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Q214486: INFO: How SourceSafe Uses the DATA Directory

Article: Q214486
Product(s): Microsoft SourceSafe
Version(s): WINDOWS:4.0,4.0a,5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbConfig kbSSafe kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500 kbSSafe600 kbGrpDSSSafe
Last Modified: 04-MAY-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 16-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0 
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 16-bit, for Windows, version 4.0a 
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 32-bit, for Windows 4.0a 
- Microsoft Visual SourceSafe for Windows, versions 5.0, 6.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

The Microsoft Visual SourceSafe (VSS) DATA directory is not complex, but some
explanation of its structure may be needed. This article describes the file and
directory structure of the DATA directory and provides an overview of each the
use of each directory.

MORE INFORMATION
================

SourceSafe creates 26 subdirectories in the DATA directory named "A" through
"Z." In addition, you may have up to four additional directories named LABELS
(version VSS 6.0 only), BACKUP, LOCKS, and LOGGEDIN (version VSS 5.0 and VSS 6.0
only). SourceSafe will never create more than 30 sub-directories in the data
directory (28 in version 4.x).

Each file or project added to SourceSafe will have two files associated with it
in the database (called a file pair). By design, the root project ($/) is stored
in the file pair AAAAAAAA and AAAAAAA.A. The first file or project added to an
empty database will be stored in the "B" directory and will be named BAAAAAAA
and BAAAAAAA.A. The file with an extension (the data file) is a byte-for-byte
copy of the most recently checked-in version of the file or a list of files
contained in a project (if the physical file is associated with a project). The
other (known as the log file) contains the history of the file as well as other
information such as the name of its parent project, and so forth.

Each time you modify a file in VSS (through a Check-in, Label, Branch, Merge, and
so forth), VSS adds these changes to the log file and then rewrites the data
file to keep it current. On an Intel computer, each time the data file is
rewritten, its extension will change from .a to .b, or vice versa. For example,
if MYFILE.txt is being stored in the file pair BAAAAAAA and BAAAAAAA.a, checking
out MYFILE.txt, modifying it and checking it back in again will result in
BAAAAAAA and BAAAAAAA.b (BAAAAAAA.a will be deleted). Repeating the earlier
procedure will again result in BAAAAAAA and BAAAAAAA.a. If you are using a
Macintosh client, there may be an additional file with an extension of .c or .d.
If you are using a UNIX computer, you may have an additional file with an
extension of .e or .f. If you have a .c or .e file, you should also have a .a
file. If you have a .d or .f file, you should also have a .b file.

Visual SourceSafe sequentially distributes files to the directories labeled "A"
through "Z" as files are added to the database. For example, if the file pair
for "FILE1" is placed in "B," the file pair for FILE2 will be placed in "C," the
file pair for FILE3 will be placed "D," and so on. The file pair for the 27th
file added will go back to "A" because it is the next directory after "Z." Its
name will be ABAAAAAA.a. As files are added to the "A" directory, the files will
be named ACAAAAAA.A, ADAAAAAA.A, AEAAAAAA.A, and so on. The first letter of
these file names will be the same as the directory in which the files reside.

The BACKUP directory is created by ANALYZE.exe when it is executed against the
database. If ANALYZE is run with the -f switch, this directory contains a backup
copy of each file that was modified by ANALYZE. Anytime ANALYZE is executed, a
log file (ANALYZE.log) that contains information on potential problems
encountered by ANALYZE will be placed in this directory.

The LABELS directory is used to keep track of labels that have been placed on
projects or files.

The LOCKS directory may be used to keep track of temporarily-locked files. This
feature is enabled when the LOCK_MODE = LOCKFILES setting is placed in the
server's SRCSAFE.ini.

The LOGGEDIN directory is used by Visual SourceSafe (version 5.0 or 6.0 only) to
keep track temporarily of who is logged into the database.

Additional query words:

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Keywords          : kbConfig kbSSafe kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500 kbSSafe600 kbGrpDSSSafe 
Technology        : kbSSafeSearch kbAudDeveloper kbSSafe600 kbSSafe400 kbSSafe400a kbSSafe500 kbSSafe16bitSearch kbSSafe32bitSearch
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,4.0a,5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

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