Pre-release versions of VisualSVN Server 2.6 and VisualSVN 3.5

We are happy to inform you that Apache Subversion 1.8 is in the stage of release stabilization and is going to be officially released in the next few weeks. Pre-release versions of VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 and VisualSVN 3.5 Beta1 based on Subversion 1.8 RC2 are now available for download:

• Download VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1
• Download VisualSVN 3.5 Beta1

Note that VisualSVN 3.5 Beta1 and VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 are offered for testing and evaluation only. We consider these pre-release versions almost stable, however all the usual caveats apply, including the facts that there are known issues and no upgrade or downgrade path is promised between the pre-release and officially released versions.

Apache Subversion 1.8 is a major release that brings more than 180 user-visible changes both on the client and server side. It’s worth to note that Subversion 1.8 significantly increases merge performance, introduces automatic merging and implements property inheritance mechanism. Moreover, Subversion 1.8 has finally switched to serf which is a high performance HTTP library designed to replace the neon library.

For further information please consider the draft of Subversion 1.8 Release Notes.

VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 is built against Subversion 1.8 RC2 and brings reworked authorization system that was adjusted for better performance and isolation. Apart from that, this release polishes existing features and makes Subversion server management even easier than before.

Here is the brief list of notable changes in VisualSVN Server 2.6:

• Move authorization settings from a single list to per-repository files.
• Windows authorization is now case-sensitive.
• Support for PFX and DER- encoded certificates.
• Multi-selection of users and groups in Permissions dialog.
• New repository creation wizard.

For preliminary list of changes check VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 download page.

The current VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 is almost stable and we strongly encourage testing of the pre-release version. However, due to major changes in VisualSVN Server 2.6, downgrading from 2.6 to previous versions can be complicated. So we strongly recommend to install and evaluate VisualSVN Server 2.6 RC1 in the testing environment!

As always, we greatly appreciate feedback and suggestions on the upcoming VisualSVN Server 2.6 and VisualSVN 3.5. Please provide the feedback on your experience with pre-release versions using our feedback form.

For further updates about the upcoming Subversion 1.8, follow us on Twitter.