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cvs

CVS(1)                                                                  CVS(1)



NAME
       cvs - Concurrent Versions System

SYNOPSIS
       cvs [ cvs_options ]
              cvs_command [ command_options ] [ command_args ]

NOTE
       This  manpage is a summary of some of the features of cvs but it may no
       longer be kept up-to-date.  For more current  and  in-depth  documenta-
       tion, please consult the Cederqvist manual (via the info cvs command or
       otherwise, as described in the SEE ALSO section of this manpage).

DESCRIPTION
       CVS is a version control system, which allows you to keep old  versions
       of  files  (usually  source  code),  keep  a  log of who, when, and why
       changes occurred, etc., like RCS or SCCS.  Unlike the simpler  systems,
       CVS  does  not just operate on one file at a time or one directory at a
       time, but operates on hierarchical collections of directories  consist-
       ing  of  version controlled files.  CVS helps to manage releases and to
       control the concurrent editing of source files among multiple  authors.
       CVS  allows triggers to enable/log/control various operations and works
       well over a wide area network.

       cvs keeps a single copy of the master sources.  This copy is called the
       source  ``repository'';  it  contains  all  the  information  to permit
       extracting previous software releases at any time  based  on  either  a
       symbolic revision tag, or a date in the past.

ESSENTIAL COMMANDS
       cvs  provides a rich variety of commands (cvs_command in the Synopsis),
       each of which often has a wealth of options, to satisfy the many  needs
       of  source  management in distributed environments.  However, you don't
       have to master every detail to do useful work with cvs; in  fact,  five
       commands  are  sufficient to use (and contribute to) the source reposi-
       tory.

       cvs checkout modules...
              A necessary preliminary for most cvs work: creates your  private
              copy of the source for modules (named collections of source; you
              can also use a path relative to  the  source  repository  here).
              You  can  work  with  this copy without interfering with others'
              work.  At least one subdirectory level is always created.

       cvs update
              Execute this command from within your private  source  directory
              when you wish to update your copies of source files from changes
              that other developers have made to the source in the repository.

       cvs add file...
              Use  this  command  to  enroll  new files in cvs records of your
              working directory.  The files will be added  to  the  repository
              the  next  time  you run `cvs commit'.  Note: You should use the
              `cvs import' command to bootstrap new sources  into  the  source
              repository.   `cvs add' is only used for new files to an already
              checked-out module.

       cvs remove file...
              Use this command (after erasing any  files  listed)  to  declare
              that  you  wish  to  eliminate  files  from the repository.  The
              removal does not affect others until you run `cvs commit'.

       cvs commit file...
              Use this command when you wish to ``publish''  your  changes  to
              other  developers,  by  incorporating them in the source reposi-
              tory.

OPTIONS
       The cvs command line can include cvs_options, which apply to the  over-
       all  cvs program; a cvs_command, which specifies a particular action on
       the source repository; and  command_options  and  command_arguments  to
       fully specify what the cvs_command will do.

       Warning: you must be careful of precisely where you place options rela-
       tive to the cvs_command.  The same option  can  mean  different  things
       depending  on whether it is in the cvs_options position (to the left of
       a cvs command) or in the command_options position (to the  right  of  a
       cvs command).

       There  are only two situations where you may omit cvs_command: `cvs -H'
       or `cvs --help' elicits a list of available commands, and `cvs  -v'  or
       `cvs --version' displays version information on cvs itself.


CVS OPTIONS
       As of release 1.6, cvs supports GNU style long options as well as short
       options.  Only a few long options are currently  supported,  these  are
       listed  in brackets after the short options whose functions they dupli-
       cate.

       Use these options to control the overall cvs program:

       -H [ --help ]
              Display usage information about the specified  cvs_command  (but
              do  not  actually  execute the command).  If you don't specify a
              command name, `cvs -H' displays a summary of  all  the  commands
              available.

       -Q     Causes the command to be really quiet; the command will generate
              output only for serious problems.

       -q     Causes the command to be somewhat quiet; informational messages,
              such  as  reports  of recursion through subdirectories, are sup-
              pressed.

       -b bindir
              Use bindir as the directory where RCS programs are located  (CVS
              1.9 and older).  Overrides the setting of the RCSBIN environment
              variable.  This value should be specified as an  absolute  path-
              name.

       -d CVS_root_directory
              Use  CVS_root_directory  as  the  root directory pathname of the
              master source repository.  Overrides the setting of the  CVSROOT
              environment  variable.   This  value  should  be specified as an
              absolute pathname.

       -e editor
              Use editor to enter revision  log  information.   Overrides  the
              setting  of  the CVSEDITOR, VISUAL, and EDITOR environment vari-
              ables.

       -f     Do not read the cvs startup file (~/.cvsrc).

       -l     Do not log the cvs_command in the command history  (but  execute
              it  anyway).   See  the  description  of the history command for
              information on command history.

       -n     Do not change any files.  Attempt to  execute  the  cvs_command,
              but  only  to issue reports; do not remove, update, or merge any
              existing files, or create any new files.

       -t     Trace program execution; display messages showing the  steps  of
              cvs activity.  Particularly useful with -n to explore the poten-
              tial impact of an unfamiliar command.

       -r     Makes new working files read-only.  Same effect as if  the  CVS-
              READ environment variable is set.

       -v [ --version ]
              Displays version and copyright information for cvs.

       -w     Makes  new  working  files  read-write (default).  Overrides the
              setting of the CVSREAD environment variable.

       -x     Encrypt all communication between the client and the server.  As
              of  this writing, this is only implemented when using a Kerberos
              connection.

       -z compression-level
              When transferring files across the network use  gzip  with  com-
              pression  level  compression-level  to  compress and de-compress
              data as it is transferred.  Requires the  presence  of  the  GNU
              gzip  program  in  the  current  search path at both ends of the
              link.

USAGE
       Except when requesting general help with `cvs -H', you must  specify  a
       cvs_command  to  cvs  to  select a specific release control function to
       perform.  Each cvs command accepts its own collection  of  options  and
       arguments.   However,  many  options  are available across several com-
       mands.  You can display a usage summary for each command by  specifying
       the -H option with the command.

CVS STARTUP FILE
       Normally,  when  CVS  starts up, it reads the .cvsrc file from the home
       directory of the user reading it.  This startup procedure can be turned
       off with the -f flag.

