gitolite/doc/install.mkd

# installing gitolite

<font color="red">**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.</font>

## notes and naming conventions

Gitolite uses a single "real" (i.e., unix) user to provide secure access to
git repos to any number of "virtual" users, without giving them a shell.

The real user used is called the **hosting user**.  Typically this user is
*git*, and that is what we will use throughout the documentation.  However
RPMs and DEBs create a user called *gitolite* for this, so adjust instructions
and examples accordingly.

Notes:

  * Any unix user can be a hosting user.
  * Which also means you can have several hosting users on the same machine.
  * The URLs used will be of the form `git@host:reponame` (or its longer
    equivalent starting with `ssh://`).  The `.git` at the end is optional.  I
    recommend you leave it out, so your reponames are consistent with what the
    conf file uses.

## #req requirements

### your skills

  * If you're installing gitolite, you're a "system admin", like it or not.
    Ssh is therefore a necessary skill.  Please take the time to learn at
    least enough to get passwordless access working.

  * You also need to be somewhat familiar with git itself.  You cannot
    administer a whole bunch of git repositories if you don't know the basics
    of git.

  * Some familiarity with Unix and shells is probably required.

  * Regular expressions are a big part of gitolite in many places but
    familiarity is not necessary to do *basic* access control.

### server

  * any Unix system with a posix compatible "sh".
  * git version 1.6.6 or later
  * perl 5.8.8 or later
  * openssh (almost any version).  Optional if you're using the http backend
    (which is still a TODO item!)
  * a dedicated Unix userid to be the hosting user, usually "git" but it can
    be any user, even your own normal one.  (If you're using an RPM/DEB the
    install probably created one called "gitolite").

Also see the [WARNINGS][] page for more on what gitolite expects on the server
side.

### client

  * openssh client
  * git 1.6.6 or later.  Almost any git client will work, as long as it knows
    how to use ssh keys and send the right one along.

## getting the software

    git clone -b g3 git://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite

The -b g3' is needed until g3 becomes "master".  Current estimates put this
around June 2012, when the old gitolite (upto v2.x) will be retired and
supported only for security issues.

## the actual install

Gitolite has only one server side "command" now, much like git itself.  This
command is `gitolite`.  You don't need to place it anywhere special; worst
case you run it with the full path.

"Installation" consists of the following options:

1.  Keep the sources anywhere and use the full path to run the `gitolite`
    command.
2.  Keep the sources anywhere and symlink *just* the `gitolite` program to
    some directory on your `$PATH`.
3.  Copy the sources somewhere and use that path to run the `gitolite`
    command.

Option 2 is the best for general use.

There is a program called 'install' that helps you do these easily.  Assuming
your cloned the repo like this:

    git clone -b g3 git://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite

you can run the 'install' command in 3 different ways:

    # option 1
    gitolite/install

    # option 2
    gitolite/install -ln
    # defaults to $HOME/bin, or use a specific directory:
    gitolite/install -ln /usr/local/bin

    # option 3
    gitolite/install -to /usr/local/gitolite/bin

Creating a symlink doesn't need a separate program but 'install' also runs
`git describe` to create a VERSION file, which, trust me, is important!

**Next step**: run [**setup**][setup].

## upgrading

  * Update your clone of the gitolite source.
  * Repeat the install command you used earlier (make sure you use the same
    arguments as before).
  * Run `gitolite setup` just in case the hooks changed.

## packaging gitolite

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 option 2.

**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.

## migrating

There are a lot of migration hints and notes; see links at the top of this
document.

But here's the **bottom line** on migrating: nothing in any of the gitolite
install/setup/etc will ever touch the *data* in any repository except the
gitolite-admin repo.  The only thing it will normally touch is the `update`
hook.

So one fool-proof way of "migrating" from any older gitolite is this:

1.  Wipe out the old gitolite, but **carefully**

      * clone `~/repositories/gitolite-admin.git` to someplace, then delete it
        (and only it, none of the other repos!) from `~/repositories`
      * rename `~/.gitolite.rc` to something else
      * move the ~/.gitolite/logs` directory somewhere else, then delete `~/.gitolite`

2.  Read about [presetting][rc-preset] the rc file; if you're using any
    variables listed as requiring preset, follow those instructions to create
    your new rc file.

3.  Install gitolite g3; see [quick install and setup][qi] or [install][]
    followed by [setup][].

4.  Make sure your gitolite-admin clone has the correct pubkey for the
    administrator in its `keydir` directory, then `git push -f` to the server
    to overwrite the "default" admin repo created by the install.

5.  Handle any errors, look for migration issues, etc., as described in the
    links at the top of this page.

    This also includes building up your new `~/.gitolite.rc` file.

You're done.