checkout structure || subscribe

In a typical tree, is it possible to checkout a a series of tags,
branches and the trunk, selectively, while keeping the 'root' control of
the tree?

example of what I want to do:

# svn co http://foo/ -N
# cd foo
# svn co http://foo/tags -N
# svn co http://foo/branches -N
# svn co http://foo/trunk
# cd branches
# svn co http://foo/branches/branchN
# cd ..
# svn up
 - Have this step update the entire structure that I have "subscribed"
to.

svn:externals can be used, but it is not external.
svn:ignore can be used and not committed, it's a Hack.

Have I missed a feature?

-Lares

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