       The  .cvsrc  file lists CVS commands with a list of arguments, one com-
       mand per line.  For example, the following line in .cvsrc:

       diff -c

       will mean that the `cvs diff' command will  always  be  passed  the  -c
       option  in addition to any other options that are specified in the com-
       mand line (in this case it will have the effect  of  producing  context
       sensitive diffs for all executions of `cvs diff' ).

CVS COMMAND SUMMARY
       Here are brief descriptions of all the cvs commands:

       add    Add  a  new  file or directory to the repository, pending a `cvs
              commit' on the same file.  Can only be done from within  sources
              created  by  a  previous  `cvs  checkout'  invocation.  Use `cvs
              import' to place whole new hierarchies of sources under cvs con-
              trol.   (Does  not  directly  affect repository; changes working
              directory.)

       admin  Execute control functions on the  source  repository.   (Changes
              repository  directly;  uses  working  directory without changing
              it.)

       checkout
              Make a working directory of source files for editing.   (Creates
              or changes working directory.)

       commit Apply to the source repository changes, additions, and deletions
              from your working directory.  (Changes repository.)

       diff   Show differences between files in working directory  and  source
              repository,  or  between  two  revisions  in  source repository.
              (Does not change either repository or working directory.)

       export Prepare copies of a set of source files for shipment  off  site.
              Differs from `cvs checkout' in that no cvs administrative direc-
              tories are created (and therefore `cvs commit'  cannot  be  exe-
              cuted  from  a directory prepared with `cvs export'), and a sym-
              bolic tag must be specified.  (Does not change repository;  cre-
              ates directory similar to working directories).

       history
              Show reports on cvs commands that you or others have executed on
              a particular file or directory in the source repository.   (Does
              not  change  repository or working directory.)  History logs are
              kept only if enabled by creation of  the  `$CVSROOT/CVSROOT/his-
              tory' file; see cvs(5).

       import Incorporate  a  set  of  updates  from  off-site into the source
              repository, as a ``vendor branch''.  (Changes repository.)

       init   Initialize a repository by adding the CVSROOT  subdirectory  and
              some  default  control  files. You must use this command or ini-
              tialize the repository in some other way before you can use  it.

       log    Display log information.  (Does not change repository or working
              directory.)

       rdiff  Prepare a collection of  diffs  as  a  patch  file  between  two
              releases  in  the  repository.   (Does  not change repository or
              working directory.)

       release
              Cancel a `cvs checkout', abandoning any  changes.   (Can  delete
              working directory; no effect on repository.)

       remove Remove  files from the source repository, pending a `cvs commit'
              on the  same  files.   (Does  not  directly  affect  repository;
              changes working directory.)

       rtag   Explicitly  specify  a  symbolic tag for particular revisions of
              files in the source repository.  See also `cvs  tag'.   (Changes
              repository  directly;  does not require or affect working direc-
              tory.)

       status Show current status of files: latest version, version in working
              directory,  whether working version has been edited and, option-
              ally, symbolic tags in the RCS file.  (Does not  change  reposi-
              tory or working directory.)

       tag    Specify a symbolic tag for files in the repository.  By default,
              tags the revisions that were last synchronized with your working
              directory.    (Changes  repository directly; uses working direc-
              tory without changing it.)

       update Bring your working directory up to date with  changes  from  the
              repository.  Merges are performed automatically when possible; a
              warning is issued if manual resolution is required for conflict-
              ing changes.  (Changes working directory; does not change repos-
              itory.)

COMMON COMMAND OPTIONS
       This section describes the command_options that  are  available  across
       several  cvs  commands.  Not all commands support all of these options;
       each option is only supported for commands where it makes sense.   How-
       ever, when a command has one of these options you can count on the same
       meaning for the option as in other commands.  (Other  command  options,
       which are listed with the individual commands, may have different mean-
       ings from one cvs command to another.)  Warning: the history command is
       an  exception;  it  supports many options that conflict even with these
       standard options.

       -D date_spec
              Use the most recent revision no later than date_spec  (a  single
              argument,  date  description  specifying a date in the past).  A
              wide variety of date formats are supported,  in  particular  ISO
              ("1972-09-24  20:05")  or  Internet  ("24 Sep 1972 20:05").  The
              date_spec is interpreted as being in the local timezone,  unless
              a   specific   timezone  is  specified.   The  specification  is
              ``sticky'' when you use it to make a private copy  of  a  source
              file; that is, when you get a working file using -D, cvs records
              the date you specified, so that  further  updates  in  the  same
              directory will use the same date (unless you explicitly override
              it; see the description of the update command).  -D is available
              with  the  checkout,  diff,  history,  export,  rdiff, rtag, and
              update commands.  Examples of valid date specifications include:
                        1 month ago
                        2 hours ago
                        400000 seconds ago
                        last year
                        last Monday
                        yesterday
                        a fortnight ago
                        3/31/92 10:00:07 PST
                        January 23, 1987 10:05pm
                        22:00 GMT

       -f     When  you specify a particular date or tag to cvs commands, they
              normally ignore files that do not contain the tag  (or  did  not
              exist on the date) that you specified.  Use the -f option if you
              want files retrieved even when there is no match for the tag  or
              date.   (The most recent version is used in this situation.)  -f
              is available with these commands: checkout, export, rdiff, rtag,
              and update.

       -k kflag
              Alter  the  default  processing  of  keywords.  The -k option is
              available with the  add,  checkout,  diff,  export,  rdiff,  and
              update  commands.   Your  kflag specification is ``sticky'' when
              you use it to create a private copy of a source file;  that  is,
              when  you  use this option with the checkout or update commands,
              cvs associates your selected kflag with the file, and  continues
              to use it with future update commands on the same file until you
              specify otherwise.

              Some of the more useful kflags  are  -ko  and  -kb  (for  binary
              files),  and -kv which is useful for an export where you wish to
              retain keyword information after an import at some other site.

       -l     Local; run only in current working directory, rather than recur-
              ring through subdirectories.   Available with the following com-
              mands: checkout, commit, diff, export, remove, rdiff, rtag, sta-
              tus,  tag,  and  update.   Warning:  this is not the same as the
              overall `cvs -l' option, which you can specify to the left of  a
              cvs command!

