\usepackage[nofancy]{svninfo}
\svnInfo $Id: viperdefects.tex 125 2007-05-29 16:29:07Z longborb $
\svnKeyword $URL: file:///F:/Stuff/Repository/Development/Essays/Viper/viperdefects.tex $
If you use Subversion, the above code is an example of what you can do. SVN updates the information as you update the file, but beware: only if you up the containing file. It doesn't track updates elsewhere in the tree.
However, I get the feeling that this is now considered a bit old-fashioned; the modern trend is to DVCSs, where there isn't really a valid concept of a linearly incrementing version number.