Can't start the Subversion server

Question

Recently I had configured subversion edge in my Linux machine. Installation was keen (installed as such described in this link [http://www.collab.net/lightbox/download_info/61/34]) and I was able to log in to the csvn console, access and create subversion repositories.

After restarting the machine I was able to log in to csvn console only and in the status page it was saying subversion server is down. When I clicked the start button an error was displayed saying "There was a problem starting the Subversion server!" . When I checked the server error logs I got console.log as :

2013-01-01 08:01:45.011:INFO::jetty-7.0.2.v20100331
2013-01-01 08:01:45.076:INFO::Deployment monitor /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts at interval 300
2013-01-01 08:01:45.095:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/redirect.xml
2013-01-01 08:01:45.171:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/integration.xml
2013-01-01 08:01:47,335 INFO  [WrapperJarAppMain] com.vasoftware.sf.externalintegration.BootstrapServlet: Bootstrapping the Integration service for Subversion Edge at /opt/csvn
2013-01-01 08:01:47,756 WARN  [WrapperJarAppMain] org.apache.axis.utils.JavaUtils: Unable to find required classes (javax.activation.DataHandler and javax.mail.internet.MimeMultipart). Attachment support is disabled.
2013-01-01 08:01:48.000:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/csvn.xml
2013-01-01 08:02:00.473:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring root WebApplicationContext
loading security config ...
2013-01-01 08:02:28,388 [quartzScheduler_Worker-1] WARN  console.OperatingSystemService  - Testing for process '22276' failed with message: The SIGAR library was not loaded.
2013-01-01 08:02:28,391 [quartzScheduler_Worker-1] WARN  console.OperatingSystemService  - SIGAR loading issue, the pid cannot be tested. Assuming the process is alive
2013-01-01 08:02:28.829:INFO:/csvn:newClient: com.collabnet.svnedge.admin.PackagesUpdateService_f4dc86al9etm
2013-01-01 08:02:28.830:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates
2013-01-01 08:02:28.831:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates/status
2013-01-01 08:02:28.831:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates/percentages
2013-01-01 08:02:29,502 [quartzScheduler_Worker-1] ERROR console.CommandLineService  - Exit status=1 Process err output: httpd: bad user name null

2013-01-01 08:02:29,504 [quartzScheduler_Worker-1] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Server graceful attempt failed with code=1
2013-01-01 08:02:29,504 [quartzScheduler_Worker-1] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Output: 
2013-01-01 08:02:41.954:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring FrameworkServlet 'grails'
2013-01-01 08:02:41.980:INFO::Deployment monitor /opt/csvn/appserver/webapps at interval 300
2013-01-01 08:02:42.036:INFO::Opened /opt/csvn/data/logs/jetty_2013_01_01.log
2013-01-01 08:02:42.081:INFO::Started SelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:3343
2013-01-01 08:02:42.285:INFO::Started SslSelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:4434
2013-01-01 08:02:43.572:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring FrameworkServlet 'gsp'
2013-01-01 08:02:43.572:INFO:/csvn:GSP servlet initialized
2013-01-01 10:20:27,461 [qtp4612306-92] WARN  console.OperatingSystemService  - Testing for process '22276' failed with message: No such process
2013-01-01 10:20:31,513 [qtp4612306-95] ERROR console.CommandLineService  - Exit status=1 Process err output: Syntax error on line 16 of /opt/csvn/data/conf/csvn_main_httpd.conf:
Error:\tApache has not been designed to serve pages while\n\trunning as root.  There are known race conditions that\n\twill allow any local user to read any file on the system.\n\tIf you still desire to serve pages as root then\n\tadd -DBIG_SECURITY_HOLE to the CFLAGS env variable\n\tand then rebuild the server.\n\tIt is strongly suggested that you instead modify the User\n\tdirective in your httpd.conf file to list a non-root\n\tuser.\n