       -n     Do  not  run any checkout/commit/tag/update program.  (A program
              can be specified to run on each of these activities, in the mod-
              ules  database;  this  option  bypasses it.)  Available with the
              checkout, commit, export, and rtag commands.  Warning:  this  is
              not the same as the overall `cvs -n' option, which you can spec-
              ify to the left of a cvs command!

       -P     Prune (remove) directories that are empty after  being  updated,
              on  checkout, or update.  Normally, an empty directory (one that
              is void of revision-controlled files) is left alone.  Specifying
              -P will cause these directories to be silently removed from your
              checked-out sources.  This does not remove  the  directory  from
              the repository, only from your checked out copy.  Note that this
              option is implied by the  -r  or  -D  options  of  checkout  and
              export.

       -p     Pipe the files retrieved from the repository to standard output,
              rather than writing them in the  current  directory.   Available
              with the checkout and update commands.

       -r tag Use  the  revision  specified by the tag argument instead of the
              default ``head'' revision.  As well as  arbitrary  tags  defined
              with the tag or rtag command, two special tags are always avail-
              able: `HEAD' refers to the most recent version available in  the
              repository,  and  `BASE' refers to the revision you last checked
              out into the current working directory.

              The tag specification is ``sticky'' when  you  use  this  option
              with  `cvs  checkout' or `cvs update' to make your own copy of a
              file: cvs remembers the tag and continues to use  it  on  future
              update commands, until you specify otherwise.  tag can be either
              a symbolic or numeric tag.   Specifying  the  -q  global  option
              along  with  the  -r command option is often useful, to suppress
              the warning messages when the RCS  file  does  not  contain  the
              specified tag.  -r is available with the checkout, commit, diff,
              history, export, rdiff, rtag,  and  update  commands.   Warning:
              this  is  not the same as the overall `cvs -r' option, which you
              can specify to the left of a cvs command!

CVS COMMANDS
       Here (finally) are details on all the cvs commands and the options each
       accepts.   The  summary  lines at the top of each command's description
       highlight three kinds of things:

           Command Options and Arguments
                 Special options are described in detail below; common command
                 options may appear only in the summary line.

           Working Directory, or Repository?
                 Some  cvs  commands  require  a working directory to operate;
                 some require a repository.  Also, some  commands  change  the
                 repository,  some  change  the  working  directory,  and some
                 change nothing.

           Synonyms
                 Many commands have synonyms, which you  may  find  easier  to
                 remember (or type) than the principal name.


       add [-k kflag] [-m 'message'] files...
              Requires: repository, working directory.
              Changes: working directory.
              Synonym: new
              Use  the  add  command  to create a new file or directory in the
              source repository.  The files or directories specified with  add
              must  already  exist  in  the current directory (which must have
              been created with the checkout command).  To  add  a  whole  new
              directory hierarchy to the source repository (for example, files
              received from a third-party vendor), use the `cvs  import'  com-
              mand instead.

              If  the  argument to `cvs add' refers to an immediate sub-direc-
              tory, the directory is created  at  the  correct  place  in  the
              source  repository,  and  the necessary cvs administration files
              are created in your working directory.  If the directory already
              exists  in  the  source  repository, `cvs add' still creates the
              administration files in your version  of  the  directory.   This
              allows  you  to  use  `cvs add' to add a particular directory to
              your private sources even if someone else created that directory
              after your checkout of the sources.  You can do the following:

                        example% mkdir new_directory
                        example% cvs add new_directory
                        example% cvs update new_directory

              An alternate approach using `cvs update' might be:

                        example% cvs update -d new_directory

              (To add any available new directories to your working directory,
              it's probably simpler to use `cvs checkout' or `cvs update -d'.)

              The  added  files  are not placed in the source repository until
              you use `cvs commit' to make the change permanent.  Doing a `cvs
              add'  on  a  file that was removed with the `cvs remove' command
              will resurrect the file, if no `cvs commit' command  intervened.

              You  will  have the opportunity to specify a logging message, as
              usual, when you use `cvs commit' to make the new file permanent.
              If  you'd  like  to have another logging message associated with
              just creation of the file (for example, to describe  the  file's
              purpose), you can specify it with the `-m message' option to the
              add command.

              The `-k kflag' option specifies the default way that  this  file
              will  be checked out.  The `kflag' argument is stored in the RCS
              file and can be changed with `cvs admin'.  Specifying  `-ko'  is
              useful  for  checking  in  binaries that shouldn't have keywords
              expanded.

       admin [rcs-options] files...
              Requires: repository, working directory.
              Changes: repository.
              Synonym: rcs
              This is the cvs interface to assorted administrative facilities,
              similar  to  rcs(1).  This command works recursively, so extreme
              care should be used.

       checkout [options] modules...
              Requires: repository.
              Changes: working directory.
              Synonyms: co, get
              Make a working directory containing copies of the  source  files
              specified  by  modules.   You must execute `cvs checkout' before
              using most of the other cvs commands, since most of them operate
              on your working directory.

              modules  are  either  symbolic  names (themselves defined as the
              module `modules' in the source repository; see cvs(5)) for  some
              collection of source directories and files, or paths to directo-
              ries or files in the repository.

              Depending on the modules you specify, checkout  may  recursively
              create directories and populate them with the appropriate source
              files.  You can  then  edit  these  source  files  at  any  time
              (regardless  of  whether  other  software developers are editing
              their own copies of the sources); update  them  to  include  new
              changes  applied  by  others to the source repository; or commit
              your work as a permanent change to the repository.

              Note that checkout is used to create directories.  The top-level
              directory  created  is  always  added  to  the  directory  where
              checkout is invoked, and usually has the same name as the speci-
              fied  module.   In  the case of a module alias, the created sub-
              directory may have a different name, but you can be sure that it
              will  be  a sub-directory, and that checkout will show the rela-
              tive path leading to each file as it is extracted into your pri-
              vate work area (unless you specify the -Q global option).

              Running  `cvs checkout' on a directory that was already built by
              a prior checkout is also permitted, and has the same  effect  as
              specifying  the -d option to the update command described below.

              The options permitted with `cvs checkout' include  the  standard
              command  options  -P,  -f, -k kflag , -l, -n, -p, -r tag, and -D
              date.

