INFO: VSS 5.0 Readme: Sec. 1, Software Installation Information

ID: Q157720

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, 32-bit, for Windows 5.0

SUMMARY

The Visual SourceSafe Readme.wri file should be located in the SourceSafe root directory. It contains important information, some of which is not available in the printed documentation or the Help files. This article covers Section 1, SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INFORMATION, of the readme.wri file. Please see REFERENCES below for more information on the other sections.

MORE INFORMATION

The Readme.wri includes:

1.0 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INFORMATION

1.1 (Administrator) Creating a Visual SourceSafe Installation on a Server
1.2 (Each User) Using NETSETUP to Create a Personal Installation
1.3 Using the Custom Setup Option
1.4 Upgrading a Previous SourceSafe Installation
1.5 Using the Installation Maintenance Program
1.6 Uninstalling Visual SourceSafe
1.7 WININET and MFC DLLs
1.8 SourceSafe on RISC

2.0 GENERAL NOTES AND TIPS

2.1 Back Up Your Visual SourceSafe Database, and run ANALYZE
2.2 Installing Two or More Visual SourceSafe Databases on One Computer
2.3. Loss of Network Connection Produces Numerical Error Message
2.4 Canceling a Client Setup
2.5 System Date/Time

3.0 NEW FEATURES IN VISUAL SOURCESAFE 5.0

3.1 Archive Utility
3.2 Visual Merge
3.3 Project Diff
3.4 "Edit" Command
3.5 Open Databases
3.6 Web Features
3.7 Exclusive Check Out

4.0 NOTES FOR USERS OF VISUAL SOURCESAFE 4.0

4.1 No 16-bit Support
4.2 Get --> Get Latest Version
4.3 Results Display
4.4 Multiple Project Support in Visual Basic/Visual C++ Integration

5.0 VISUAL SOURCESAFE HOME PAGE

1.0 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INFORMATION

The first step in installing Visual SourceSafe is the Server Setup: the Visual SourceSafe administrator creates the SourceSafe database on a network server that all users have access to, and adds all users to the Visual SourceSafe user list. At this point, all users can begin running Visual SourceSafe directly from the server: no further installation is required.

However, each user may wish to take a second step and do a personal Network Setup. This step improves performance and reduces network traffic, by copying the Visual SourceSafe executables to the user's hard drive. More important, this step registers Visual SourceSafe for direct integration into host environments such as Microsoft Visual Basic (Enterprise and Professional Editions, versions 4.0 and above), Microsoft Visual C++ (versions 4.0 and above), Microsoft Access (requires the Office Developer Edition), Microsoft FrontPage (FrontPage '97 and above), Microsoft Visual J++ (all versions), Microsoft Internet Studio (all versions), and Microsoft Visual FoxPro (versions 5.0 and above). The Visual SourceSafe integration into these environments will not work until the user has done a network or client setup.

The Visual SourceSafe Setup program can also be used to upgrade an existing Visual SourceSafe installation, or to perform maintenance (adding and removing components) on an existing installation.

1.1 (Administrator) Creating a Visual SourceSafe Installation on a Server

The first step in creating a new Visual SourceSafe installation, or upgrading an existing installation, is taken by the Visual SourceSafe administrator. Run SETUP.EXE program on the Visual SourceSafe disk. SETUP asks for the directory in which to install Visual SourceSafe. Choose a directory on your network, such as R:\VSS, that is accessible to everyone who will be using Visual SourceSafe. From the Setup options, choose the Server Setup option.

If you are creating a new Visual SourceSafe installation, an empty Visual SourceSafe database is created for you. Your next duty is to run the Visual SourceSafe Administrator's program and add all your users to the Visual SourceSafe user list. (The number of users that you can legally add to this list is based on the number of Visual SourceSafe licenses you have purchased.)

If you are upgrading an existing Visual SourceSafe installation, see section 1.4 below.

After the successful completion of the Server Setup, your users are ready to begin running Visual SourceSafe, or to use NETSETUP to create their personal installations.

1.2 (Each User) Using NETSETUP to Create a Personal Installation

After an administrator has created a Visual SourceSafe installation on the server, users can perform a network setup. This step copies the Visual SourceSafe executables to your hard disk, pointing back to the central database on the server. It also creates shortcuts in your Start Menu, making it easier to run Visual SourceSafe. Most importantly, the network setup registers Visual SourceSafe on your computer, enabling direct integration of Visual SourceSafe menus into Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as Microsoft Visual Basic (Enterprise and Professional Editions, versions 4.0 and above), Microsoft Visual C++ (versions 4.0 and above), Microsoft Access (requires the Office Developer Edition), Microsoft FrontPage (FrontPage '97 and above), Microsoft Visual J++ (all versions), Microsoft Internet Studio (all versions), and Microsoft Visual FoxPro (versions 5.0 and above).

To perform a network setup, you do not need the Visual SourceSafe disk. Instead, go to the network location where the Visual SourceSafe server was installed by your administrator and run NETSETUP.EXE. Specify a new directory on your computer's hard disk, such as C:\VSS, as the location of the Visual SourceSafe client.

After the successful completion of the Network Setup, you are ready to begin running Visual SourceSafe.

