TortoiseSVN

Prerequisites

Before you launch the TortoiseSVN AMI, make sure you have the following in place.

• AWS account. You need an active AWS account with permission to launch EC2 instances, manage security groups and use the AWS Marketplace.
• EC2 key pair. Create a key pair, or pick an existing one, in the region where you plan to launch the instance. You need it to decrypt the Windows Administrator password after launch.
• Security group. Prepare a security group that allows inbound RDP: protocol TCP, port 3389 (Remote Desktop access). Restrict the source to your known IP addresses or corporate CIDR blocks rather than 0.0.0.0/0.
• Remote Desktop client. Install an RDP client on your local machine, such as Microsoft Remote Desktop (Windows and macOS), Remmina (Linux) or any other RDP-compatible client.

Minimum instance requirements: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 30 GB of disk space.

A t3.small instance type is sufficient for most TortoiseSVN workloads. For very large repositories or frequent merge operations, a t3.medium or larger gives a better experience.

Step by Step Setup

Follow these steps to launch your TortoiseSVN instance and connect to it.

Step 1: Launch the instance

• Log in to your AWS account and open the AWS Marketplace.
• Search for the SecureAnyCloud TortoiseSVN AMI.
• Select an instance type. t3.small or larger is recommended.
• Choose your region and VPC configuration.
• Select the EC2 key pair you created in the prerequisites.
• Assign the security group that allows RDP on port 3389.
• Configure storage with at least 30 GB on the root volume. Allow more if you work with large repositories.
• Launch the instance.

Step 2: Wait for status checks

Open the EC2 console and wait until the instance shows 2/2 status checks passed. This confirms that the instance has fully booted and Windows has completed its initial setup. It typically takes 3 to 10 minutes.

Step 3: Retrieve the Administrator password

• Open the EC2 console in the AWS region where you launched the instance.
• Select Instances in the left navigation panel.
• Select your new instance.
• Click Actions at the top of the page.
• Go to Security, then select Get Windows password.
• Click Browse and upload the private key file (.pem) from the key pair you selected at launch.
• Click Decrypt password.
• Copy the decrypted password and store it securely. This is your Administrator password.

Step 4: Connect with Remote Desktop

• Open your Remote Desktop client.
• Create a connection to the public IP address of your EC2 instance. Use the private IP if you connect through a VPN or from within the same VPC.
• When prompted, enter the username Administrator and, as the Password, the decrypted value from Step 3.
• If a certificate warning appears, click Continue. The warning is expected for new connections.
• You are connected to the Windows Server desktop.

Step 5: Start using TortoiseSVN

TortoiseSVN is integrated into the Windows shell. Right-click any folder in Windows Explorer to open the TortoiseSVN context menu. You can also use the desktop shortcut icons for common operations such as SVN Checkout, Repository Browser and TortoiseSVN Settings.

Server Components

The AMI is built on Windows Server and preinstalls TortoiseSVN 1.14.7 as a Windows shell extension. TortoiseSVN includes the SVN command-line client, the repository browser, the merge tool and the diff viewer.

Filesystem Layout

The instance uses a single volume: C:\ holds the operating system and the application, with a minimum size of 30 GB.

Key directories on the instance:

• C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\: TortoiseSVN installation directory
• C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\: SVN command-line tools and executables
• C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\: desktop with TortoiseSVN shortcut icons
• C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Subversion\: SVN configuration and authentication cache
• C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\: recommended location for working copies

If you work with large repositories, attach an additional EBS volume and use it as the root directory for your working copies. This keeps them from filling the system drive.

Managing the Application

Check out a repository

• In Windows Explorer, open the folder where you want to create the working copy, for example C:\Users\Administrator\Documents.
• Right-click in the folder and select SVN Checkout.
• Enter the repository URL in the URL of repository field.
• Confirm the checkout directory path.
• Choose the revision to check out: HEAD for the latest, or a specific revision number.
• Click OK to start the checkout.
• If prompted, enter your SVN username and password. TortoiseSVN can save these credentials for future use.

Update a working copy

• Right-click the working copy folder in Windows Explorer.
• Select SVN Update.
• TortoiseSVN downloads the latest changes from the repository and merges them into your working copy.

Commit changes

• Right-click the working copy folder or specific files.
• Select SVN Commit.
• Review the list of changed files and check the ones you want in the commit.
• Enter a descriptive commit message.
• Click OK to commit the changes to the repository.

Use the repository browser

• Right-click in Windows Explorer and select TortoiseSVN, then Repo browser.
• Enter the repository URL to browse the repository structure.
• Create folders, delete files, and copy, move or view file contents directly in the repository browser, without a working copy.

View file differences

• Right-click a modified file in your working copy.
• Select TortoiseSVN, then Diff, to compare the working copy with the base revision.
• TortoiseSVN's built-in diff viewer (TortoiseMerge) shows the changes side by side.

View the log

• Right-click a file or folder in the working copy.
• Select TortoiseSVN, then Show log.
• The log dialog shows the revision history with commit messages, authors, dates and changed paths.

Create branches and tags

• Right-click the working copy folder.
• Select TortoiseSVN, then Branch/tag.
• Enter the destination URL for the branch or tag, following your repository's convention. This is typically /branches/feature_name or /tags/release_1.0.
• Add a log message and click OK.

Merge changes

• Right-click the target working copy folder where you want to apply the merge.
• Select TortoiseSVN, then Merge.
• Choose the merge type: merge a range of revisions, or reintegrate a branch.
• Enter the source URL and revision range.
• Click Next, then Merge, to apply the changes.
• Resolve any conflicts that arise during the merge.