              In addition to those, you can use these special command  options
              with checkout:

              Use  the  -A  option  to  reset  any  sticky  tags, dates, or -k
              options.  (If you get a working file using one of the -r, -D, or
              -k  options, cvs remembers the corresponding tag, date, or kflag
              and continues using it on future updates; use the -A  option  to
              make  cvs forget these specifications, and retrieve the ``head''
              version of the file).

              The -j branch option merges the changes made between the result-
              ing  revision and the revision that it is based on (e.g., if the
              tag refers to a branch, cvs will merge all changes made in  that
              branch into your working file).

              With  two  -j options, cvs will merge in the changes between the
              two respective revisions.  This can be used to ``remove'' a cer-
              tain delta from your working file.

              In  addition, each -j option can contain on optional date speci-
              fication which, when used with branches, can  limit  the  chosen
              revision  to  one  within  a specific date.  An optional date is
              specified by adding a colon (:) to the tag.  An example might be
              what  `cvs  import'  tells you to do when you have just imported
              sources that have conflicts with local changes:

                        example% cvs checkout -jTAG:yesterday -jTAG module

              Use the -N option with `-d dir' to avoid shortening module paths
              in  your  working  directory.   (Normally, cvs shortens paths as
              much as possible when you specify an explicit target directory.)

              Use  the -c option to copy the module file, sorted, to the stan-
              dard output, instead of  creating  or  modifying  any  files  or
              directories in your working directory.

              Use  the  -d dir option to create a directory called dir for the
              working files, instead of using the  module  name.   Unless  you
              also  use  -N,  the  paths created under dir will be as short as
              possible.

              Use the -s  option  to  display  per-module  status  information
              stored with the -s option within the modules file.

       commit [-lnR] [-m 'log_message' | -F file] [-r revision] [files...]
              Requires: working directory, repository.
              Changes: repository.
              Synonym: ci
              Use  `cvs commit' when you want to incorporate changes from your
              working source files into the general source repository.

              If you don't specify particular files  to  commit,  all  of  the
              files in your working current directory are examined.  commit is
              careful to change in the repository only those  files  that  you
              have  really  changed.  By default (or if you explicitly specify
              the -R option), files in subdirectories are  also  examined  and
              committed  if  they  have  changed; you can use the -l option to
              limit commit to the current directory only.  Sometimes  you  may
              want  to  force  a  file  to  be  committed  even  though  it is
              unchanged; this is achieved with the -f flag, which also has the
              effect  of  disabling recursion (you can turn it back on with -R
              of course).

              commit verifies that the selected files are up to date with  the
              current  revisions in the source repository; it will notify you,
              and exit without committing, if any of the specified files  must
              be  made  current first with `cvs update'.  commit does not call
              the update command for you, but rather leaves that for you to do
              when the time is right.

              When  all  is well, an editor is invoked to allow you to enter a
              log message that will be written to one or more logging programs
              and placed in the source repository file.  You can instead spec-
              ify the log message on the command line with the -m option, thus
              suppressing the editor invocation, or use the -F option to spec-
              ify that the argument file contains the log message.

              The -r option can be used to commit to a particular symbolic  or
              numeric  revision.   For  example, to bring all your files up to
              the revision ``3.0'' (including those that haven't changed), you
              might do:

                        example% cvs commit -r3.0

              cvs  will  only allow you to commit to a revision that is on the
              main trunk (a revision with a single  dot).   However,  you  can
              also commit to a branch revision (one that has an even number of
              dots) with the -r option.  To create a branch revision, one typ-
              ically  use  the  -b  option of the rtag or tag commands.  Then,
              either checkout or update can be used to base  your  sources  on
              the  newly  created  branch.   From  that  point  on, all commit
              changes made within these working sources will be  automatically
              added  to  a  branch  revision, thereby not perturbing main-line
              development in any way.  For example, if you  had  to  create  a
              patch  to  the  1.2  version of the product, even though the 2.0
              version is already under development, you might do:

                        example% cvs rtag -b -rFCS1_2 FCS1_2_Patch product_module
                        example% cvs checkout -rFCS1_2_Patch product_module
                        example% cd product_module
                        [[ hack away ]]
                        example% cvs commit

              Say you have been working on some extremely  experimental  soft-
              ware,  based  on whatever revision you happened to checkout last
              week.  If others in your group would like to work on this  soft-
              ware with you, but without disturbing main-line development, you
              could commit your change to  a  new  branch.   Others  can  then
              checkout your experimental stuff and utilize the full benefit of
              cvs conflict resolution.  The scenario might look like:

                        example% cvs tag -b EXPR1
                        example% cvs update -rEXPR1
                        [[ hack away ]]
                        example% cvs commit

              Others would simply do `cvs checkout -rEXPR1 whatever_module' to
              work with you on the experimental change.

       diff  [-kl]  [rcsdiff_options]  [[-r  rev1  |  -D  date1] [-r rev2 | -D
       date2]] [files...]
              Requires: working directory, repository.
              Changes: nothing.
              You  can compare your working files with revisions in the source
              repository, with the `cvs diff' command.  If you don't specify a
              particular  revision, your files are compared with the revisions
              they were based on.  You can also use the standard  cvs  command
              option -r to specify a particular revision to compare your files
              with.  Finally, if you use -r twice,  you  can  see  differences
              between  two  revisions in the repository.  You can also specify
              -D options to diff against a revision in the past.  The  -r  and
              -D  options  can be mixed together with at most two options ever
              specified.

              See rcsdiff(1) for a list of other accepted options.

              If you don't specify any files, diff  will  display  differences
              for  all those files in the current directory (and its subdirec-
              tories, unless you use the standard option -l) that differ  from
              the  corresponding revision in the source repository (i.e. files
              that you have changed), or that differ from the revision  speci-
              fied.

       export [-flNnQq] -r rev|-D date [-d dir] [-k kflag] module...
              Requires: repository.
              Changes: current directory.
              This  command  is  a  variant of `cvs checkout'; use it when you
              want a copy of the source for module without the cvs administra-
              tive  directories.   For  example, you might use `cvs export' to
              prepare source for shipment  off-site.   This  command  requires
              that  you specify a date or tag (with -D or -r), so that you can
              count on reproducing the source you ship to others.

              The only non-standard options are `-d  dir'  (write  the  source
              into  directory  dir)  and  `-N'  (don't  shorten module paths).
              These have the same meanings as the same options in `cvs  check-
              out'.

