HOWTO setup your system for using KDevelop 3.x and SourceForge CVS

Introduction

This HOWTO describes, how-to setup your system for developing with KDevelop on SourceForge. When I tried setup my system, I found that this is very difficult task for beginner.

I hope, that this document will be useful for you. If you have any suggestion or ideas, please contact me.

Some fundamentals

KDevelop is IDE, that allow easy developing applications for KDE.
SourceForge is a free service to Open Source developers offering easy access to CVS and more ...
CVS is a version control system. Using it, you can record the history of your source files. It is ideal system fo cooperative developing.
OpenSSH is a FREE version of the SSH protocol, that allow secure access over Internet.

SSH

I assume, that you have OpenSSH client installed on your system. SourceForge provide access to CVS over SSH, for security reasons. Access to CVS require, that you must use version 1 of SSH protocol.

Configuration

Here is part of my /etc/ssh/ssh_config contents. Alternatively you may add this configuration to ~/.ssh/config, where ~ is your home directory.

	Host *
	ForwardX11 yes
	Protocol 1
			
	Host sf
	HostName	myprojectname.sourceforge.net
	User		myusername
	IdentityFile 	~/.ssh/identity
	Protocol	1
			
	Host otherHost
	HostName	www.xxx.cz
	User		myusername
	IdentityFile 	~/.ssh/identity
	Protocol	2
	

As you may see, default protocol version for all hosts is 1. This force CVS over SSH use this version. If you have any other servers, specify appropriate protocol version. Of course, change "myprojectname" and "myusername" with appropriate strings.

RSA Keys

Use ssh-keygen for generating your keys. Choose any good passphrase. Public key will be stored to ~/.ssh/identity.pub, private key to file ~/.ssh/identity.

Store public key to SourceForge

To access SourceForge using RSA, public key must be stored on their server. Log on SourceForge, and click on Account Maintenance and Edit Keys. Open public key file ~/.ssh/identity.pub with simple text editor, select all and copy contents and paste it into edit control in browser. Click on Update. Now, your public key is stored in SourceForge, and you may connect with CVS over SSH using RSA authentication.

Testing SSH

Now you may test SSH connection to shell server. Start terminal, and type:
ssh sf where sf is host name from /etc/ssh/ssh_config or ~/.ssh/config. During first connection, you will be queried about storing servers keys. Reply yes. You will be prompted for your shell account password (not RSA key passphrase !). If all is OK, you will be connected to shell server. If not, check your configuration or use: ssh -v sf command.

BTW, you are not connected using RSA authentication, but using password authentication. Placing public key through web interface allow only CVS access using RSA authentication. If you can use RSA on shell server, you must connect (SSH) using password, create .ssh directory in your home directory on server and then copy (using scp) public key ~/.ssh/identity.pub here as file authorized_keys.

CVS

Setting CVS

CVS setting is simple, you must set two environment variables. Add two lines into ~/.profile or ~/.bash_profile

	export CVS_RSH=ssh
	export CVSROOT=myusername@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/myprojectname

Of course, change "myprojectname" and "myusername" with appropriate strings. Logout and logon, to take effect.

Testing CVS

Now you may test CVS over SSH. There is two possibilites: checkout existing SourceForge project (created by project admin), or import your own project into SourceForge (you are admin). Type:
cvs checkout myprojectname
or
cvs import myprojectname vendorname start
cvs -z3 checkout myprojectname
During first connection, you will be queried about storing servers keys. Also you will be prompted for RSA key passphrasse.

SSH Agent

Now, you are prompted for RSA key passphrasse before every CVS command. For using KDevelop CVS integration, and for your comfort with manual CVS commands, you must use SSH Agent, that store RSA key passphrasse. You will prompted only once.

Every application, that use SSH Agent must run as their child process. Because KDevelop is KDE application, SSH Agent must be configured with your XWindow configuration.

Starting SSH Agent as XWindow process parent

It this possible configure XWindow to run as SSH Agent child. Edit file /usr/X11R6/bin/startx (on SuSE 8, on other distros may be different) and add following line to top of this file:
eval `ssh-agent`; ssh-add

Starting SSH Agent as terminal child

Second way is here. Type following commands under KDE terminal:
ssh-agent csh
ssh-add
kdevelop
First command start SSH Agent, and new shell as their child process. Second command add RSA passphrasse to SSH Agent. Third, run KDevelop. KDevelop run as SSH Agent child, and you may use KDevelop CVS integration.

KDevelop project

Moving from local CVS to SourceForge

If you have created existing project that use local CVS repository, you must make some changes. Every directory named CVS in your project contain file named Root. This file contain info about project CVS root, such as:

	/home/myusername/cvsroot

Change all lines in CVS/Root files to:

	myusername@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/myprojectname