The -R option is used with VSS commands that operate on projects; it makes the commands recursive to subprojects. Normally, commands act only on the specified project and the files in it. For example, if you get a project, you get all the files that are in that project. However, subprojects and the files and subprojects inside them are ignored. When you use the -R option to make a command recursive, the command acts on the entire project hierarchy. For example, if you type SS Get projectname -R, folders are created for that project's subprojects, and the subprojects inside of them, and so on.