              The  -kv  option is useful when export is used.  This causes any
              keywords to be expanded such that an import done at  some  other
              site  will  not  lose  the  keyword revision information.  Other
              kflags may be used with `cvs export' and are described in co(1).

       history [-report] [-flags] [-options args] [files...]
              Requires: the file `$CVSROOT/CVSROOT/history'
              Changes: nothing.
              cvs  keeps  a history file that tracks each use of the checkout,
              commit, rtag, update, and release commands.  You  can  use  `cvs
              history' to display this information in various formats.

              Warning:  `cvs  history' uses `-f', `-l', `-n', and `-p' in ways
              that conflict with the descriptions in COMMON COMMAND OPTIONS.

              Several options (shown above as -report) control  what  kind  of
              report is generated:

             -c  Report  on  each  time  commit  was used (i.e., each time the
                 repository was modified).

             -m module
                 Report on a particular module.  (You can meaningfully use  -m
                 more than once on the command line.)

             -o  Report on checked-out modules.

             -T  Report on all tags.

             -x type
                 Extract  a particular set of record types X from the cvs his-
                 tory.  The types are indicated by single letters,  which  you
                 may  specify  in combination.  Certain commands have a single
                 record type: checkout (type `O'),  release  (type  `F'),  and
                 rtag (type `T').  One of four record types may result from an
                 update: `W', when the working copy of a file is deleted  dur-
                 ing  update  (because  it was gone from the repository); `U',
                 when a working file was copied from the repository; `G', when
                 a merge was necessary and it succeeded; and 'C', when a merge
                 was necessary but collisions were detected (requiring  manual
                 merging).   Finally,  one  of three record types results from
                 commit: `M', when a file was modified; `A', when  a  file  is
                 first added; and `R', when a file is removed.

             -e  Everything  (all  record  types);  equivalent  to  specifying
                 `-xMACFROGWUT'.

             -z zone
                 Use time zone zone when outputting history records.  The zone
                 name  LT  stands  for  local  time; numeric offsets stand for
                 hours and minutes ahead of UTC.  For  example,  +0530  stands
                 for 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of (i.e. east of) UTC.

            The options shown as -flags constrain the report without requiring
            option arguments:

             -a  Show data for all users (the default is to show data only for
                 the user executing `cvs history').

             -l  Show last modification only.

             -w  Show  only  the  records for modifications done from the same
                 working directory where `cvs history' is executing.

            The options shown as -options args constrain the report  based  on
            an argument:

             -b str
                 Show  data  back  to  a  record  containing the string str in
                 either the module name, the  file  name,  or  the  repository
                 path.

             -D date
                 Show data since date.

             -p repository
                 Show data for a particular source repository (you can specify
                 several -p options on the same command line).

             -r rev
                 Show records referring to revisions since the revision or tag
                 named  rev appears in individual RCS files.  Each RCS file is
                 searched for the revision or tag.

             -t tag
                 Show records since tag tag was  last  added  to  the  history
                 file.   This  differs from the -r flag above in that it reads
                 only the history file, not the RCS files, and is much faster.

             -u name
                 Show records for user name.


       import [-options] repository vendortag releasetag...
              Requires: Repository, source distribution directory.
              Changes: repository.
              Use  `cvs  import'  to incorporate an entire source distribution
              from an outside source (e.g., a source vendor) into your  source
              repository directory.  You can use this command both for initial
              creation of a repository, and for wholesale updates to the  mod-
              ule form the outside source.

              The  repository  argument gives a directory name (or a path to a
              directory) under the CVS root directory for repositories; if the
              directory did not exist, import creates it.

              When you use import for updates to source that has been modified
              in your source repository (since a prior import), it will notify
              you  of  any files that conflict in the two branches of develop-
              ment; use `cvs checkout -j' to  reconcile  the  differences,  as
              import instructs you to do.

              By  default, certain file names are ignored during `cvs import':
              names associated with CVS administration, or with  other  common
              source  control  systems;  common  names for patch files, object
              files, archive files, and editor backup files; and  other  names
              that  are usually artifacts of assorted utilities.  For an up to
              date list of ignored file names, see the Cederqvist  manual  (as
              described in the SEE ALSO section of this manpage).

              The  outside source is saved in a first-level branch, by default
              `1.1.1'.  Updates are leaves of this branch; for example,  files
              from  the  first  imported collection of source will be revision
              `1.1.1.1', then files from the first  imported  update  will  be
              revision `1.1.1.2', and so on.

              At  least three arguments are required.  repository is needed to
              identify the collection of source.  vendortag is a tag  for  the
              entire  branch  (e.g.,  for  `1.1.1').  You must also specify at
              least one releasetag to identify the files at the leaves created
              each time you execute `cvs import'.

              One  of  the  standard cvs command options is available: -m mes-
              sage.  If you do not specify a logging  message  with  -m,  your
              editor is invoked (as with commit) to allow you to enter one.

              There are three additional special options.

              Use  `-d'  to specify that each file's time of last modification
              should be used for the checkin date and time.

              Use `-b branch' to  specify  a  first-level  branch  other  than
              `1.1.1'.

              Use  `-I name' to specify file names that should be ignored dur-
              ing import.  You can  use  this  option  repeatedly.   To  avoid
              ignoring any files at all (even those ignored by default), spec-
              ify `-I !'.

       log [-l] rlog-options [files...]
              Requires: repository, working directory.
              Changes: nothing.
              Synonym: rlog
              Display log  information  for  files.   Among  the  more  useful
              options are -h to display only the header (including tag defini-
              tions, but omitting most of the full log); -r to select logs  on
              particular  revisions  or  ranges of revisions; and -d to select
              particular dates or date ranges.  See rlog(1) for full  explana-
              tions.   This  command  is  recursive  by default, unless the -l
              option is specified.

       rdiff [-flags] [-V vn] [-r t|-D d [-r t2|-D d2]] modules...
              Requires: repository.
              Changes: nothing.
              Synonym: patch
              Builds a Larry Wall format patch(1) file between  two  releases,
              that  can be fed directly into the patch program to bring an old
              release up-to-date with the new release.  (This is  one  of  the
              few cvs commands that operates directly from the repository, and
              doesn't require a prior checkout.)  The diff output is  sent  to
              the standard output device.  You can specify (using the standard
              -r and -D options) any combination of one or  two  revisions  or
              dates.   If  only  one  revision or date is specified, the patch
              file reflects differences between that revision or date and  the
              current ``head'' revisions in the RCS file.

