Re: Symbolic refs and the git protocol?

On Sun, Sep 25, 2011 at 6:47 PM, Avi Kivity [off-list ref] wrote:

With the old kernel.org setup, practically the only think I needed to do on
the server itself is the 'git symbolic-ref' command (used to point
refs/heads/linux-next at the correct stream).

Now it looks like kernel.org will no longer offer shell access.  Is it
possible to support symbolic-ref via 'git push'?

Can I assume you mean specifically for HEAD, as in 'git symbolic-ref
HEAD refs/heads/some-branch'?

Although gitolite disables shell access by design, it provides several
(optionally installed) features to allow specific shell commands to be
executed.  One such command is "set-head", which does exactly what you
ask.  You run it like 'ssh git@server set-head reponame.git
refs/heads/foo' and it ends up running 'git symbolic-ref HEAD
refs/heads/foo' in the repo.

I realise that does not answer "can it be done via git push" but I
thought it might help...