threads / discuss / 8611

Newbie questions about moving around repositories

Subject: Newbie questions about moving around repositories

## tl;dr

4 messages between Jun 15, 2007 and Jun 15, 2007.

replies: 3people: 2as markdown or json

Ed Schofield· Jun 15, 2007, 13:52 UTC · lore

Hi all,

I've recently started using git to manage my own patchsets for a public CVS repository that I don't have write access to. I have a couple of newbie questions, please:

1. I would like to move my repository (including all branches) from
directory A to a directory B on a different filesystem. Can I use
git-clone for this? It seems that git-clone creates remote-tracking
branches, but I want to keep all of the branches as local branches so
I can remove the original repository.

2. I can't just move the entire directory A, because I get

Error in startup script: error: object directory A/../A-cvs-git/.git/objects does not exist; check .git/objects/info/alternates

I think I originally created the repository by cloning from my A-cvs-git/ directory with git-clone --shared, but I don't quite remember. So I suppose I want a way to stop using the alternates mechanism and make my repository self-contained in one directory. Is this possible? Will I then be free to move the directory?

I'd appreciate any advice!

-- Ed

Alex Riesen· Jun 15, 2007, 14:18 UTC · re: Ed Schofield · lore

Re: Newbie questions about moving around repositories

On 6/15/07, Ed Schofield <edschofield@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 5 quoted lines

> 1. I would like to move my repository (including all branches) from
> directory A to a directory B on a different filesystem. Can I use
> git-clone for this? It seems that git-clone creates remote-tracking
> branches, but I want to keep all of the branches as local branches so
> I can remove the original repository.

Just copy it.

Show 5 quoted lines

> 2. I can't just move the entire directory A, because I get
>
> Error in startup script: error: object directory
> A/../A-cvs-git/.git/objects does not exist; check
> .git/objects/info/alternates

... but fix that .git/objects/info/alternates files in the repos left to point to the new location of the moved directory.

Show 5 quoted lines

> I think I originally created the repository by cloning from my
> A-cvs-git/ directory with git-clone --shared, but I don't quite
> remember. So I suppose I want a way to stop using the alternates
> mechanism and make my repository self-contained in one directory. Is
> this possible?

git repack -f, and remove the alternates, probably. Otherwise you can just copy .git/objects directory into all related repos, remove alternates there and you're free.

> Will I then be free to move the directory?

Yes

Ed Schofield· Jun 15, 2007, 17:19 UTC · re: Alex Riesen · lore

Re: Newbie questions about moving around repositories

On 6/15/07, Alex Riesen <raa.lkml@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 9 quoted lines

> On 6/15/07, Ed Schofield <edschofield@gmail.com> wrote:
> > 1. I would like to move my repository (including all branches) from
> > directory A to a directory B on a different filesystem.
> > [snip]
>
> Just copy it.
> [snip]
> ... but fix that .git/objects/info/alternates files in the repos left to
> point to the new location of the moved directory.

Thanks, Alex! Changing this and .git/branches/origin worked a treat.

-- Ed

Alex Riesen· Jun 15, 2007, 21:58 UTC · re: Ed Schofield · lore

Re: Newbie questions about moving around repositories

Ed Schofield, Fri, Jun 15, 2007 19:19:58 +0200:

Show 14 quoted lines

> On 6/15/07, Alex Riesen <raa.lkml@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On 6/15/07, Ed Schofield <edschofield@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> 1. I would like to move my repository (including all branches) from
> >> directory A to a directory B on a different filesystem.
> >> [snip]
> >
> >Just copy it.
> >[snip]
> >... but fix that .git/objects/info/alternates files in the repos left to
> >point to the new location of the moved directory.
> 
> 
> Thanks, Alex! Changing this and .git/branches/origin worked a treat.
>

.git/branches is obsoleted. Branch configuration is in .git/config now