client, but I had no problems getting it up and running. I didn't dual boot, but I don't think adding that caveat would have much of any effect on you.

My SVN server was VisualSVN, and my client was Ankh and Tortoise together.

Answer 3

.svn isn't Tortoise-specific. That's how svn keeps metadata on files (and revisions). Tortoise should pick up on that automatically.

Answer 4

IF you want to use the code in both OS (vista and Win 7) publish a share for the source code, map it as other drive - like Y - and check out the project again on both os to the same path.

Answer 5

It depends on your configuration. In any case, if you want to use the same local working copy, you would better not touch the .svn (in theory, you could use another name for those directories, but I've never tried so I can't adivse - you'll see that option in the general settings of TortoiseSVN, where you can choose "_svn" instead of ".svn").

So below we suppose you share the .svn between the two configurations:

1) The SVN server is on another computer (simpler case).

You have to make sure you use the same version of TortoiseSVN on both OSes. If you use a command-line version of Subversion beside TortoiseSVN, it must also be the same version. The reason is that there are sometimes incompatibilities between the formats of the local working copy from one client version to the next (not very often though).

2) The SVN Server is on your computer.

Beside the condition of point 1), your server should be the same version also (either 1.4.x, 1.5.x, 1.6.x). Pretty much for the same reason.

3) You are using the file: protocol and no server.

Condition 1) is still in effect.

In that case, you may have to proceed to a relocate if the drive of your repository is not the same, because the absolute path is used on Windows and including the drive letter.

Instead of relocating your local copy each time you switch, either rename your project partition to a common letter between Vista and Windows7, use a subst:, or create a partition just for your projects.

For information: the relocate procedure is just to tell your client "the repository has moved elsewhere", in this case from C:\svn\code to D:\svn\code, for example. You have to right-click on your local copy, and do TortoiseSVN / Relocate, then enter the absolute path of your repository on the new OS.

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Note: On top of all that, you have to check the access rights of course, usually it's fine for basic OS installations.

If you can't satisfy the conditions, you can still work with two local copies... don't forget to commit and update if you switch though.