31.3. Setting Up the CVS Server

If the CVS server has not yet been set up on your system, a button labeled Setup CVS Server will be displayed at the bottom of the module's main page. When clicked, an entry will be added to the inetd or xinetd configuration (covered in Chapter 15) to run the server program cvs pserver on the standard TCP port 2401. The current CVS root directory will be supplied as a parameter to this command, so make sure that it is set correctly before clicking the button. Clients should now be able to connect to the repository, as explained in Section 31.4 “Using the CVS Server”.

The server is always set up to run as a service called cvspserver, which runs as root with no IP access control restrictions. If you are using xinetd, the Extended Internet Services module can be used to restrict access to the service. Because most repositories only need to be accessible to CVS clients on a company network, this is usually a good idea. It is also possible to control access to the service if you are using inetd through the use of TCP wrappers, but that must be done manually.

When the server is active, the button will be replaced with one labeled Deactivate CVS Server instead. If clicked, the appropriate entry in the inetd or xinetd configuration will be disabled so that clients can no longer connect. To enable it again, hit the Activate CVS Server button that will appear on the main page instead.

If you have both xinetd and inetd installed, then the former will be used when setting up the server for the first time. When setting up, activating, or deactivating the server, the module will automatically signal inetd or xinetd to reread its configuration file, so there is no need to click the Apply Changes button in the appropriate module.