strange error with subversion: "client denied by server configuration: /htdocs"

Hi all

We're having some strange errors with our Subversion server at the
moment in our open source project, ASCEND.

For *some* clients, we see errors like this:

jpye_at_ascend:~$ svn co
http://ascendsvn.cheme.cmu.edu/ascend/code/trunk/solvers test1
svn: PROPFIND request failed on '/ascend/!svn/vcc/default'
svn: PROPFIND of '/ascend/!svn/vcc/default': 403 Forbidden
(http://ascendsvn.cheme.cmu.edu)

which is accompanied by an error in the Apache logs:

[Fri May 15 04:20:58 2009] [error] [client 128.2.52.249] client denied
by server configuration: /htdocs

but for *other* clients, there is no error at all, and the command works
just fine.

Our host server is running Ubuntu Hardy, with subversion 1.4.6, all
standard Ubuntu packages. This error as above is seen on the same
server, but I have tested and the same command runs find on a Fedora 9
machine running the exact same version of the Subversion client. I also
have no problems on an Ubuntu Jaunty machine running 1.5.4.

When I access the subversion server using a web browser, it also all
works fine:
http://ascendsvn.cheme.cmu.edu/ascend/code/trunk/

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this annoying bug?

Below is the relevant Apache configuration...

Cheers
JP

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin john.pye_at_anu.edu.au
    ServerName ascendsvn.cheme.cmu.edu

    ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/svn-error.log

    RedirectMatch ^/stats/?$
http://ascend.cheme.cmu.edu/awstats/awstats.pl?config=ascendsvn.cheme.cmu.edu

    RedirectMatch permanent ^/$ /ascend

    # Possible values include: debug, info, notice, warn, error, crit,
    # alert, emerg.
    LogLevel debug

    CustomLog /var/log/apache2/svn.log combined
    ServerSignature On

    <Location /ascend>

        DAV svn
        SVNPath /home/svn/ascend

        AuthType Basic
        AuthName "Subversion Repository"
        AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/dav_svn.passwd

        # Uncomment the following line to enable Authz Authentication
        # AuthzSVNAccessFile /etc/apache2/dav_svn.authz

        # The following three lines allow anonymous read, but make
        # committers authenticate themselves.
        <LimitExcept GET PROPFIND OPTIONS REPORT>
            Require valid-user
        </LimitExcept>

    </Location>

-- 
Dr John Pye
Dept of Engineering
Australian National University
------------------------------------------------------
http://subversion.tigris.org/ds/viewMessage.do?dsForumId=1065&dsMessageId=2268258
To unsubscribe from this discussion, e-mail: [users-unsubscribe_at_subversion.tigris.org].