VisualSVN Server 3.7 Release Notes

The release of VisualSVN Server 3.7 brings the following major enhancements for the Multisite Repository Replication feature which is based on the VisualSVN Distributed File System (VDFS) technology:

Certificate-based authentication for VDFS replication that allows you to replicate Subversion repositories in a non-domain environment.
Shared and local authorization profiles for VDFS repositories that allow you to have separate permission settings for master and slave repositories.

There are also other significant improvements related to various VisualSVN Server features, including an upgrade to Apache HTTP Server 2.4.x and a reworked dynamic HTTP compression. For the complete list of changes see the VisualSVN Server 3.7.0 changelog.

Upgrade to VisualSVN Server 3.7 is recommended for all users. The upgrade is easy and straightforward, but we strongly advise you to read the KB116: Upgrading to VisualSVN Server 3.7 article beforehand (especially if you are upgrading from versions older than VisualSVN Server 3.0).

Certificate-based authentication for VDFS replication

In the previous versions of VisualSVN Server, you were able to configure VDFS replication only if both master and slave servers reside in the same Active Directory domain or if there is a trust between the domains. VisualSVN Server 3.7 introduces the certificate-based authentication for the VDFS replication that allows you to configure the repository replication in a non-domain environment.

The new certificate-based authentication conforms to the high security standards and supports strong encryption on the wire and mutual authentication between the master and slave servers.

This new feature dramatically improves the applicability of the VDFS replication and allows you to use it in virtually any environment. For example, now you can easily configure cross-organizational replication or replication to a DMZ server.

For more information, read the article KB120: Getting started with VDFS replication in a non-domain environment

Shared and Local authorization profiles for VDFS repositories

In the previous versions of VisualSVN Server, the access permissions used for the Windows authentication were always replicated from a master repository to the connected slave repositories. VisualSVN Server 3.7 introduces shared and local authorization profiles for distributed VDFS repositories that allows you to have separate (non-replicated) access permissions for master and slave repositories.

Separate authorization profiles for distributed repositories is a must have feature if you are configuring VDFS replication in a cross-domain environment.

For more information, read the article KB122: Understanding access permissions for distributed VDFS repositories

Upgrade and compatibility concerns

Upgrade to VisualSVN Server 3.7 is recommended for all users. Read the KB116: Upgrading to VisualSVN Server 3.7 article before upgrading. The upgrade is free for Standard Edition users and all customers who have an active maintenance subscription for VisualSVN Server Enterprise Edition licenses.

The minimum supported operating systems for VisualSVN Server 3.7 are Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. You are required to upgrade the operating system if you are still using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista on the computer where VisualSVN Server is installed.