Introduction to CVS

This is the first in a two-part series on CVS. This article is intended for folks who will be using CVS already installed on a system. In it, the author explains check-out, update, adding, merging, and other functions. In the second part, scheduled to run later this month, she will show how to create and manage a CVS repository, for those who need to start from scratch. -- Ed.

CVS -- or Concurrent Versioning System -- is a system for managing simultaneous development of files. It is in common use in large programming projects, and is also useful to system administrators, technical writers, and anyone who needs to manage files.

CVS stores files in a central repository, set (using standard Unix permissions) to be accessible to all users of the files. Commands are given to "check out" a copy of a file for development, and "commit" changes back to the repository. It also scans the files as they are moved to and from the repository, to prevent one person's work from overwriting another's.

This system ensures that a history of the file is retained, which is extremely useful when the boss decides he wants a feature you trashed months ago. It also ensures that backing up the repository is enough to backup a project (providing all necessary files are kept in repository).

CVS is usually used to help manage projects, but can also be used for individual files.