Understanding Subversion (SVN) dump files
A repository dump stream, often referred to as a “dump file” when stored as a file on a disk, is a portable, flat file format that describes the various revisions in your repository. This includes what was changed, by whom, when, and so on. This dump stream is the primary mechanism used to move versioned history in whole or in part, with or without modification, between repositories.
For more information see the Repository Maintenance chapter of the SVN Redbook.
Downloading a dump file from Assembla SVN
Note: Before attempting this task, make sure your user account is an owner or has all permissions.
To download a dump file of your Assembla-hosted SVN repository
Go the SVN tab for the repository you wish to export, and then go to the Import/Export sub-tab.
Click the Generate Repository dump button.
An export job is scheduled and runs in the background. This job creates a compressed dump file of the repository and places it in a temporary folder on the server. A link to download the file appears in the Import/Export page and is available for 24 hours.
To generate a standard dump file from Assembla's dump, untar the compressed file and run this command:
svnadmin dump /path/to/untarred/folder --incremental --deltas > /path/to/single/dump/file
For a guide to importing repository dump files from an outside source to Assembla, see Migrating SVN Repositories to Assembla.
Have questions? Email us at support@assembla.com