              Note  that if the software release affected is contained in more
              than one directory, then it may be necessary to specify  the  -p
              option  to  the  patch command when patching the old sources, so
              that patch is able to find the files that are located  in  other
              directories.

              The  standard  option  flags  -f, and -l are available with this
              command.  There are also several special options flags:

              If you use the -s option, no patch output is produced.  Instead,
              a summary of the changed or added files between the two releases
              is sent to the standard output device.  This is useful for find-
              ing out, for example, which files have changed between two dates
              or revisions.

              If you use the -t option, a diff of the  top  two  revisions  is
              sent  to  the  standard  output device.  This is most useful for
              seeing what the last change to a file was.

              If you use the -u option, the patch output uses the newer ``uni-
              diff'' format for context diffs.

              You  can use -c to explicitly specify the `diff -c' form of con-
              text diffs (which is the default), if you like.

       release [-dQq] modules...
              Requires: Working directory.
              Changes: Working directory, history log.
              This command is meant to safely cancel the effect of `cvs check-
              out'.  Since cvs doesn't lock files, it isn't strictly necessary
              to use this command.  You can always simply delete your  working
              directory, if you like; but you risk losing changes you may have
              forgotten, and you leave no trace in the cvs history  file  that
              you've abandoned your checkout.

              Use  `cvs release' to avoid these problems.  This command checks
              that no un-committed changes are present; that you are executing
              it  from  immediately above, or inside, a cvs working directory;
              and that the repository recorded for your files is the  same  as
              the repository defined in the module database.

              If  all these conditions are true, `cvs release' leaves a record
              of its execution (attesting  to  your  intentionally  abandoning
              your checkout) in the cvs history log.

              You  can  use the -d flag to request that your working copies of
              the source files be deleted if the release succeeds.

       remove [-lR] [files...]
              Requires: Working directory.
              Changes: Working directory.
              Synonyms: rm, delete
              Use this command to declare that you wish to remove  files  from
              the  source  repository.   Like  most cvs commands, `cvs remove'
              works on files in your working directory, not  directly  on  the
              repository.   As  a  safeguard,  it also requires that you first
              erase the specified files from your working directory.

              The files are not actually removed until you apply your  changes
              to  the repository with commit; at that point, the corresponding
              RCS files in the source repository are moved  into  the  `Attic'
              directory (also within the source repository).

              This  command is recursive by default, scheduling all physically
              removed files that it finds for removal by the next commit.  Use
              the  -l  option  to  avoid  this recursion, or just specify that
              actual files that you wish remove to consider.

       rtag [-falnRQq] [-b] [-d] [-r tag | -D date] symbolic_tag modules...
              Requires: repository.
              Changes: repository.
              Synonym: rfreeze
              You can use this command to assign symbolic tags to  particular,
              explicitly  specified  source  versions in the repository.  `cvs
              rtag' works directly on the repository contents (and requires no
              prior  checkout).   Use `cvs tag' instead, to base the selection
              of versions to tag on the contents of your working directory.

              In general, tags (often the symbolic names of software distribu-
              tions)  should not be removed, but the -d option is available as
              a means to remove completely obsolete symbolic names  if  neces-
              sary (as might be the case for an Alpha release, say).

              `cvs rtag' will not move a tag that already exists.  With the -F
              option, however, `cvs rtag' will re-locate any instance of  sym-
              bolic_tag that already exists on that file to the new repository
              versions.  Without the -F option, attempting to use  `cvs  rtag'
              to  apply a tag that already exists on that file will produce an
              error message.

              The -b option makes the tag a ``branch'' tag,  allowing  concur-
              rent,  isolated development.  This is most useful for creating a
              patch to a previously released software distribution.

              You can use the standard -r and -D options  to  tag  only  those
              files  that already contain a certain tag.  This method would be
              used to rename a tag: tag only the files identified by  the  old
              tag, then delete the old tag, leaving the new tag on exactly the
              same files as the old tag.

              rtag executes recursively by default, tagging all subdirectories
              of  modules  you  specify in the argument.  You can restrict its
              operation to top-level directories with the standard -l  option;
              or you can explicitly request recursion with -R.

              The modules database can specify a program to execute whenever a
              tag is specified; a typical use is to send electronic mail to  a
              group  of  interested  parties.  If you want to bypass that pro-
              gram, use the standard -n option.

              Use the -a option to have rtag look in the `Attic'  for  removed
              files  that  contain the specified tag.  The tag is removed from
              these files, which makes it convenient to re-use a symbolic  tag
              as development continues (and files get removed from the up-com-
              ing distribution).

       status [-lRqQ] [-v] [files...]
              Requires: working directory, repository.
              Changes: nothing.
              Display a brief report on  the  current  status  of  files  with
              respect to the source repository, including any ``sticky'' tags,
              dates, or -k options.  (``Sticky''  options  will  restrict  how
              `cvs  update' operates until you reset them; see the description
              of `cvs update -A...'.)

              You can also use this command to anticipate the potential impact
              of  a  `cvs update' on your working source directory.  If you do
              not specify any files explicitly,  reports  are  shown  for  all
              files  that  cvs  has placed in your working directory.  You can
              limit the scope of this search to the current  directory  itself
              (not  its  subdirectories)  with the standard -l option flag; or
              you can explicitly request recursive status reports with the  -R
              option.

              The  -v  option  causes the symbolic tags for the RCS file to be
              displayed as well.

       tag [-lQqR] [-F] [-b]  [-d]  [-r  tag  |  -D  date]  [-f]  symbolic_tag
       [files...]
              Requires: working directory, repository.
              Changes: repository.
              Synonym: freeze
              Use this command to assign symbolic tags to the nearest  reposi-
              tory  versions  to  your  working sources.  The tags are applied
              immediately to the repository, as with rtag.

              One potentially surprising aspect of the fact that cvs tag oper-
              ates  on  the  repository is that you are tagging the checked-in
              revisions, which may differ from locally modified files in  your
              working  directory.  If you want to avoid doing this by mistake,
              specify the -c option to cvs tag.  If there are any locally mod-
              ified  files,  CVS  will  abort with an error before it tags any
              files.

