Can you attach a job log showing the polling and update part of the CVS actions?

Yes, I've just created a new test job to keep it as short as possible.

So first, created a new module and a new job, and on first build everything went correctly.

Then I modify a file (src/main/scripts/testfile) and commit. This is the new content:
------------------
// CVS version control block - do not edit manually
// $Author: icruz $
// $Revision: 1.2 $
// $Date: 2013/03/27 14:44:48 $
// $Source: /mnt/cvs/finesse/testcvs/src/main/scripts/testfile,v $

This is a test

Modified!
------------------

Then I re-run the job, and this is the job output (I've set the "Use Update", "Prune Empty Directories", "Show all CVS output" and "Force clean copy for locally modified files" options):
------------------
Started by user anonymous
Building remotely on No DB node in workspace /opt/hudson/nodbnode/workspace/cvs-test
cvs update -C -d -P -r HEAD -D 27 Mar 2013 07:44:58 -0700 cvs-test
? cvs-test/target
cvs update: Updating cvs-test
cvs update: warning: cvs-test/pom.xml was lost
U cvs-test/pom.xml
cvs update: Updating cvs-test/src
cvs update: Updating cvs-test/src/main
cvs update: Updating cvs-test/src/main/scripts
cvs update: warning: cvs-test/src/main/scripts/testfile was lost
U cvs-test/src/main/scripts/testfile
cvs rlog -S -d27 Mar 2013 07:43:44 -0700<27 Mar 2013 07:44:58 -0700 finesse/testcvs
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src/main
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src/main/scripts
Parsing POMs
------------------

I don't know why that warnings appear when setting the "Show all CVS output", but anyway, I open the file in workspace and it's still on revision 1.1:
------------------
// CVS version control block - do not edit manually
// $Author: icruz $
// $Revision: 1.1 $
// $Date: 2013/03/27 14:43:23 $
// $Source: /mnt/cvs/finesse/testcvs/src/main/scripts/testfile,v $

This is a test
------------------
But in the "changes" page for this job run, my change is detected, here's a screenshot:
http://gyazo.com/fa4c9d7c6d2c01c17d366e74051fe54d

Thanks,
Isaac

What happens if you try and replicate these steps manually using a CVS client? The commands being passed by the CVS plugin seems valid, so the issue lies in either the CVSClient or the CVS server. I can change the CVS client if it is at fault, but the CVS server is outwith my control.

Ok, both the client and server are CVS 1.11.22.

$ cvs rlog -S -d"27 Mar 2013 07:43:44 -0700<27 Mar 2013 07:44:58 -0700" finesse/testcvs
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src/main
cvs rlog: Logging finesse/testcvs/src/main/scripts

RCS file: /mnt/cvs/finesse/testcvs/src/main/scripts/testfile,v
head: 1.2
branch:
locks: strict
access list:
symbolic names:
keyword substitution: kv
total revisions: 2; selected revisions: 1
description:
----------------------------
revision 1.2
date: 2013/03/27 14:44:48; author: icruz; state: Exp; lines: +6 -4
Test: modify file
=============================================================================

$ cvs update -C -d -P -D "27 Mar 2013 07:44:58 -0700"
cvs update: Updating .
cvs update: Updating src
cvs update: Updating src/main
cvs update: Updating src/main/scripts
U src/main/scripts/testfile

(and it updates the file to revision 1.2)

So both work correctly here... note that I have removed the "-r HEAD" option as this option together with -D was not working, it was removing all files saying that they were "no longer in repository"

Update: it seems to NOT be related to the date in -D option, I've changed the configuration to download a tag instead of HEAD (leaving the field empty so it actually use HEAD), and it still does not update to the last revision.

This is the command displayed in log:

cvs update -C -d -P -r HEAD cvs-test

It eventually downloads the last revision... but not at least after 1 hour

Update2: I have been testing the java CVS client, and discovered this issue is caused by the "-C" option.

If I execute this:
$ java org.netbeans.lib.cvsclient.commandLine.CVSCommand update -C -d -P
cvs update: Updating .
cvs update: warning: testfile was lost
U testfile

The testfile is NOT updated (in spite of the output).

If I execute this:
$ java org.netbeans.lib.cvsclient.commandLine.CVSCommand update -d -P
cvs update: Updating .
U testfile

The testfile is updated correctly

I confirm this issue - update not working.
(by the way: CVS client and server running in same timezone. CVS server = CVSNT server)

The update is seen in cvs logging, but the file is not updated.
I have the "force clean copy" (-C) option is check as well.

The workspace file is not updated. However, it did copy the "old" version to a ".#." file in the workspace (same directory as original file). But after that, the actual file is not updated to the latest (HEAD) version. So update is broken.

Could one of you who can replicate this issue try the attached snapshot. It uses the updated cvs client which contains changes for the CVS 1.12.13 protocol.