NAME
----
-git-repack - Script used to pack a repository from a collection of
-objects into pack files.
+git-repack - Pack unpacked objects in a repository
SYNOPSIS
--------
-'git-repack' [-a] [-d] [-f] [-l] [-n] [-q]
+'git-repack' [-a] [-d] [-f] [-l] [-n] [-q] [--window=N] [--depth=N]
DESCRIPTION
-----------
This script is used to combine all objects that do not currently
-reside in a "pack", into a pack.
+reside in a "pack", into a pack. It can also be used to re-organise
+existing packs into a single, more efficient pack.
A pack is a collection of objects, individually compressed, with
delta compression applied, stored in a single file, with an
-a::
Instead of incrementally packing the unpacked objects,
- pack everything available into a single pack.
+ pack everything referenced into a single pack.
Especially useful when packing a repository that is used
- for a private development and there no need to worry
+ for private development and there is no need to worry
about people fetching via dumb protocols from it. Use
- with '-d'.
+ with '-d'. This will clean up the objects that `git prune`
+ leaves behind, but `git fsck --full` shows as
+ dangling.
-d::
After packing, if the newly created packs make some
Do not update the server information with
`git update-server-info`.
+--window=[N], --depth=[N]::
+ These two options affect how the objects contained in the pack are
+ stored using delta compression. The objects are first internally
+ sorted by type, size and optionally names and compared against the
+ other objects within `--window` to see if using delta compression saves
+ space. `--depth` limits the maximum delta depth; making it too deep
+ affects the performance on the unpacker side, because delta data needs
+ to be applied that many times to get to the necessary object.
+ The default value for --window is 10 and --depth is 50.
+
+
+Configuration
+-------------
+
+When configuration variable `repack.UseDeltaBaseOffset` is set
+for the repository, the command passes `--delta-base-offset`
+option to `git-pack-objects`; this typically results in slightly
+smaller packs, but the generated packs are incompatible with
+versions of git older than (and including) v1.4.3; do not set
+the variable in a repository that older version of git needs to
+be able to read (this includes repositories from which packs can
+be copied out over http or rsync, and people who obtained packs
+that way can try to use older git with it).
+
+
Author
------
Written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>