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CVSup
CVSup is a network utility designed primarily for synchronizing source trees between a central repository and client systems. It efficiently manages file transfers, supporting incremental or partial updates to reduce bandwidth consumption. Mainly used in FreeBSD development environments, CVSup helps ensure that developers and users maintain up-to-date versions of source code more reliably than traditional downloading methods..
CVSup—short for 'CVS Updater'—is a software utility that facilitates efficient distribution and synchronization of files across multiple machines. It is primarily used to mirror large source trees from a master server to client systems, leveraging the Modula-3 programming language which allows for multi-threaded file transfer and compression techniques to optimize bandwidth usage.
Operating on port 5999/TCP, CVSup employs a client-server model. Clients initiate connections to retrieve repository updates, transferring only file differences (deltas) rather than entire files. This technique is especially effective for rapidly propagating changes in large codebases, such as the FreeBSD Ports collection, without overwhelming network resources.
Because CVSup is built around CVS repositories, it manages checkouts and updates directly from source code management systems. Although long popular in BSD environments, its usage has declined due to migration toward newer version control systems like Subversion and Git, which handle synchronization differently, often over HTTPS.