# different ways to install gitolite

Gitolite has only one server side "command" now, much like git itself.  And
it's been designed so that you don't even really have to *install* it, as you
will see.

**NOTE**: if you're migrating from g2, there are some settings that MUST be
dealt with **before** running `gitolite setup`; please read the [g2
migration][g2migr] page and linked pages, and especially the one on
'presetting the rc file][rc-preset].

## simplest

1.  Put all of `src` in one place, doesn't matter where; let's call it
    /foo/bar.

2.  Use the full path to run any gitolite commands, for example:

        /foo/bar/gitolite setup -pk sitaram.pub

## almost as simple

1.  (same as above)

2.  Symlink /foo/bar/gitolite to some directory that is on your PATH.  For
    example:

        ln -sf /foo/bar/gitolite ~/bin

    Now you can just say

        gitolite setup -pk sitaram.pub

## packagers

1.  Put src/Gitolite in `/usr/share/perl5/vendor_perl` or some such place.

2.  Put the rest of src anywhere your distro policy allows.  (Fedora keeps
    git's 150 executables in /usr/libexec/git-core, so maybe
    /usr/libexec/gitolite?)

3.  Symlink 'gitolite' to /usr/bin or something, similar to step 2 above,

    OR

    Put it directly in /usr/bin, and hardcode `GL_BINDIR` into it to tell it
    where the others are.  I'd prefer it if you did not do this but you can.

----

Bottom line:

  * `GL_BINDIR` must point to a place that contains `commands`, `VREF`, and
    `syntactic-sugar` (so they must all be sibling directories).
  * The `Gitolite` directory can also be there, or it can be anywhere in
    perl's `@INC` path.

## upgrading

Just put the new version on top of wherever you kept the old one.  That's it.

If you feel it should require a little more effort, pretend I said "you have
to then run `gitolite setup`".  Can't hurt...