IT Support » DMZ-WEB Infrastructure

Repos are bare, owned by the restricted host user `git` (git-shell) — the one

deliberate exception to the no-host-packages rule. Redmine only *reads* them.

**Who does what — this is the part that causes confusion, so read it first:**

| Step                                   | Run as          | Why                                                        |

|----------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------|

| create bare repo, ACL, SELinux label   | **root**        | `/srv/git` is root/git territory                           |

| `git add` / `git commit` in a working copy | **owner user** (websvcmaster) | keeps `.git/objects` owned by that user          |

| commit + push, day to day              | **root**, via `deploy-commit.sh` | it commits *as websvcmaster* and pushes *as root* itself — the only command you normally type |

| `git push` by hand                     | **root**        | push needs `sudo -u git git-receive-pack`; websvcmaster has **no sudo** and never will |

| register repo in Redmine               | Redmine admin UI |                                                           |

websvcmaster's password is **locked** on purpose (`passwd -l`, set by

`01-bootstrap-root.sh`). Enter it only via `su - websvcmaster` from root — never

set a password for it. If a command run as websvcmaster asks for a password, it

is a root command run in the wrong shell: `exit` to root and run it there.

(`passwd -S websvcmaster` must show `L`.)

Repos: `mds-dark.git` (WordPress theme, project "MDS / MIMMAR Web Page Design"),

`dmz-web-deploy.git` (this host's `~/deploy`, project "dmz-web Infrastructure").

### How Redmine reads them

```ini

# site-redmine.container

Volume=/srv/git:/srv/git:ro

Environment=GIT_CONFIG_COUNT=1

Environment=GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0=safe.directory

Environment=GIT_CONFIG_VALUE_0=*

```

Rootless UID mapping: container uid *n* → host uid **200000 + n − 1**; Redmine

runs as uid 999 → host **200998** (`podman top site-redmine user huser`).

One-time host prep (root):

```bash

semanage fcontext -a -t container_file_t '/srv/git(/.*)?'

restorecon -Rv /srv/git

```

### A. New bare repo — root

```bash

R=/srv/git/<repo>.git

sudo -u git git init --bare $R

sudo -u git git -C $R symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/main   # bare HEAD defaults to master; every repo here uses main

setfacl -R  -m u:200998:rX $R                             # Redmine read access

setfacl -R -d -m u:200998:rX $R                           # ...also for files future pushes create

restorecon -Rv $R      # "not reset as customized by admin" on every file = already container_file_t = OK

git config --global --add safe.directory /home/<user>/<workdir>   # lets root push from that working copy

```

### B. Working copy, first time — owner user (`su - <user>` from root)

```bash

git config --global user.name  "<user>"                   # once per user, or commit refuses

git config --global user.email "sysadmin@mdsdefense.com"  # matching a Redmine user's email links commits to them

cd <workdir>

git init -b main

# .gitignore first: no *.env, *secret*, *password*, *.key/*.pem/*.crt, dumps, archives, data/, tmp/

git add -A && git status --short

grep -nEi 'password|secret|token|key_base' -r . --exclude-dir=.git | grep -viE 'Secret=|podman secret|\$\{?[A-Z_]*(PASSWORD|SECRET)'   # must be comments/prompts only

git commit -m "initial import $(date +%F)"

git remote add origin /srv/git/<repo>.git

git log --oneline

exit                                                      # back to root

```

### C. Push — root

First push of a new working copy (once):

```bash

cd /home/<user>/<workdir>

git push --receive-pack='sudo -u git git-receive-pack' -u origin main

chown -R <user>:<user> .git          # root's push leaves root-owned files in .git

```

Expected: `* [new branch] main -> main`. Verify: `sudo -u git git -C /srv/git/<repo>.git log --oneline`.

After that, never push by hand — use `deploy-commit.sh` (E).

