CVS is a version control system, an important component of Source Configuration Management (SCM). Using it, you can record the history of source files and documents. It's similar to the free software RCS, PRCS, and Aegis programs, but has the following significant advantages over RCS:

• runs user scripts to log operations or enforce site-specific policies
• allows separate developers operate as a team
• vendor branches keep versions separate, but also merge them if needed
• unreserved checkouts let developers work simultaneously on the same files
• flexible modules database maps names to the components of a larger database
• runs on most Unix variants; clients for Windows 95/NT, OS/2, and VMS available

cvs [ cvs_options ]

<cvs_command> [ command_options ] [ command_args ]