Move an SVN respository when the server is dead

Question

My SVN server is dead.

I have another machine I could use as an SVN server and a couple of machines with working copies of the original repository.

Is there

Answer 1

You have no backups whatsoever?

If that's the case, then the simplest approach will be to create a new repository, import the contents of one working directory into it, and then have everyone else check out clean from the new repository. Trying to hack the existing working directories will be more trouble than it's worth.

You'll want to make sure that the "master" working directory is clean: do an svn revert on it, then remove all .svn directories -- note that there's one at every level of the tree (definitely make a copy before doing this this).

If you want to preserve changes in other working directories, then you can remove the .svn directories from them and use a tool like cpio to copy the files into the new working directories.

Answer 2

svn export is the right way to remove .svn folders.

Answer 3

If you're willing to abandon the history, you could create a new repository and add your working copy as its new content. In order to do this, however, you need to remove all .svn folders first. Some scripting could do that.

Be sure to do all this with a copy of your working copy, as it seems to be the last thing you have to cling to.