I have a new repository on an existing subversion server that requires us to perform path based authorization within the repository. I found that the AuthzSVNAccessFile directive in apache is directly responsible for allowing this functionality. After fixing several other problems such as AuthzSVNAccessFile preventing SVNListParentPath from operating properly, I am left with one single problem. I can checkout, I can update, I can commit, BUT I cannot execute an SVN COPY for performing branch/tagging operations. The moment I comment out the AuthzSVNAccessFile line in the Apache config everything works as expected except the obvious path authorizations.

Versions:

• The server OS is Debian 6.0.7 (Squeeze)
• Apache 2.2.16-6+squeeze11
• Server Subversion 1.6.12dfsg-7
• Clients are running windows
• Clients tried are:
  • TortoiseSVN 1.8.2 Build 24708 64bit
  • SVN CLI Client 1.8.3 (r1516576)

Authentication is performed via AD to a Windows 2003 domain and appears to be operating normally. I have stripped out all other configurations and repository setups to produce this single configuration that reproduces the problem.

Apache Configuration:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName svn-test.company.com
    ServerAlias /svn-test
    ServerAdmin [email protected]
    SSLEngine On
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/apache2/apache.pem

    ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/svn-test_error.log
    LogLevel warn 
    CustomLog /var/log/apache2/svn-test_access.log combined
    ServerSignature On

    # Repository Access to all Repositories
    <Location "/">
        DAV svn
        SVNParentPath /var/svn
        SVNListParentPath on

        AuthBasicProvider ldap
        AuthType Basic
        AuthzLDAPAuthoritative Off
        AuthName "Subversion Test Repository System"

        AuthLDAPURL "ldap://adserver.company.com:389/DC=corp,DC=company,DC=com?sAMAccountName?sub?(objectClass=*)" NONE
        AuthLDAPBindDN "CN=service_account,OU=ServiceIDs,OU=corp,OU=Delegated,DC=na,DC=corp,DC=company,DC=com"
        AuthLDAPBindPassword service_account_password
        Require valid-user
        SSLRequireSSL
    </Location>

    # <LocationMatch /.+> is a really dirty trick to make listing of repositories work
    # http://d.hatena.ne.jp/shimonoakio/20080130/1201686016
    <LocationMatch /.+>
        AuthzSVNAccessFile /etc/apache2/svn_path_auth
    </LocationMatch>

</VirtualHost>

SVN Access File:

[/]
* = rw

The repository used (AuthTestBasic) consists of the following directory structure and contains no externals (this is a literal listing, not an example):

/
/branches/
/tags/
/trunk/
/trunk/somefile.txt

Tortoise produces the following error during a tag operation in it's tag result window:

Adding directory failed: COPY on /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/2/trunk (400 Bad Request)

The svn.exe CLI client produces the following error:

C:\Users\e20epkt>svn copy https://servername/authtestbasic/trunk https://servername/authtestbasic/tags/tag1 -m "svn cli client"
svn: E175002: Adding directory failed: COPY on /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/2/trunk (400 Bad Request)

The Apache error log has nothing in it, however the apache access log has the following in it (IP addresses and usernames changed obviously):

10.1.2.100 - - [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "OPTIONS /authtestbasic/trunk HTTP/1.1" 401 2595 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "OPTIONS /authtestbasic/trunk HTTP/1.1" 200 996 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "OPTIONS /authtestbasic/trunk HTTP/1.1" 200 884 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/trunk HTTP/1.1" 207 692 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/!svn/vcc/default HTTP/1.1" 207 596 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "REPORT /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/0/trunk HTTP/1.1" 404 580 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/!svn/vcc/default HTTP/1.1" 207 596 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "REPORT /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/2/trunk HTTP/1.1" 200 674 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/2/trunk HTTP/1.1" 207 548 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/tags/tag1 HTTP/1.1" 404 580 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "MKACTIVITY /authtestbasic/!svn/act/f1e9dc07-fb5e-5a41-ac22-907705ef6e5e HTTP/1.1" 201 708 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPFIND /authtestbasic/tags HTTP/1.1" 207 580 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "CHECKOUT /authtestbasic/!svn/vcc/default HTTP/1.1" 201 708 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "PROPPATCH /authtestbasic/!svn/wbl/f1e9dc07-fb5e-5a41-ac22-907705ef6e5e/2 HTTP/1.1" 207 596 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "CHECKOUT /authtestbasic/!svn/ver/1/tags HTTP/1.1" 201 724 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "COPY /authtestbasic/!svn/bc/2/trunk HTTP/1.1" 400 596 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"
10.1.2.100 - myuseraccount [17/Oct/2013:11:53:40 -0700] "DELETE /authtestbasic/!svn/act/f1e9dc07-fb5e-5a41-ac22-907705ef6e5e HTTP/1.1" 204 1956 "-" "SVN/1.8.3 (x64-microsoft-windows) serf/1.3.1 TortoiseSVN-1.8.2.24708"

You'll see that the second to last line contains the COPY command with the HTTP 400 response, however, there doesn't appear to be any indication as to why.

Please note that, while yes this is a test repository on a test server, I am experiencing this same issue in this test setup where I have eliminated all other possible causes (mixed repository configurations, externals, etc). I have also confirmed that all files for the repository (/var/svn/authtestbasic) are owned by the Apache user www-data.