### D. Redmine

Project → Settings → Repositories → New repository: SCM **Git**, Main repository

✓, Identifier `<repo>`, Path `/srv/git/<repo>.git`, Report last commit ✓ → Create.

Open the Repository tab; the commit must be listed. If not:

`podman exec site-redmine git -C /srv/git/<repo>.git log --oneline` —

"dubious ownership" → safe.directory env missing; "permission denied" → ACL (step A).

### E. Day-to-day — `deploy-commit.sh` (root)

One root command does the whole cycle in the right identities: `git add -A`

and `git commit` **as websvcmaster** (identity auto-set), a guard that refuses

to commit staged lines that look like literal credentials, `git push`

**as root** via `sudo -u git git-receive-pack`, optional annotated tag, and

`chown` of `.git` back to websvcmaster. Source: `root-bin/deploy-commit.sh` in

the repo; installed as `/usr/local/sbin/deploy-commit.sh` (0750).

```bash

deploy-commit.sh -n                         # dry run: shows what is staged, commits nothing

deploy-commit.sh -m "what changed"          # commit + push

deploy-commit.sh -m "cheat sheet v1.1" -t cheatsheet-1.1   # ...+ tag

deploy-commit.sh -t cheatsheet-1.1          # nothing to commit: tag HEAD, push the tag

deploy-commit.sh -y -m "..."                # skip the credential guard after checking the flagged lines

deploy-commit.sh -h

```

Editing still happens as websvcmaster (`su - websvcmaster`, edit, `exit`);

`deploy-commit.sh` never edits files, only `.git`. The guard flags staged lines of

the form `<…password|secret|token|api_key|app_key…> = <literal of 8+ chars>`;

variables (`$X`), placeholders (`<…>`, `...`), Quadlet `Secret=` lines and

comments are ignored. If it fires: move the value to a Podman secret or

`.gitignore` the file and re-run; if the lines are harmless, re-run with `-y`. Install/update the script:

```bash

install -o root -g root -m 0750 /home/websvcmaster/deploy/root-bin/deploy-commit.sh /usr/local/sbin/deploy-commit.sh

```

### F. Publishing finished work — `deploy-publish.sh` (root)

Replaces the manual "copy from `/root` into the repo, fix owner, commit, tag, type the wiki into

Redmine" cycle. A delivery is **one file**, `dmz-web-release-<version>.zip` (`<version>` = the cheat sheet

version of that release), dropped into `/root`; run `deploy-publish.sh` as root. It calls

`deploy-commit.sh` for the git part, so E still applies.

The package holds the changed files (scripts, the cheat sheet), a `wiki/` folder (pages + png),

`RELEASE` (version, build date) and `SHA256SUMS`. What the script does:

0. **Package:** unpacked into a fresh private directory; paths are checked (no `..`, absolute paths

   or symlinks), the file name must match `RELEASE`, `SHA256SUMS` must verify, and a file that is not

   listed in `SHA256SUMS` rejects the package.

1. **Repo:** each known file is compared by its **version header** with the repo / installed copy:

   newer → installed (repo files owned by websvcmaster, `/usr/local/sbin` copies root 0750);

   identical → nothing to do; **older, same version with different content, or no version header →

   refused** (stops a stale copy overwriting a newer one; `-f` overrides). Known files: cheat sheet,

   `snipeit-install.sh`, `add-wordpress-site.sh`, `redmine-install.sh`, `check-sites.sh`,

   `verify-host-deps.sh`, `deploy-commit.sh`, `deploy-publish.sh` — add a line to the `ITEMS` table in

   the script for another one.

2. **Commit:** `deploy-commit.sh -m "release <version>: <files and versions>"`; a cheat sheet install also

   gets the tag `cheatsheet-<version>` (skipped if that tag exists).

