What is the underlying cause of an SVN checksum mismatch?

Question

Almost every time I commit to SVN I keep getting a checksum mismatch error. I already know how to fix it (by checking out the folder and copying over the .svn folder after deleting the old one). What I want to know is what causes this as its starting to drive me insane.

OS: Windows 7 SVN Client: VisualSVN, TortoiseSVN

Answer 1

1.Rename corrupted file in your working directory

2.Commit (it will delete the corrupted file from repository, and add the renamed one)

3.Rename file back to original name in your working directory

4.Commit

Work like a charm for me, hope it helps.

Answer 2

Yes, this error is a bit annoying.. There are multiple reasons this can occur, say a broken network, power outage, or say file corruption. The workaround you figured out is the best way to get over this error afaik..

More details on the reasons and theory why this error occurs: (similar issue, where the md5 was being null; where as in your case its a different value than whats on the server)

Repair SVN Checksum

Answer 3

This solution I can across a while ago is to open a command shell in the folder where the problem file is located and execute the following:

svn update --set-depth empty
svn update --set-depth infinity

I cannot remember where I found the solution, I would like to give credit where due but I can't remember, I found this in shell command history.