2013-01-01 10:20:31,514 [qtp4612306-95] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Server start attempt failed with code=1
2013-01-01 10:20:31,514 [qtp4612306-95] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Output: 
2013-01-01 10:24:10.587:INFO::Graceful shutdown SslSelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:4434
2013-01-01 10:24:10.615:INFO::Graceful shutdown SelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:3343
2013-01-01 10:24:10.711:INFO::Graceful shutdown MovedContextHandler@17296ee@17296ee/,null
2013-01-01 10:24:10.711:INFO::Graceful shutdown WebAppContext@12fc9e@12fc9e/integration,file:/opt/csvn/appserver/work/Jetty_0_0_0_0_3343_integration.war__integration__gzh5bq/webapp/,/opt/csvn/appserver/webapps/integration.war
2013-01-01 10:24:10.711:INFO::Graceful shutdown WebAppContext@871745@871745/csvn,file:/opt/csvn/appserver/work/Jetty_0_0_0_0_3343_csvn.war__csvn__.1xntxq/webapp/,/opt/csvn/appserver/webapps/csvn.war
2013-01-01 10:24:11.767:INFO:/csvn:Destroying Spring FrameworkServlet 'gsp'
2013-01-01 10:24:13,849 [Thread-3] WARN  executor.SessionBoundExecutorService  - ExecutorService did not shutdown in 2 seconds. Forcing shutdown of any scheduled tasks
2013-01-01 10:24:23.063:INFO:/csvn:Destroying Spring FrameworkServlet 'grails'
2013-01-01 10:24:23.261:INFO:/csvn:Closing Spring root WebApplicationContext
2013-01-01 10:24:25.843:INFO::jetty-7.0.2.v20100331
2013-01-01 10:24:25.866:INFO::Deployment monitor /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts at interval 300
2013-01-01 10:24:25.869:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/redirect.xml
2013-01-01 10:24:25.959:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/integration.xml
2013-01-01 10:24:27,596 INFO  [WrapperJarAppMain] com.vasoftware.sf.externalintegration.BootstrapServlet: Bootstrapping the Integration service for Subversion Edge at /opt/csvn
2013-01-01 10:24:27,958 WARN  [WrapperJarAppMain] org.apache.axis.utils.JavaUtils: Unable to find required classes (javax.activation.DataHandler and javax.mail.internet.MimeMultipart). Attachment support is disabled.
2013-01-01 10:24:28.117:INFO::Deployable added: /opt/csvn/appserver/contexts/csvn.xml
2013-01-01 10:24:39.028:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring root WebApplicationContext
loading security config ...
2013-01-01 10:25:00.931:INFO:/csvn:newClient: com.collabnet.svnedge.admin.PackagesUpdateService_gcr1y7g1qlo0
2013-01-01 10:25:00.932:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates
2013-01-01 10:25:00.932:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates/status
2013-01-01 10:25:00.932:INFO:/csvn:newChannel: /csvn-updates/percentages
2013-01-01 10:25:13.695:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring FrameworkServlet 'grails'
2013-01-01 10:25:13.992:INFO::Deployment monitor /opt/csvn/appserver/webapps at interval 300
2013-01-01 10:25:14.072:INFO::Opened /opt/csvn/data/logs/jetty_2013_01_01.log
2013-01-01 10:25:14.115:INFO::Started SelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:3343
2013-01-01 10:25:14.569:INFO::Started SslSelectChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:4434
2013-01-01 10:25:16.549:INFO:/csvn:Initializing Spring FrameworkServlet 'gsp'
2013-01-01 10:25:16.550:INFO:/csvn:GSP servlet initialized
2013-01-01 10:25:27,513 [qtp922883-80] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.
2013-01-01 10:25:27,520 [qtp922883-80] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.
2013-01-01 10:25:30,564 [qtp922883-87] ERROR console.CommandLineService  - Exit status=1 Process err output: Syntax error on line 16 of /opt/csvn/data/conf/csvn_main_httpd.conf:
Error:\tApache has not been designed to serve pages while\n\trunning as root.  There are known race conditions that\n\twill allow any local user to read any file on the system.\n\tIf you still desire to serve pages as root then\n\tadd -DBIG_SECURITY_HOLE to the CFLAGS env variable\n\tand then rebuild the server.\n\tIt is strongly suggested that you instead modify the User\n\tdirective in your httpd.conf file to list a non-root\n\tuser.\n

2013-01-01 10:25:30,568 [qtp922883-87] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Server start attempt failed with code=1
2013-01-01 10:25:30,568 [qtp922883-87] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Output: 
2013-01-01 10:25:30,653 [qtp922883-86] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.
2013-01-01 10:25:30,659 [qtp922883-86] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.
2013-01-01 10:25:43,741 [qtp922883-81] ERROR console.CommandLineService  - Exit status=1 Process err output: Syntax error on line 16 of /opt/csvn/data/conf/csvn_main_httpd.conf:
Error:\tApache has not been designed to serve pages while\n\trunning as root.  There are known race conditions that\n\twill allow any local user to read any file on the system.\n\tIf you still desire to serve pages as root then\n\tadd -DBIG_SECURITY_HOLE to the CFLAGS env variable\n\tand then rebuild the server.\n\tIt is strongly suggested that you instead modify the User\n\tdirective in your httpd.conf file to list a non-root\n\tuser.\n

2013-01-01 10:25:43,742 [qtp922883-81] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Server start attempt failed with code=1
2013-01-01 10:25:43,742 [qtp922883-81] WARN  console.LifecycleService  - Output: 
2013-01-01 10:25:43,818 [qtp922883-85] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.
2013-01-01 10:25:43,822 [qtp922883-85] ERROR statistics.NetworkStatisticsService  - Byte values are decreasing instead of increasing. Cannot calculate rate.

I googled and found many of them say it's because of user permission, ownership etc. I had gone through all of the steps and it wasn't a successful attempt. Here I expect a reliable solution. please provide me a solution for this.

Answer 1

The Apache process is refusing to start because /opt/csvn/data/conf/csvn_main_httpd.conf has configuration on line 16 to have the web server start as root. That's not a good thing; the error message is making it clear that it won't start with this configuration.

From the application's readme, it sounds like it tries to start under the user who runs the start command;

5. Start the server.  Be sure that you are logged in as your own userid and not running as root.

..maybe it's also populating the csvn_main_httpd.conf file with the running user's information? Try starting it under a different user.

Alternately, I'd recommend just using Apache + mod_dav_svn for serving your SVN repositories.. something about having a jetty service starting the Apache service seems needlessly complicated.

Answer 2

a simple way to overcome this situation is, don't install the subversion edge, do only start the server using /csvn/bin/csvn start. this error happens , in most cases, during installing csvn using root account. this will change UID of conf files somehow.