              One use for tags is to record  a  ``snapshot''  of  the  current
              sources  when the software freeze date of a project arrives.  As
              bugs are fixed after the freeze date, only those changed sources
              that are to be part of the release need be re-tagged.

              The  symbolic  tags  are meant to permanently record which revi-
              sions of which files were used in creating a software  distribu-
              tion.   The  checkout,  export  and update commands allow you to
              extract an exact copy of a tagged release at  any  time  in  the
              future, regardless of whether files have been changed, added, or
              removed since the release was tagged.

              You can use the standard -r and -D options  to  tag  only  those
              files  that already contain a certain tag.  This method would be
              used to rename a tag: tag only the files identified by  the  old
              tag, then delete the old tag, leaving the new tag on exactly the
              same files as the old tag.

              Specifying the -f flag in addition to the -r or  -D  flags  will
              tag  those  files  named on the command line even if they do not
              contain the old tag or did not exist on the specified date.

              By default (without a -r or -D flag) the versions to  be  tagged
              are  supplied  implicitly  by  the  cvs  records of your working
              files' history rather than applied explicitly.

              If you use `cvs tag -d symbolic_tag...', the  symbolic  tag  you
              specify  is  deleted  instead  of being added.  Warning: Be very
              certain of your ground before  you  delete  a  tag;  doing  this
              effectively  discards  some  historical  information,  which may
              later turn out to have been valuable.

              `cvs tag' will not move a tag that already exists.  With the  -F
              option,  however,  `cvs tag' will re-locate any instance of sym-
              bolic_tag that already exists on that file to the new repository
              versions.  Without the -F option, attempting to use `cvs tag' to
              apply a tag that already exists on that  file  will  produce  an
              error message.

              The  -b  option makes the tag a ``branch'' tag, allowing concur-
              rent, isolated development.  This is most useful for creating  a
              patch to a previously released software distribution.

              Normally,  tag  executes recursively through subdirectories; you
              can prevent this by using the standard -l option, or specify the
              recursion explicitly by using -R.

       update [-ACdflPpQqR] [-d] [-r tag|-D date] files...
              Requires: repository, working directory.
              Changes: working directory.
              After  you've run checkout to create your private copy of source
              from the  common  repository,  other  developers  will  continue
              changing the central source.  From time to time, when it is con-
              venient in your development process, you can use the update com-
              mand  from  within your working directory to reconcile your work
              with any revisions applied to  the source repository since  your
              last checkout or update.

              update keeps you informed of its progress by printing a line for
              each file, prefaced with one of the characters `U P A R M  C  ?'
              to indicate the status of the file:

       U file    The  file  was brought up to date with respect to the reposi-
                 tory.  This is done for any file that exists in  the  reposi-
                 tory  but  not in your source, and for files that you haven't
                 changed but are not the most recent versions available in the
                 repository.

       P file    Like U, but the CVS server sends a patch instead of an entire
                 file.  This accomplishes the same thing as U using less band-
                 width.

       A file    The  file has been added to your private copy of the sources,
                 and will be added to the source repository when you run  `cvs
                 commit' on the file.  This is a reminder to you that the file
                 needs to be committed.

       R file    The file has been removed  from  your  private  copy  of  the
                 sources,  and will be removed from the source repository when
                 you run `cvs commit' on the file.  This is a reminder to  you
                 that the file needs to be committed.

       M file    The  file  is  modified  in  your working directory.  `M' can
                 indicate one of two states for  a  file  you're  working  on:
                 either  there  were  no modifications to the same file in the
                 repository, so that your file remains as you last saw it;  or
                 there were modifications in the repository as well as in your
                 copy, but they were merged successfully, without conflict, in
                 your working directory.

       C file    A conflict was detected while trying to merge your changes to
                 file with changes from the source repository.  file (the copy
                 in  your  working directory) is now the result of merging the
                 two versions; an unmodified copy of your file is also in your
                 working directory, with the name `.#file.version', where ver-
                 sion is the revision that your modified  file  started  from.
                 (Note  that some systems automatically purge files that begin
                 with  `.#' if they have not been accessed for a few days.  If
                 you intend to keep a copy of your original file, it is a very
                 good idea to rename it.)

       ? file    file is in your working directory, but does not correspond to
                 anything  in the source repository, and is not in the list of
                 files for cvs to  ignore  (see  the  description  of  the  -I
                 option).


            Use  the -A option to reset any sticky tags, dates, or -k options.
            (If you get a working copy of a file by using one of the  -r,  -D,
            or -k options, cvs remembers the corresponding tag, date, or kflag
            and continues using it on future updates; use  the  -A  option  to
            make  cvs  forget  these specifications, and retrieve the ``head''
            version of the file).

            The -jbranch option merges the changes made between the  resulting
            revision  and  the  revision that it is based on (e.g., if the tag
            refers to a branch, cvs will merge all changes made in that branch
            into your working file).

            With two -j options, cvs will merge in the changes between the two
            respective revisions.  This can be used to  ``remove''  a  certain
            delta from your working file.  E.g., If the file foo.c is based on
            revision 1.6 and I want to remove the changes made between 1.3 and
            1.5, I might do:

                      example% cvs update -j1.5 -j1.3 foo.c   # note the order...

            In  addition, each -j option can contain on optional date specifi-
            cation which, when used with branches, can limit the chosen  revi-
            sion to one within a specific date.  An optional date is specified
            by adding a colon (:) to the tag.

                      -jSymbolic_Tag:Date_Specifier

            Use the -d option to create any  directories  that  exist  in  the
            repository  if  they're missing from the working directory.  (Nor-
            mally, update acts only on directories and files that were already
            enrolled  in your working directory.)  This is useful for updating
            directories that were created in the repository since the  initial
            checkout;  but it has an unfortunate side effect.  If you deliber-
            ately avoided certain directories in the repository when you  cre-
            ated  your  working directory (either through use of a module name
            or by listing explicitly the files and directories you  wanted  on
            the  command line), then updating with -d will create those direc-
            tories, which may not be what you want.

            Use -I name to ignore files whose names match name (in your  work-
            ing  directory)  during  the update.  You can specify -I more than
            once on the command line to specify several files to  ignore.   By
            default,  update ignores files whose names match certain patterns;
            for an up to date list of ignored file names, see  the  Cederqvist
            manual (as described in the SEE ALSO section of this manpage).

            Use `-I !' to avoid ignoring any files at all.

