Fresh install of Subversion 1.2.1. Here is my emerge -pv subversion output: [ebuild R ] dev-util/subversion-1.2.1 +apache2 +bash-completion -berkdb -emacs -java +nls +nowebdav +perl +python +zlib 0 kB Created a native filesystem repository like so: svnadmin create --fs-type fsfs /var/svn and started svnserve: /etc/init.d/svnserve start Then when I try to import (I tried both local on the server and from a remote client) I get the following error message: Locally with the Linux client: $ svn import -m "no message" test/ file:///var/svn/ svn: Can't create directory '/var/svn/db/transactions/0-1.txn': Permission denied Remotely with tortoisesvn from a Windows client: Error Can't create directory '/var/svn/db/transactions/0-1.txn': Permission denied These are the files and their permissions of /var/svn/db: drwxr-sr-x 5 root root 256 Aug 20 01:34 . drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 224 Aug 20 01:34 .. -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6 Aug 20 01:34 current -r--r--r-- 1 root root 2 Aug 20 01:34 format -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 5 Aug 20 01:34 fs-type drwxr-sr-x 2 root root 72 Aug 20 01:34 revprops drwxr-sr-x 2 root root 72 Aug 20 01:34 revs drwxr-sr-x 2 root root 48 Aug 20 01:34 transactions -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 37 Aug 20 01:34 uuid -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Aug 20 01:34 write-lock I also tried changing ownership of all files in /var/svn to apache:apache (chown -Rf apache:apache /var/svn), but I get the same error messages... Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. emerge subversion 1.2.1 2. create a new repository 3. import some files Actual Results: I recieved the error messages as described above. No files were imported. Expected Results: The files imported into Subversion repository. emerge info: Portage 2.0.51.22-r2 (default-linux/x86/2005.1, gcc-3.4.4, glibc-2.3.5-r1, 2.6.12-gentoo-r9 i686) ================================================================= System uname: 2.6.12-gentoo-r9 i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.53GHz Gentoo Base System version 1.6.13 dev-lang/python: 2.3.5, 2.4.1-r1 sys-apps/sandbox: 1.2.12 sys-devel/autoconf: 2.13, 2.59-r7 sys-devel/automake: 1.4_p6, 1.5, 1.6.3, 1.7.9-r1, 1.8.5-r3, 1.9.6 sys-devel/binutils: 2.16.1 sys-devel/libtool: 1.5.18-r1 virtual/os-headers: 2.6.11-r2 ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="x86 ~x86" AUTOCLEAN="yes" CBUILD="i686-pc-linux-gnu" CFLAGS="-march=pentium4 -pipe -Os -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-stack-protector" CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu" CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /usr/kde/2/share/config /usr/kde/3/share/config /usr/share/config /var/qmail/control" CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/gconf /etc/terminfo /etc/env.d" CXXFLAGS="-march=pentium4 -pipe -Os -fomit-frame-pointer -fno-stack-protector" DISTDIR="/usr/portage/distfiles" FEATURES="autoconfig distlocks sandbox sfperms strict" GENTOO_MIRRORS="http://ftp.easynet.nl/mirror/gentoo/ http://gentoo.mirror.sdv.fr http://gentoo.tiscali.nl/gentoo/ ftp://ftp.solnet.ch/mirror/Gentoo" MAKEOPTS="-j2" PKGDIR="/usr/portage/packages" PORTAGE_TMPDIR="/var/tmp" PORTDIR="/usr/portage" SYNC="rsync://rsync.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage" USE="x86 apache2 apm bash-completion berkdb bitmap-fonts crypt cups eds emboss encode foomaticdb fortran gdbm gif gpm gstreamer hardened imlib ipv6 jpeg libg++ libwww mad mikmod mmx mpeg mysql ncurses nls ogg opengl oss pam pdflib perl png python readline sasl sdl spell ssl tcpd truetype truetype-fonts type1-fonts unicode vhosts vorbis xml2 xv zlib userland_GNU kernel_linux elibc_glibc" Unset: ASFLAGS, CTARGET, LANG, LC_ALL, LDFLAGS, LINGUAS, PORTDIR_OVERLAY
Ok your problem is that your repository is created as root or as apache user. You are however trying to access the repository as a different user. This of course is not allowed. There are various solutions to this problem. The cleanest solution is using file and directory ACL's. This should allow you to specify which groups/users may access the repos, and to ensure that new files get the correct permissions. Alternatively you could use a wrapper script for svnserve and/or svn with another umask. A third alternative would be to either use svnserve or the apache module. Look at the homepage and the svn book for more information and details. (http://subversion.tigris.org)
That was it! Thanks. You put me back in the right direction. Had to add the Subversion users in the apache group. Everything working now. ps: I am using svn+ssh for authentication.