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Re: Why do Virus Scanners hate Subversion

From: D.J. Heap <djheap_at_gmail.com>
Date: 2006-05-03 16:03:58 CEST

On 5/3/06, Ryan Schmidt <subversion-2006q2@ryandesign.com> wrote:
> On May 2, 2006, at 19:31, Jesse Hogan wrote:
>
> > svn: In directory 'Databases/eMax/StoredProcs'
> > svn: Can't move source to dest
> > svn: Can't move 'Databases/eMax/StoredProcs/_svn/tmp/props/
> > dbo.spConfigWriteStartingConfiguration.PRC.svn-work' to 'Databases/
> > eMax/StoredProcs/_svn/props/
> > dbo.spConfigWriteStartingConfiguration.PRC.svn-work': Permission
> > denied
>
> > I've done a little research on these types of error messages and
> > the only explanation I've found is that a virus scanner is
> > tampering with the newly downloaded files. This seems to be what I
> > am seeing because I can disable the virus scanner to get the
> > checkout to work. Am I right in blaming virus scanners for these
> > types of error message. Also, what exactly is happening. Is the
> > virus scanner placing a lock on these files which causes svn to
> > abend. Can anything be done to make svn more tolerant of virus
> > scanners. I hope so because this is one of the first things a user
> > sees when (s)he begins using svn which, I have witness, leads to
> > bad impressions.
>
[snip]
>
> A workaround that Subversion could possibly employ would be to try
> several times to move a file if it fails on the first attempt,
> waiting a fraction of a second between attempts, and to only error
> out if several consecutive attempts have failed.

The native Win32 Subversion already does this and solves the
virus-scanner/file indexers/tag-along-helper-apps issues in all known
cases. The cygwin version doesn't. So don't use the cygwin version
or convince the cygwin maintainers to include the workaround code.

The root of the problem is Windows file-system semantics with regards
to locking/deleting/moving already open files in combination with
tag-along 'helper' applications that open every file that is created
or changed in order to do something 'helpful' with it. Most Unix
file-systems don't have the problem because they support
moving/deleting files that are open by other applications and they
also have fewer (any?) tag-along type 'helper' applications.

DJ

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Received on Wed May 3 16:05:28 2006

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