Subversion
Introduction to Subversion
Subversion is an open source version control system built by the Apache software foundation. It enables software developers to work on the same codebase without having to keep track of versions manually. Subversion enables the developers to roll back the code to any point in history. More info on Subversion can be found here.
SVN uses one central repository to store the codebase in. It contains information about each revision. Each developer creates it's own local working copy of the most recent version of the code. When the developer has finished making changes to the code, those changes will then be "committed" to the repository. Note that only the changes are committed, which saves storage space and bandwidth considerably.
Another option would be to use Git, which is more popular than SVN. The main difference between the two version control systems is that Git has both a central and a local repository. While that certainly has its advantages (version control is possible without the need for an internet connection for example) it also adds to the complexity. HAN-AR has therefore decided to use SVN rather than Git, because of the small development team and students working for us for relatively short periods of time.
In order to use an SVN repository an SVN client is needed. A frequently used SVN client which is also free to use is TortoiseSVN.
Installation
Because a repository is hosted from a server it usually is a paid for service. HAN-AR subscribed to a service on repositoryhosting.com to let them host the SVN repositories. A big advantage is that all the project management tools are hosted there as well which makes it a well integrated part of the development tools.
Configuration
Please consult your SVN host to configure the SVN server to your likings. When using repositoryhosting.com more info can be found on the Trac website.