            Use the `-C' option to overwrite locally modified files with clean
            copies  from  the  repository  (the  modified  file  is  saved  in
            `.#file.revision', however).

            The  standard  cvs  command options -f, -k, -l, -P, -p, and -r are
            also available with update.

FILES
       For more detailed information on cvs supporting files, see cvs(5).

       Files in home directories:

       .cvsrc The cvs initialisation file.  Lines in this file can be used  to
              specify  default  options for each cvs command.  For example the
              line `diff -c' will ensure that `cvs diff' is always passed  the
              -c option in addition to any other options passed on the command
              line.

       .cvswrappers
              Specifies wrappers to be used in addition to those specified  in
              the CVSROOT/cvswrappers file in the repository.

       Files in working directories:

       CVS    A directory of cvs administrative files.  Do not delete.

       CVS/Entries
              List and status of files in your working directory.

       CVS/Entries.Backup
              A backup of `CVS/Entries'.

       CVS/Entries.Static
              Flag: do not add more entries on `cvs update'.

       CVS/Root
              Pathname  to  the repository ( CVSROOT ) location at the time of
              checkout.  This file is used instead of the CVSROOT  environment
              variable if the environment variable is not set.  A warning mes-
              sage will be issued when the contents of this file and the  CVS-
              ROOT  environment  variable differ.  The file may be over-ridden
              by the presence of the CVS_IGNORE_REMOTE_ROOT environment  vari-
              able.

       CVS/Repository
              Pathname  to  the  corresponding directory in the source reposi-
              tory.

       CVS/Tag
              Contains the per-directory ``sticky'' tag or  date  information.
              This  file  is  created/updated when you specify -r or -D to the
              checkout or update commands, and no files are specified.

       CVS/Checkin.prog
              Name of program to run on `cvs commit'.

       CVS/Update.prog
              Name of program to run on `cvs update'.

       Files in source repositories:

       $CVSROOT/CVSROOT
              Directory of global administrative files for repository.

       CVSROOT/commitinfo,v
              Records programs for filtering `cvs commit' requests.

       CVSROOT/cvswrappers,v
              Records cvs wrapper commands to be used when checking files into
              and out of the repository.  Wrappers allow the file or directory
              to be processed on the way in and out of CVS.  The intended uses
              are  many, one possible use would be to reformat a C file before
              the file is checked in, so all of the  code  in  the  repository
              looks the same.

       CVSROOT/editinfo,v
              Records   programs   for  editing/validating  `cvs  commit'  log
              entries.

       CVSROOT/history
              Log file of cvs transactions.

       CVSROOT/loginfo,v
              Records programs for piping `cvs commit' log entries.

       CVSROOT/modules,v
              Definitions for modules in this repository.

       CVSROOT/rcsinfo,v
              Records pathnames to templates used during a `cvs commit' opera-
              tion.

       CVSROOT/taginfo,v
              Records programs for validating/logging `cvs tag' and `cvs rtag'
              operations.

       MODULE/Attic
              Directory for removed source files.

       #cvs.lock
              A lock directory created by cvs when doing sensitive changes  to
              the source repository.

       #cvs.tfl.pid
              Temporary lock file for repository.

       #cvs.rfl.pid
              A read lock.

       #cvs.wfl.pid
              A write lock.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
       CVSROOT
              Should  contain  the full pathname to the root of the cvs source
              repository (where the RCS files  are  kept).   This  information
              must  be  available to cvs for most commands to execute; if CVS-
              ROOT is not set, or if you wish to override it for  one  invoca-
              tion,  you  can  supply  it on the command line: `cvs -d cvsroot
              cvs_command...' You may not need to  set  CVSROOT  if  your  cvs
              binary  has  the right path compiled in; use `cvs -v' to display
              all compiled-in paths.

       CVSREAD
              If this is set, checkout and update will try hard  to  make  the
              files  in  your  working  directory read-only.  When this is not
              set, the default behavior is  to  permit  modification  of  your
              working files.

       RCSBIN Specifies  the full pathname where to find RCS programs, such as
              co(1) and ci(1) (CVS 1.9 and older).

       CVSEDITOR
              Specifies the program to use for recording log  messages  during
              commit.  If not set, the VISUAL and EDITOR environment variables
              are tried (in that order).  If neither is set,  a  system-depen-
              dent default editor (e.g., vi) is used.

       CVS_IGNORE_REMOTE_ROOT
              If  this  variable is set then cvs will ignore all references to
              remote repositories in the CVS/Root file.

       CVS_RSH
              cvs uses the contents of this variable to determine the name  of
              the  remote shell command to use when starting a cvs server.  If
              this variable is not set then `rsh' is used.

       CVS_SERVER
              cvs uses the contents of this variable to determine the name  of
              the  cvs server command.  If this variable is not set then `cvs'
              is used.

       CVSWRAPPERS
              This variable is used by the `cvswrappers' script  to  determine
              the  name  of  the  wrapper  file,  in  addition to the wrappers
              defaults contained in the repository  (CVSROOT/cvswrappers)  and
              the user's home directory (~/.cvswrappers).

AUTHORS
       Dick Grune
              Original  author  of  the  cvs  shell  script  version posted to
              comp.sources.unix in the  volume6  release  of  December,  1986.
              Credited with much of the cvs conflict resolution algorithms.

       Brian Berliner
              Coder  and  designer  of  the cvs program itself in April, 1989,
              based on the original work done by Dick.

       Jeff Polk
              Helped Brian with the design of the cvs module and vendor branch
              support  and author of the checkin(1) shell script (the ancestor
              of `cvs import').

       And many others too numerous to mention here.

SEE ALSO
       The most comprehensive manual for CVS is Version Management with CVS by
       Per Cederqvist et al.  Depending on your system, you may be able to get
       it with the  info  cvs  command  or  it  may  be  available  as  cvs.ps
       (postscript), cvs.texinfo (texinfo source), or cvs.html.

       For CVS updates, more information on documentation, software related to
       CVS, development of CVS, and more, see:
                 http://cvshome.org http://www.loria.fr/~molli/cvs-index.html

       ci(1), co(1), cvs(5), cvsbug(8), diff(1),  grep(1),  patch(1),  rcs(1),
       rcsdiff(1), rcsmerge(1), rlog(1).



                                                                        CVS(1)