restore SVN repository from (non-standard) backup

Question

The machine hosting our SVN server recently stopped working. The IT team managed to restore the SVN repository contents from an NFS backup. This is what they gave me to work with:

01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          .
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          ..
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          conf
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          dav
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          db
06/21/2013  10:14 AM                 2 format
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          hooks
01/28/2014  03:24 PM    <DIR>          locks
06/21/2013  10:14 AM               251 README.txt

Now I have to "move" all of this to the new (currently empty) SVN repo /trunk. Naturally I'd like to keep all the existing SVN history... What's the best way to do that? Can I just copy the directory structure as-is under /trunk?

Help! :)

Answer 1

@Lazy Badger, @maxim1000 you're both right however there are some other considerations with restoring SVN this way. Indeed this is the internal file structure of the actual repository folder. However first one needs to check the version of the SVN that was running on the old server. Here you can:

1. Use the same SVN version on new instance
2. Update your repository if needed (so that the old structure is ok with the new SVN version)

You should be just fine dropping this folder in SVN's repository path. And it should work but check versions of SVN and then test your repository to see if there aren't eny glitches!

And the lesson from this is? : Always backup your repositories to an external location and using svnadmin dump Check this. I've eaten my pile of stuff with SVN so beware. :D :)

Answer 2

It seems that you already have your repository and there is no need to create another one and put there history. If you are on Windows and use TortoiseSVN, try to open Repobrowser on the directory with this content to check it.

Answer 3

Accoring to dir this is your repository from FS-view. you can copy it to any (local) place and open (list, checkout) with any SVN-client, using file:/// protocol... or to non-local, where it must be forever and use the same way, as done it before