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Visual SourceSafe 2005 Software Configuration Management in Practice
Visual SourceSafe 2005 Software Configuration Management in Practice

Visual SourceSafe 2005 Software Configuration Management in Practice: Best practice management and development of Visual Studio .NET 2005 applications with this easy-to-use SCM tool from Microsoft

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Visual SourceSafe 2005 Software Configuration Management in Practice

Chapter 2. The SourceSafe 2005 Architecture

Chapter 1 laid the theoretical foundation for the concepts that we are going to use through the rest of the book. From now, we will concentrate on the Microsoft Visual SourceSafe 2005 SCM tool.

Visual SourceSafe has a lot of history behind it. It is either loved for the fact that it is easy to use and integrates with many other Microsoft products, or hated probably because of the headaches given by using it improperly. It is designed to be used by individuals or by small and medium sized teams and not as an enterprise-level SCM tool (such as Visual Studio Team System). The SourceSafe 2005 edition addresses many of the past issues and adds new features, one the most notable being the support for internet connections when using Visual Studio .NET.

Any tool and technology is as good as the way you use it. Likewise you can drive a car better if you know how it works under the hood. In this chapter, we are going to take a look at the SourceSafe 2005...

The Visual SourceSafe Server


The Visual SourceSafe server machine has the responsibility of maintaining one or more SourceSafe databases and to manage the server-side components. The server applications and services are:

  • Visual SourceSafe Administrator application

  • LAN booster service

  • Remote access XML Web service

The Visual SourceSafe Administrator Application

The Visual SourceSafe Administrator is the main Graphical User Interface (GUI) administration tool.

The Visual SourceSafe Administrator allows us to:

  • Create databases (repositories)

  • Manage database policies

  • Manage users and user rights

  • Configure databases

  • Configure the server services

  • Backup and restore databases

Detailed information about the administration tasks is provided in the administration Appendixes B and C at the end of the book.

Note

The Visual SourceSafe Administrator application can actually be used from any client machine connected to the server through the LAN but for maximum performance it is recommended to use it directly on...

The Visual SourceSafe Database


The central repository for project resources is the Visual SourceSafe database. The physical database storage is the file system on the SourceSafe server machine. The database is accessed by the clients through a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) file share on the server, for example:

\\VssServer\VssDatabase

The structure of a typical SourceSafe database uses the following file and folder organization:

User and database options are kept in initialization (.ini) files.

Data Folder

The data folder holds the database data. It contains many physical files with obfuscated names like DCBAAAA that store the real source files added to the database and their history. The data folder is organized in a series of folders from a to z and additional labels, locks, and loggedin folders containing database metadata.

For every file in the project, Visual SourceSafe creates a pair of files in the a to z folders, one with an extension and one without an extension. The file without...

The Visual SourceSafe Clients


Visual SourceSafe has two main client applications used to access and work with databases:

  • Visual SourceSafe Explorer

  • Visual SourceSafe command-line utility

Visual SourceSafe Explorer

Visual SourceSafe Explorer is the main client application used to work with the SourceSafe databases.

Visual SourceSafe Explorer provides a rich graphical user interface used for almost all Visual SourceSafe commands. The left pane contains the hierarchical file system-like structure that shows the projects in the database. The right pane contains the files in the selected project and their properties. The bottom pane shows the operations performed by the Visual SourceSafe Explorer.

Visual SourceSafe Command-Line Utility

The command-line ss.exe utility supports most commands available in the Visual SourceSafe Explorer and some that are available only in the command line. The most important usage of the command-line utility is in batch operations for repetitive tasks, where commands...

The SourceSafe Integration with Visual Studio .NET


Visual SourceSafe 2005 has a deep integration with Visual Studio .NET, allowing for easy operation with projects and files. Visual Studio integration is achieved with the help of two compatible source control plug-ins that use the source control adapter package in the IDE.

The two Visual SourceSafe plug-ins for Visual Studio are:

  • SourceSafe LAN: This is the standard plug-in for accessing the SourceSafe database over a Local Area Network connection. This plug-in has the capability of using the LAN booster service on the SourceSafe server for improved performance.

  • SourceSafe Internet: This plug-in is used by remote users to access the SourceSafe database over the Internet using the XML Web service on the SourceSafe server.

Plug-In Selection in Visual Studio .NET

From within Visual Studio .NET we can only work with one source control provider at a time. Selecting the appropriate source control plug-in is done by using the Options dialog...

Network Configurations


Considering their location, client machines can be local or remote. Local clients are those that can access the server using a Local Area Network (LAN). This is the local development site where the server resides and from where the majority of the work is accomplished.

Sometimes, however, there are situations in which users need to connect from remote locations. Maybe they work from home or are in a different location and need to make a change to the database.

Local users can access the SourceSafe server directly through the LAN connection, while remote users can reach it through the XML Web service, or through a Virtual Private Network.

Accessing the Server using the LAN Connection

At the local development site the clients use the LAN access configuration to access the Visual SourceSafe server database. The following figure illustrates this network configuration:

In the LAN access configuration, the LAN booster service is used to increase the file access speeds in...

Summary


In this chapter we looked at the Visual SourceSafe 2005 architecture. It is composed of three main components:

  • The Server applications and services

  • The Database (repository)

  • The Client applications

The server is responsible for storing the SourceSafe database and services such as the LAN booster service and the XML Web service for remote connections. The main server application is the Visual SourceSafe Administrator used to manage the SourceSafe databases.

