Changing SSH username for svn+ssh SVN access method

Having setup SVN over SSH for work purposes one frustration I faced was the issue of switching users for a repository to test path based access control. First I checked out the working copy using a read-only user via:

$>svn co svn+ssh://readonlyuser@myserver/repository/myrepo

Tried to commit a change and it was not allowed as expected. Now to test the read/write user without deleting and rechecking out with the new user. The "readonlyuser" has been cached in the checked out repository. How do I change to a different user?

It took me a long while to figure this out as the following methods do not work. Do the initial checkout by specifying the --username option and hope that we can commit with a different username later:

$>svn co --username readonlyuser svn+ssh://myserver/repository/myrepo

$>svn ci --username readwriteuser

This fails as the --username option is ignored when using the svn+ssh method and the current logged in user account on the client machine will be used as the svn user instead.

Next try using the svn switch command after checking out:

$>svn co svn+ssh://readonlyuser@myserver/repository/myrepo

$>svn switch svn+ssh://readwriteuser@myserver/repository/myrepo

This fails miserably as well with the useless error message:

svn: 'svn+ssh://readonlyuser@myserver/repository/myrepo'
is not the same repository as
'svn+ssh://readwriteuser@myserver/repository/myrepo'

Finally the way that actually works is to use the --relocate option with switch:

$>svn switch --relocate svn+ssh://readonlyuser@myserver/repository/myrepo svn+ssh://readwriteuser@myserver/repository/myrepo

This prompts for the password of the write user and switches the user successfully.

China 2009 Day 4 - Tibet, Nyingchi - Tian Fo Waterfall (天佛瀑布) & The King of Cypress

View the previous post here or return to the trip index here.

01 Jun 2009

After lunch, we came to Tian Fo Waterfall (卡定神山天佛瀑布, Ka Ding Holy Mountain Heavenly Buddha Waterfall) that is located in Ka Ding Valley. The waterfall itself is ordinary. However, sections of the cliff, with a little imagination, resemble various pictograms.

First look at the waterfall in a distance after getting off the bus. We will be walking along a trail to the base of the waterfall


The trail is wide and well trodden.


Some wild Hawthorn flowers. The fauna in this area contains many herbs as well


This is supposed to resemble a yak butter lamp -- the substitude for incense sticks in Tibetan Buddhist temples


A monk pointing to the yak butter lamp


The head of a heavenly eagle. Looks a little like a camel to me


Took a sip of the water here. It was cool and refreshing.


These are Hawthorn buds, of which the eventual haw fruit is used to make haw flakes


The sign reads, "Dangerous crossing, do not attempt if unfit". On the other side is a rock that gives a better view, I decided to give it a pass. Walking around in high altitude was tiring enough.


Bridge across the narrow stream coming from the waterfall


A closer look at the waterfall, on the right is a large depression that resembles a goddess. Further right from the head of the goddess, on a blackish rock jutting out is an imprint of the Goddess of Mercy.


The outline of Buddhas eyes, nose and mouth, slightly to the left of the waterfall.


View of the waterfall from the base, it is approximately 200 metres high


We took a slow walk back to our bus, next we are headed to the King of Cypress, a 2600 year old cyprees tree


Entrance to the park where the tree is, other cyprees trees of more than a thousand years old also reside here


Now this is funny


A shrine


A first look at the King of Cypress and two younger trees behind it. It is believed that walking clockwise around the tree in odd number of rounds will extend one's lifespan.


The tree is huge. It is 5.8 metres in diameter and 50 metres tall! We walked around it three times

Then, it was back to Bayi Town for dinner. Those yellow tomatoes are the most awesome tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten. Looks like they grow really excellent vegetables in Nyingchi. They were bought by our coach captain by the roadside. He knows who sells the best watermelons and tomatoes.

With that, we were coming to the end of our time in Nyingchi. Tomorrow, we will be heading by bus to Lhasa via the Mi La Mountain Pass (米拉山口, mi la shan kou) at an altitude of 5013.25 metres! It would be an entire day on the road with various sights to visit as we leave behind the greenery in Nyingchi for the barren rocks at Lhasa.

View the next related post here. Return to the trip index here.

China 2009 Day 4 - Tibet, Nyingchi - Basomtso (巴松错, Ba Song Cuo)

View the previous post here or return to the trip index here.

01 Jun 2009

Today we would be visiting some of the sights around Nyingchi county. While most other tours will head over by coach from Lhasa and return there, having flown to Nyingchi directly, we will only be traveling to Lhasa the day after. First up, we will be visiting Basomtso (巴松错, Ba Song Cuo, Cuo meaning tso, i.e. lake in Tibetan), a scenic highland lake with a four A grade by the National Tourism Administration.

Pit stop by the road, the best toilets in Tibet are the natural ones




Along the highway, we observed many snowy peaks and green slopes here. It snows every night and melts in the daytime


We stopped by a small town before reaching the lake and our tour guide originally wanted to arrange for lunch in this dodgy little place. Seems like they're closed after all.


Having reached the lake, we made our way down to the shore where a floating platform links to a small island on it. Entry costs RMB 100.


Aerial view of the lake


A stone with what looks like Om mani padme hum inscribed on it


A platform bridge being constructed


Heading towards the island, there's a temple there


Seems like there are lake cruises available from here


In the middle of the island is a temple


Mani Wheels



The guardians of the temple, two at the base...



... two more at the top of the steps.


After visiting inside, we walked around the temple in clockwise fashion

A water burial (水葬, shui zang) site, with hanging holy scriptures. One of the ways in which Tibetans use to bury their dead. The body of the deceased is systematically dissected on the large flat stone after some rites are performed. Then, the flesh is fed to the fishes in the lake. Hence, Tibetans do not eat fish although there is an abundance of rivers and lakes. This water burial site has not been used in 50 years. A closely related form of burial that is more commonly used nowadays is a sky burial (天葬, tian zang) where the flesh and entrails are fed to vultures and crows respectively. It is said that when the animals consume the meat cleanly without leftovers, the deceased is a good person, otherwise the deceased is a bad one. There are numerous sky burial sites in the areas with Tibetans and we passed by a rather low sky burial site in Qinghai later in this trip.

According to our guide, there are a variety of reasons for such burial practices. First, Tibetans being majority Buddhists place little emphasis on the body after death. Furthermore, in the past, fuel is expensive. Consequently, only the rich were able to cremate their dead. Last, being a people not heavily reliant on agriculture and more on herding, they have little respect for the soil and would rather not let others trample upon the remains of their deceased in the ground. Other reasons include certain areas that have thin soil layers with hard rock or permafrost beneath that makes burial impossible.

We continued to circle the lake


The floating bridge that we crossed to get to the island. On the main shore are some souvenir shops


Panorama of the blue waters


Leaving the island


I am not sure what these rocks are for but judging from the white khatas on them, they probably have some religious purpose


Ah! Another of those fragrant pigs


Panorama of the island on the Basomtso, taken from the carpark at the top


Aerial view of the island, it's puny compared to the lake


Some peaks near the lake


We returned to the small town for lunch


That included many other dishes and fish!

That ends our morning tour of Basomtso. After lunch we will head closer to Ba Yi Town to visit Tian Fuo Waterfall (天佛瀑布) and the King of Cyprus -- a 2600 year old ancient tree in the vicinity.

View the next related post here. Return to the trip index here.