Git: how do you merge with remote repo?

Question

Please help me understand how git works.

I clone my remote repository on two different machines.

I edit the same file on both machines.

I successfully commit and push the update from the first machine to the remote repository. I then try to push the update on the second machine, but get an error:

! [rejected]        master -> master (non-fast-forward)

I understand why I received the error. How can I merge my changes into the remote repo? Do I need to pull the remote repo first?

Jakub Narębski · Accepted Answer

Yes, after remote repository rejected push as non fast-forward, you need to pull from remote repository (this would do a merge, which means that you might need to resolve merge conflict -- don't forget to commit merge conflict resolution in that case), and then push again.

After comitting changes on machines A and B you have the following situation:
- ''remote repository''
```
*---*---*---C
```
- ''machine A''
```
*---*---*---C---A
```
- ''machine B''
```
*---*---*---C---B
```
After pushing from machine A to remote repository you have:
- ''remote repository''
```
*---*---*---C---A
```
- ''machine A''
```
*---*---*---C---A
```
- ''machine B''
```
*---*---*---C---B
```
  Push from machine B would correctly refuse to "overwrite" commit A with commit B.
After pulling from remote repository on machine B you have:
- ''remote repository''
```
*---*---*---C
```
- ''machine A''
```
*---*---*---C---A
```
- ''machine B''
```
*---*---*---C---B----M
            \       /
             \--A--/
```
  Just in case this ASCII-art gets mangled: there is form from commit C, and two branches are merged as commit M.
Now the push would be fast-forward

After pushing from machine B to remote repository

''remote repository''

*---*---*---C---B----M
            \       /
             \--A--/

''machine A''
```
*---*---*---C---A
```

''machine B''

*---*---*---C---B----M
            \       /
             \--A--/

Now on machine A you need to pull from repository before starting any new work, to be up to date. Pull would fast-forward, which means that there wouldn't be created any new merge commit. Now all three machines have the same state of repository
- ''remote repository''
  ''machine A''
  ''machine B''
```
*---*---*---C---B----M
            \       /
             \--A--/
```

HTH

Git: how do you merge with remote repo?

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