admin options
-------------

   Not all valid `rcs' options are useful together with CVS.  Some even
makes it impossible to use CVS until you undo the effect!

   This description of the available options is based on the `rcs(1)'
man page, but modified to suit readers that are more interested in CVS
than RCS.

`-AOLDFILE'
     Might not work together with CVS.  Append the access list of
     OLDFILE to the access list of the RCS file.

`-aLOGINS'
     Might not work together with CVS.  Append the login names
     appearing in the comma-separated list LOGINS to the access list of
     the RCS file.

`-b[REV]'
     When used with bare RCS, this option sets the default branch to
     REV; in CVS sticky tags (see Sticky tags.) are a better way to
     decide which branch you want to work on.  There is one use with
     CVS: to revert to the vendor's version when using vendor branches
     (see Reverting local changes.).

`-cSTRING'
     Useful with CVS.  Sets the comment leader to STRING.  The comment
     leader is printed before every log message line generated by the
     keyword `$Log$' (see Keyword substitution.).  This is useful
     for programming languages without multi-line comments.  RCS
     initially guesses the value of the comment leader from the file
     name extension when the file is first committed.

`-e[LOGINS]'
     Might not work together with CVS.  Erase the login names appearing
     in the comma-separated list LOGINS from the access list of the RCS
     file.  If LOGINS is omitted, erase the entire access list.

`-I'
     Run interactively, even if the standard input is not a terminal.

`-i'
     Useless with CVS.  When using bare RCS, this is used to create and
     initialize a new RCS file, without depositing a revision.

`-kSUBST'
     Useful with CVS.  Set the default keyword substitution to SUBST.
     See Keyword substitution.  Giving an explicit `-k' option to
     `cvs update', `cvs export', or `cvs checkout' overrides this
     default.

`-l[REV]'
     Lock the revision with number REV.  If a branch is given, lock the
     latest revision on that branch.  If REV is omitted, lock the
     latest revision on the default branch.

     This can be used in conjunction with the `rcslock.pl' script in
     the `contrib' directory of the CVS source distribution to provide
     reserved checkouts (where only one user can be editing a given
     file at a time).  See the comments in that file for details (and
     see the `README' file in that directory for disclaimers about the
     unsupported nature of contrib).  According to comments in that
     file, locking must set to strict (which is the default).

`-L'
     Set locking to strict.  Strict locking means that the owner of an
     RCS file is not exempt from locking for checkin.  For use with
     CVS, strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the `-l'
     option above.

`-mREV:MSG'
     Replace the log message of revision REV with MSG.

`-NNAME[:[REV]]'
     Act like `-n', except override any previous assignment of NAME.

`-nNAME[:[REV]]'
     Associate the symbolic name NAME with the branch or revision REV.
     It is normally better to use `cvs tag' or `cvs rtag' instead.
     Delete the symbolic name if both `:' and REV are omitted;
     otherwise, print an error message if NAME is already associated
     with another number.  If REV is symbolic, it is expanded before
     association.  A REV consisting of a branch number followed by a
     `.' stands for the current latest revision in the branch.  A `:'
     with an empty REV stands for the current latest revision on the
     default branch, normally the trunk.  For example, `rcs -nNAME:
     RCS/*' associates NAME with the current latest revision of all the
     named RCS files; this contrasts with `rcs -nNAME:$ RCS/*' which
     associates NAME with the revision numbers extracted from keyword
     strings in the corresponding working files.

`-oRANGE'
     Potentially useful, but dangerous, with CVS (see below).  Deletes
     ("outdates") the revisions given by RANGE.  A range consisting of
     a single revision number means that revision.  A range consisting
     of a branch number means the latest revision on that branch.  A
     range of the form `REV1:REV2' means revisions REV1 to REV2 on the
     same branch, `:REV' means from the beginning of the branch
     containing REV up to and including REV, and `REV:' means from
     revision REV to the end of the branch containing REV.  None of the
     outdated revisions may have branches or locks.

     Due to the way CVS handles branches REV cannot be specified
     symbolically if it is a branch.  See Magic branch numbers, for
     an explanation.

     Make sure that no-one has checked out a copy of the revision you
     outdate.  Strange things will happen if he starts to edit it and
     tries to check it back in.  For this reason, this option is not a
     good way to take back a bogus commit; commit a new revision
     undoing the bogus change instead (see Merging two revisions.).

`-q'
     Run quietly; do not print diagnostics.

`-sSTATE[:REV]'
     Useful with CVS.  Set the state attribute of the revision REV to
     STATE.  If REV is a branch number, assume the latest revision on
     that branch.  If REV is omitted, assume the latest revision on the
     default branch.  Any identifier is acceptable for STATE.  A useful
     set of states is `Exp' (for experimental), `Stab' (for stable),
     and `Rel' (for released).  By default, the state of a new revision
     is set to `Exp' when it is created.  The state is visible in the
     output from CVS LOG (see log.), and in the `$Log$' and
     `$State$' keywords (see Keyword substitution.).  Note that CVS
     uses the `dead' state for its own purposes; to take a file to or
     from the `dead' state use commands like `cvs remove' and `cvs
     add', not `cvs admin -s'.

`-t[FILE]'
     Useful with CVS.  Write descriptive text from the contents of the
     named FILE into the RCS file, deleting the existing text.  The
     FILE pathname may not begin with `-'.  If FILE is omitted, obtain
     the text from standard input, terminated by end-of-file or by a
     line containing `.' by itself.  Prompt for the text if interaction
     is possible; see `-I'.  The descriptive text can be seen in the
     output from `cvs log' (see log.).

`-t-STRING'
     Similar to `-tFILE'. Write descriptive text from the STRING into
     the RCS file, deleting the existing text.

`-U'
     Set locking to non-strict.  Non-strict locking means that the
     owner of a file need not lock a revision for checkin.  For use
     with CVS, strict locking must be set; see the discussion under the
     `-l' option above.

`-u[REV]'
     See the option `-l' above, for a discussion of using this option
     with CVS.  Unlock the revision with number REV.  If a branch is
     given, unlock the latest revision on that branch.  If REV is
     omitted, remove the latest lock held by the caller.  Normally,
     only the locker of a revision may unlock it.  Somebody else
     unlocking a revision breaks the lock.  This causes a mail message
     to be sent to the original locker.  The message contains a
     commentary solicited from the breaker.  The commentary is
     terminated by end-of-file or by a line containing `.' by itself.

`-VN'
     Emulate RCS version N. Use -VN to make an RCS file acceptable to
     RCS version N by discarding information that would confuse version
     N.

`-xSUFFIXES'
     Useless with CVS. Use SUFFIXES to characterize RCS files.