with the current cvs rpm installed - cvs-1.10-8.i386.rpm - and set to run from xinetd as a pserver, I can connect, login and import modules into the repository. The server returns a warning - cvs server: cannot open /root/.cvsignore: Permission denied - with every option. This is hardcoded, as the server is set to run with the script "unset HOME \n exec /usr/bin/cvs -f -b /usr/bin --allow-root=/var/cvs pserver". However, when the command "cvs -d:pserver:<user>@<host>:/data/volume1/cvsdata co junk" is run, the server returns the error: cvs server: cannot open /root/.cvsignore: Permission denied cvs checkout: in directory junk: cvs checkout: cannot open CVS/Entries for reading: No such file or directory cvs [server aborted]: can't chdir(/root): Permission denied however, the debian server we also have running in a different office has the same version of cvs on, with the same setup, so I can only assume it's a problem with the rpm. Aliening the debian package and using that on the RedHat box has fixed the problem, for the time being.
I've been working with the GNOME project, and discovered a few specific symptoms with one of our anoncvs mirrors. When I do a 'cvs update' and happen to hit that server, I don't get the above error. If I specify that server explicitly, either by IP address, or by hostname, I get that error consistently. Here are the CVSROOTs that I'm using :pserver:anonymous.org:/cvs/gnome (no error) :pserver:anonymous.org:/cvs/gnome (error) :pserver:anonymous.65.13:/cvs/gnome (error) the password for those is either blank or CVS, I can't remember. If you need somebody local to bug, I recomend jrb. :)
This problem also existed in Red Hat 6.2 and a fix was posted. See the WONTFIX cvs patches for Red Hat 6.2