Error while trying to clone a repository in GitHub 3.4.3

[Terencesakor]

Select Topic Area

Question

Body

Hi all. I was wondering if anyone had ran into an issue whereby cloning a repository to a local path that has FQDN path is giving an error message "Unable to determine absolute path of git directory". I'm not a user of GitHub so I'm not very familiar with the application but because it is an app in our Citrix environment, I have to offer limited support.
We have another Citrix environment that is setup with DFS path, and this cloning process works fine without any errors when cloning to that DFS path.
We are still getting the error regardless of the version of GitHub. We have tried it on 3.4.2, 3.4.3 and 3.4.4. It works fine without the error when the local path is changed to the C:\Users%username% location.
Please let me know if any more information is needed.

[andriiafanasiev]

It seems like the issue you're encountering is related to Distributed File System (DFS) paths, which might not be fully supported by Git, depending on how DFS is configured. When cloning a repository, Git needs to resolve the absolute path to the repository's directory, and DFS paths can sometimes cause problems due to network file systems and permission limitations.

Here's how you can troubleshoot this issue:

1. Test Locally: Since cloning works fine when using a local path (e.g., C:\Users\%username%), it's likely that the issue lies with DFS.

2. Map Network Drive: Instead of using a DFS path directly, try mapping the DFS path to a local drive (e.g., Z:\). You can do this by right-clicking on "This PC" and choosing "Map network drive." Then, try cloning to that mapped drive.

3. Git Config Setting: Ensure that Git's config file doesn't have any settings that might interfere with network paths. You can check the Git configuration using:

   git config --global --list
   

   If there are any unusual settings related to paths or directories, try resetting them.

4. Permissions: Ensure that the user account has the necessary read/write permissions for the DFS path.

5. Git in Citrix: Since you're using Git in a Citrix environment, check if Citrix policies or profiles might be interfering with Git's ability to resolve the DFS path. Sometimes, network file system interactions are restricted in such environments.

Let me know if these steps help, or if you'd like more detailed instructions on any of the steps!

[Terencesakor]

Thanks so much for responding. I just realized that I mistakenly put in the wrong information on my write-up. Actually, it works fine with the DFS path (we have 2 different environments. One with DFS and the other with just FQDN.) It is the environment with the FQDN that is failing with the error but the environment with the DFS works without any errors.

Sorry for the confusion.

[github-actions[bot]]

🕒 Discussion Activity Reminder 🕒

This Discussion has been labeled as dormant by an automated system for having no activity in the last 60 days. Please consider one the following actions:

1️⃣ Close as Out of Date: If the topic is no longer relevant, close the Discussion as out of date at the bottom of the page.

2️⃣ Provide More Information: Share additional details or context — or let the community know if you've found a solution on your own.

3️⃣ Mark a Reply as Answer: If your question has been answered by a reply, mark the most helpful reply as the solution.

Note: This dormant notification will only apply to Discussions with the Question label. To learn more, see our recent announcement.

Thank you for helping bring this Discussion to a resolution! 💬