The SourceSafe database is structured in a series of folders and files that store database data, user, and configuration information.

On the client side, the main stand-alone GUI application is the Visual SourceSafe Explorer. For batch scripts SourceSafe offers a separate command-line application.

For Visual Studio development there are two SourceSafe source control plug-ins: the LAN plug-in and the Internet plug-in. These plug-ins use the SourceSafe LAN and Internet server services and are used using the Visual Studio source control...

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Key benefits

  • SCM fundamentals and strategies clearly explained
  • Real-world SOA example: a hotel reservation system
  • SourceSafe best practices across the complete lifecycle
  • Multiple versions, service packs and product updates.

Description

Why is Software Configuration Management important?Software Configuration Management (SCM) is the discipline of managing the building and modification of software through techniques including source-code control, revision control, object-build tracking, and release construction. SCM involves identifying the configuration of the software at given points in time, systematically controlling changes to the configuration, and maintaining the integrity and traceability of the configuration throughout the software development lifecycle.Software Configuration Management is one of the first skills a serious developer should master, after becoming proficient with his or her development tools of choice. Unfortunately, this does not always happen because the subject of SCM is not commonly taught in either academic or company training.When developing software, you need to have a manageable team development effort, track and maintain the history of your projects, sustain parallel development on multiple product versions, fix bugs, and release service packs while further developing the application. This is where the concepts of Software Configuration Management come into play; SCM is about getting the job done safer, faster, and better.Visual SourceSafe has a long history behind it. The previous versions were either loved for their ease of use and integration with other Microsoft products, or hated because the headaches caused by using them improperly. This book will help you to avoid such problems.

Who is this book for?

This book is for .NET developers, testers and configuration managers who: Use Visual Studio .NET 2005 for building software Want to use software configuration to manage their products in day-to-day activities Want to improve their efficiency by learning to use the best practices with SourceSafe Want to install, manage, and configure Visual SourceSafe 2005 for optimal operation The book does not assume previous knowledge of Software Configuration Management or Visual SourceSafe. It takes the reader from the ground up and is a great resource for people starting to learn about this subject. Readers with previous SourceSafe experience will benefit by discovering the improved and new features in Visual SourceSafe 2005.

What you will learn

  • The fundamental principles and benefits of Software Configuration Management
  • How Visual SourceSafe integrates with Visual Studio for source-code control
  • The team cooperation features in Visual SourceSafe
  • Using SourceSafe to manage the development lifecycle to allow the easy release of service packs and updates while developing multiple application versions
  • The best practices for using SourceSafe
  • SourceSafe database creation, security, and maintenance and user management
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Feb 16, 2007
Length: 404 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781904811695
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Length: 404 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781904811695
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Table of Contents

7 Chapters
Controlling the Evolution of Software Products Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
The SourceSafe 2005 Architecture Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating a Service-Oriented Application Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Adding Solutions to the SourceSafe Database Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Developing Solutions under Source Control Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working from Remote Locations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Managing the Software Development Lifecycle Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.3
(3 Ratings)
5 star 66.7%
4 star 0%
3 star 33.3%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Derek Strickland Oct 13, 2007
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is an excellent introduction to the issues in software configuration managment in general and Visual SourceSave in particular. Well written, accessible, and logically laid out.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Neil C. Obremski Oct 15, 2007
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
As far as books about Visual SourceSafe go, there aren't many to choose from, and the software itself didn't get updated for the longest time. Imagine my surprise, then, when I get this and it's not only a simple coverage of VSS, but it's also an excellent technology book in general! And I don't say that because the writing is clear, not dry and boring, even though that is true. I say that because of the fair and seemingly unbiased way that the author treats source/version control in general and how the approach of VSS fits into that. Rarely do I see technology books assess technologies without subtly vilifying or sugar-coating them, it was a nice shock to see such even-handedness here.So if you're new to source control and you're in the Windows world of development, pick this up to learn the basics and a piece of software you can branch out from. If you're stuck being a VSS administrator and you need a reference, there's another reason to get this. And lastly, if you didn't know there was a 2005 version of VSS, this will provide a nice, in depth explanation of the new XML Web Service and remoting features.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Cal Zant Nov 13, 2007
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
Why aren't there more books on SourceSafe? Moreover, why is SourceSafe so anti-intuitive? I realize it has seamless integration with Visual Studio, but actually setting up projects in it is a painful process, and forking code and merging branches isn't that easy either.This book does explain how to do these things, but it isn't written very well. There are a ton of screenshots that let you easily follow the author through some examples, but a lot of them could have been excluded. With a good editor, this book could be trimmed down to about 100 pages of real meat. The author goes into too much detail about the 43 different ways to do something, when really they are all extremely similar or he is going to introduce the way you should really do it at the last of the chapter.One crucial topic the book left out was how to add stored procedures to SourceSafe. That is one of the most attractive things about it, and it was left out completely.But, there isn't a better book out there that I know about ... so what can you do? It is better than the built-in help in SourceSafe, so it was probably worth the money for me and earned a spot on the bookshelf. But it wouldn't take much for someone to through together a better book, not to mention better software.[...]
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