3. **Wiki:** `wiki/*.md` → Redmine REST API: page created or updated (parent `Wiki`, the duplicate

   `# title` first line dropped, `.png` attached once, unchanged pages skipped). `@@COMMIT@@` in a page

   (the Releases table) becomes the commit made in step 2 (on a re-run: the commit of the tag `cheatsheet-<version>`; a page that needs a hash and has none is skipped, never overwritten with the placeholder).

4. **Tidy:** after a complete, clean run the package is **moved** (never deleted) to

   `/root/deploy-done/<timestamp>/`. With refusals, errors, `-n`, `-R` or `-W` it stays in `/root`; running it

   again is safe, handled files then show as *identical* and are skipped.

Loose files (no package) still work: put them into `/root` (and `dmz-web-wiki-pages.zip` for the wiki)

and the handled ones are moved to `/root/deploy-done/<timestamp>/`.

```bash

deploy-publish.sh -n          # dry run: the plan, wiki read-only GETs, nothing changed or moved

deploy-publish.sh             # do everything with the newest /root/dmz-web-release-*.zip

deploy-publish.sh -R          # wiki only            deploy-publish.sh -W   # repo only

deploy-publish.sh -m "msg"    # own commit message   deploy-publish.sh -y   # skip deploy-commit's guard

deploy-publish.sh -f          # install even when older / equal / no version header

```

One-time setup for the wiki step: `deploy-publish.sh --init` writes `/root/.deploy-publish.conf`

(mode 0600; set `RM_PROJECT` to the project **identifier**, Project settings → Identifier); put the

Redmine API key (My account → API access key) into `/root/.redmine-api-key`, `chmod 600`; Redmine

Administration → Settings → API → *Enable REST web service*. Requests go to NPM on this host

(`--resolve track.mdsdefense.com:444:127.0.0.1`), like `check-sites.sh`. The page text in Redmine is

overwritten by the package's text — the first real run replaces pages that were typed in by hand, so

start with `-n`. Bootstrap the first time (the script cannot install itself before it exists):

```bash

install -o root -g root -m 0750 /root/deploy-publish.sh /usr/local/sbin/deploy-publish.sh

deploy-publish.sh --init && deploy-publish.sh -n

```

Afterwards the script updates itself from the package (the running copy is replaced safely).

### Recovering from the usual mistakes

* `fatal: could not open '.git/COMMIT_EDITMSG': Permission denied` (or any

  permission error on commit) → root touched `.git` (committed there, or pushed/tagged

  without `deploy-commit.sh`). Fix: `chown -R <user>:<user> /home/<user>/<workdir>/.git`,

  then use `deploy-commit.sh` from now on (it chowns every time). Also check root's `~/.gitconfig` didn't pick up the user's identity.

* `Everything up-to-date` on push right after you expected a new commit → the

  commit didn't happen (identity error or permission error scrolled past); `git log --oneline`

  and `git status --short` in the working copy. A tag made at that moment points at the

  old commit: `deploy-commit.sh -t <tag>` after the real commit (it force-moves the tag).

* `error: src refspec main does not match any` → no commit yet on `main` (step B not done).

* `error: key does not contain a section: receivepack` → wrong syntax; use

  `--receive-pack=` (step C), not `-c receivepack=`.

* `sudo: a password is required` / password prompt → you are websvcmaster; this is a root step (`exit`, then `deploy-commit.sh`).

* Redmine shows the repo empty → bare HEAD still points to `master` (step A `symbolic-ref`).

* `deploy-publish.sh`: `REFUSED: no version header` → the copy is an old/unversioned one; fetch the current file or `-f` if you are sure. `checksum mismatch` / `does not match RELEASE` → the package is damaged or was renamed; get it again. `HTTP 401/403` on the wiki step → API key wrong, REST not enabled, or the account may not edit this project's wiki. `HTTP 404` for every page → wrong `RM_PROJECT` (it must be the identifier, not the project name).

---

_Source: `dmz-web-podman-cheatsheet.md` v1.4.1 in the `dmz-web-deploy` repo ([[Releases]]). Edit the wiki and the repo copy together._