Configuring Git Connector to poll repos

Your organization might have contributors in multiple locations that are geographically remote from one another, like Brazil and Japan. The administrator of the Git Connector at each location might want the local Git Connector to periodically get the latest version of a set of repos. This can enable the end-users for a given location to experience fast clones and fetches.

Polling and the server spec

Note

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Prior to the 2019.2 release, the administrator configured the server spec with a list of repos in the ExternalAddress field on a single line using a space as the delimiter:

ExternalAddress: //graphDepotName/repo1 //graphDepotName/repo3 //graphDepotName/repo4

Beginning with 2019.2, the administrator configures the server spec with a list of repos in the UpdateCachedRepos field with a separate line for each repo:

UpdateCachedRepos:

//graphDepotName/repo1

//graphDepotName/repo3

//graphDepotName/repo4

  1. The administrator in Brazil uses the p4 server command to edit the server specification that corresponds to the ServerId for the instance of the Git Connector in Brazil. The administrator specifies the set of repos for which Brazil wants the latest updates.

    For Helix Core version 2019.2 (or later), the administrator populates lines under the UpdateCachedRepos: field in the server spec to contain a set of repos, with each repo path on its own separate line:

    ServerID: gconn-hq-centos6
    Name:
    Address: 1669
    UpdateCachedRepos:
    //graphDepotName/repo1
    //graphDepotName/repo3
    //graphDepotName/repo4
    Type: connector
    Services: git-connector
    Options: nomandatory
    Description: GitConnector service to mirror a subset of repos

    Note

    For Helix Core version 2019.1, the administrator populated the ExternalAddress: field in the server spec to include a list of repos, with each repo path separated by a space:

    ServerID: gconn-hq-centos6

    Name:

    Address: 1669

    ExternalAddress: //graphDepotName/repo1 //graphDepotName/repo3 //graphDepotName/repo4

    Type: connector
    Services: git-connector
    Options: nomandatory
    Description: GitConnector service to mirror a subset of repos

  2. At the Git Connector command-line, the Brazil administrator:
    1. Sets the environment variable GCONN_CONFIG to the absolute path to the gconn.conf file:

      2. export GCONN_CONFIG=/opt/perforce/git-connector/gconn.conf

    2. Runs the command gconn poll-repos and verifies that this manual test has pulled the latest for the set of repos:
      Command-Line Output

      Meaning

      Polling repo: //graphDepot/repo1
      From p4gc://brazilURL/graphDepoA/repo1
      * [new branch]      master     -> master
      		Brazil gets a new branch for this repo
      Polling repo: //graphDepot/repo3
      From p4gc://brazilURL/graphDepoA/repo3
      784a8e8..e6a5604  master     -> master
      		Brazil gets an update for this repo
      Polling repo: //graphDepot/repo4
      		Brazil is already has the latest for this repo
  3. (Optional) The Brazil administrator might choose to configure the UNIX cron utility to schedule an automatic run of the gconn poll-repos command at a specified interval. For example, etc/cron.d/gconn can poll for updated repos every 10 minutes:

    */10 * * * * git /usr/bin/gconn poll-repos

Note

The administrator for Japan can edit the server spec associated with the Japan Git Connector such that this server spec for Japan contains none, some, or all of the repos as the server spec for Brazil. Similarly, the administrator for Japan might set up a different interval for polling.

Polling with a command that includes explicit repo names

The administrator can choose to poll repos in a manner that is independent of the server specification.

  1. The administrator instead explicitly specifies which particular repo or repos to poll:

    gconn poll-repos //graphDepot/repo1 //graphDepot/repo27

  2. (Optional) The administrator can configure the UNIX cron utility for the previous command.