Resolve conflicts

When a conflict occurs during an update or merge:

• Right-click the conflicted file.
• Select TortoiseSVN, then Edit conflicts. TortoiseMerge opens and shows the conflicting changes.
• Resolve the conflicts by choosing which changes to keep.
• Save the file, then right-click it and select TortoiseSVN, then Resolved, to mark it as resolved.

Scripts and Logs

SVN command-line tools

TortoiseSVN includes the SVN command-line client. Use it from the Command Prompt or PowerShell:

svn --version svn info <repository_url> svn log <repository_url> --limit 10 svn checkout <repository_url> <local_path> svn update <working_copy_path> svn commit -m "Commit message" <working_copy_path>

The command-line tools are in C:\Program Files\TortoiseSVN\bin\ and are added to the system PATH.

TortoiseSVN log cache

TortoiseSVN caches repository log data locally for performance. The cache is stored in C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\TortoiseSVN\logcache\.

SVN authentication cache

Saved SVN credentials are stored in C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Subversion\auth\.

Windows event logs

For system-level diagnostics, use the Windows Event Viewer. Press the Windows key, search for Event Viewer and open it to review application and system logs.

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect with RDP

• Verify that the instance has passed 2/2 status checks in the EC2 console.
• Confirm that your security group allows inbound TCP traffic on port 3389 from your IP address.
• Check that you are using the correct public IP address. If the instance was stopped and started, the public IP may have changed unless you use an Elastic IP.
• Check that your local firewall or corporate network is not blocking outbound RDP connections.

Password decryption fails

• Make sure you upload the .pem file that matches the key pair selected at instance launch.
• The password can take up to 15 minutes to become available after the first launch. If the option is greyed out, wait and try again.

Cannot connect to the SVN repository

• Verify that the repository URL is correct and reachable.
• Make sure the security group allows outbound traffic on the port your SVN server uses: 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS, 3690 for svn://, or 22 for svn+ssh://.
• If the instance is in a private subnet, configure a NAT gateway for outbound internet access.
• Verify your SVN credentials. To clear saved credentials, go to TortoiseSVN, then Settings, then Saved Data, and clear the authentication data.

SVN operations are slow

• Check the network bandwidth between the instance and the SVN server. Hosting both in the same AWS region gives the best performance.
• For large repositories, use a shallow checkout or limit the depth of the working copy.
• If the TortoiseSVN log cache has grown very large, clear it under TortoiseSVN, then Settings, then Log Caching.

The TortoiseSVN context menu does not appear

• TortoiseSVN integrates with Windows Explorer. If the context menu options are missing, restart Windows Explorer or log out and back in.
• Verify that TortoiseSVN is installed by checking the Programs list in the Control Panel.

Merge conflicts are difficult to resolve

• Use TortoiseMerge, the built-in three-way merge tool, to resolve conflicts. It shows the conflicting changes visually.
• For complex merges, merge smaller ranges of revisions incrementally rather than one large range.

Insufficient disk space

• SVN working copies store a pristine copy of each file locally, which effectively doubles the disk space required. Monitor the C: drive usage.
• For large repositories, attach an additional EBS volume for working copies.
• Use svn cleanup on the working copy to remove any temporary files.

The RDP session disconnects frequently

• Check the stability of your network connection.
• Reduce the RDP client's bandwidth use by lowering the display quality or disabling visual effects.
• Make sure the instance is not running out of memory, which can make Windows unresponsive.

Security Recommendations

Change the Administrator password

After your first login, change the default Administrator password to a strong, unique password. Open the Windows command prompt or PowerShell and run:

net user Administrator YourNewStrongPassword

Once you change the password, the original decrypted password from the AWS console is no longer valid.

Restrict RDP access

Limit the security group rule for port 3389 to your specific IP addresses or a trusted CIDR range. Avoid 0.0.0.0/0, which exposes the instance to RDP brute-force attacks from the entire internet.

Use HTTPS for repository connections

Always use HTTPS (port 443) to connect to SVN repositories, so that credentials and data are encrypted in transit. Avoid unencrypted HTTP and svn:// over the internet.

Secure stored SVN credentials

TortoiseSVN can save repository credentials locally, and anyone with RDP access to the instance can read them. Limit RDP access to trusted users, and clear saved credentials periodically under TortoiseSVN, then Settings, then Saved Data.

Configure Windows Firewall rules

Review the Windows Firewall and restrict inbound and outbound traffic to what your SVN workflow needs.

Keep software updated

Regularly update TortoiseSVN and Windows Server to get the latest security patches and bug fixes. To check for TortoiseSVN updates, go to Help, then Check for updates, in the TortoiseSVN settings.

Use an Elastic IP

Assign an Elastic IP to your instance to keep a consistent IP address across stop and start cycles. This helps if your SVN server allowlists specific IP addresses.

Enable CloudWatch monitoring

Configure Amazon CloudWatch to monitor instance metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage and disk space. Set up alarms that notify you when resources run low.

Back up working copies

Use EBS snapshots to take regular backups of the instance volume, especially before large merge operations. A snapshot gives you a rollback point if something goes wrong.

Support

If you hit an issue that this guide does not cover, the SecureAnyCloud support team is available to help.

• Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
• Phone: (+44) 02045382725
• Website: secureanycloud.com
• Address: 3rd Floor, 86 90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

Support covers any issue related to the AMI, including connectivity problems, software configuration and general guidance on using the preconfigured environment.

When you contact support, include your EC2 instance ID, the AWS region, and a description of the issue with any relevant error messages or screenshots.

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