Any commands on svn:// repo returns "svn: generic failure"

[Xitij Ritesh Patel]

When I try to run a command on an SVN repository, list as 'list', it just returns a generic failure. Cursory Google search results point to an issue with libsasl2-2.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: subversion 1.6.12dfsg-4ubuntu5
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Oct 19 13:36:19 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: subversion
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Xitij Ritesh Patel (xpatel)]

Yeah, this turned out to be a really silly and simple issue.

I had changed the hostname of my machine, but had neglected to update the /etc/host file with the new hostname. Once I did that, my problem went away.

[Rob Peters (makitso)]

Yes, that was my problem as well, the host name and the host name in the /etc/hosts were wrong.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for subversion (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[Daniel (hackie)]

I also had this problem today. Solution was also edition /etc/hosts. I think there should be a better error message which points to the problem in name resolution...

[dvo (mueller8)]

Yes, the error message "generic failure" is pretty shitty (reminds of MickeySoft).

Indeed, the message should be made to the point, or much better:
the strange dependency on /etc/hosts should be removed.

I'm using svn version 1.6.17 (r1128011) of Ubuntu 12.04.

[dvo (mueller8)]

P.S. What I have to use to /etc/hosts is:

127.0.0.1 ubuntu

(where before or after 'ubuntu' other host names may appear as well).