An alternative to the network setup is the client setup. Run SETUP.EXE from the Visual SourceSafe disk, and choose "Client Setup" option. At the end of the Client setup, you will be prompted to enter the network location of Visual SourceSafe server installation created by your administrator. The end result of a Client Setup is exactly the same as the end result of a Network Setup, including registration for integration: however, the process is much slower, since it requires decompressing files from the disk. For this reason, NETSETUP is generally preferable.

You might see a "File not found" error message during the NETSETUP procedure if the Visual SourceSafe server setup was installed by using the Custom setup option. For example, the administrator installing Visual SourceSafe might have chosen not to install certain non-essential files, such as the help system or the online version of the user's guide. In these cases, you can ignore the message and continue with the NETSETUP. If any of the essential files, such as the Visual SourceSafe executable program or the database, are missing, contact your administrator.

1.3 Using the Custom Setup Option

When installing Visual SourceSafe to a server, you can choose the Custom setup option. While not necessary for most users, this option is useful in circumstances such as the following:

You have limited disk space and want to save space by not installing certain options, such as the online books or the conversion utilities.

You want to have the "Server" and "Network" portions of Visual SourceSafe together in one installation. Custom Setup enables you to create the Visual SourceSafe database (as Server Setup does), register for IDE host integration (as network setup does), and copy the Visual SourceSafe executables (as both setups do), all in one step.

1.4 Upgrading a Previous SourceSafe Installation

If you have an older version of SourceSafe on your server, use the Visual SourceSafe Server Setup to install Visual SourceSafe 5.0 directly on top of the existing SourceSafe installation. Visual SourceSafe creates its new directory structure, converts your database to the new format if necessary, and installs the new executables so that you can run Visual SourceSafe 5.0 with all your existing users, projects, and files intact.

Notes about upgrading:

Back up your SourceSafe database before upgrading. The installation process converts your existing database into a new format: if there are problems during this process, there is no way to return to your previous database without a backup.

Make sure all users exit SourceSafe before installing a new version.

If users have copies of the SourceSafe executables on their computer's hard disks, they need to use the Network Setup to copy the new SourceSafe over the old, after the server setup is completed.

1.5 The Installation Maintenance Program

When SETUP detects that you already have an installation of the most recent version of Visual SourceSafe, it goes into "maintenance mode." This mode is designed to allow you to add or remove components, or to uninstall Visual SourceSafe.

The maintenance program provides following choices when you run SETUP in a server environment:

Add/Remove. Click this choice to add or remove options from a list such as a Visual SourceSafe database, executable files, IDE registration, Help files and the online version of the User's Guide, conversion utilities, and the network client setup.

Reinstall. Click this choice to repeat the last installation of Visual SourceSafe and restore missing files and settings.

Remove All. Click this choice to remove all previously installed components.

When you run SETUP in a Visual SourceSafe client environment, your options are Reinstall and Remove All.

1.6 Uninstalling Visual SourceSafe

To uninstall Visual SourceSafe (remove existing components or the Visual SourceSafe program and database itself), run the SETUP program from the SETUP directory, which is under the directory in which you installed the Visual SourceSafe server. This action displays the installation maintenance program. To remove the entire Visual SourceSafe program, click Remove All. Then follow the directions on the screen.

For the uninstall procedure to complete successfully, run the SETUP program on the same platform you used to install Visual SourceSafe. For example, run the SETUP program on Windows 95 to uninstall Visual SourceSafe if you installed Visual SourceSafe on a Windows 95 system; run the SETUP program on Windows NT if you installed Visual SourceSafe on a Windows NT system.

When you run the uninstall procedure, certain critical files are maintained to protect against accidental deletion. The \DATA directory is preserved, and if users have been added to the installation, the \USERS directories for users and files created by the SSADMIN program are also preserved. In addition, the SETUP directory, the SRCSAFE.INI file, the USERS.TXT file, and MSCREATE.DIR are preserved. All other files are deleted. If you run the uninstall procedure and find that you need to reinstall Visual SourceSafe, reinstall back to the same location. Only customizations to the SS.INI files for the guest and admin users are lost.

When you want to completely uninstall Visual SourceSafe, run the uninstall procedure. Then, from the command shell, use the DELTREE command to delete the directory in which you installed Visual SourceSafe and all the folders remaining under it.

1.7 WININET and MFC DLLs

Visual SourceSafe installs certain shared DLLs, such as MFC and WININET. When you install Visual SourceSafe, it may detect that you already have these files, and offer to overwrite them.

In most cases, the correct answer is no. Visual SourceSafe may be attempting to install files that are older than the ones you have. Or, Visual SourceSafe may be installing the U.S. English version of the files, when you have the version that is properly localized for your country. If you overwrite your existing files with the Visual SourceSafe files, your existing applications may not work properly, or may start displaying in U.S. English.

The only circumstance under which you should overwrite is if your copies of these files is out of date. Visual SourceSafe 5.0 ships with a copy of WININET.DLL that shipped with Internet Explorer 3.0, and with MFC DLLs from Visual C++ version 4. If your files are older than these versions, you must allow Visual SourceSafe to install updated copies.

1.8 SourceSafe on RISC

The Visual SourceSafe CD ships with versions for four different Windows NT platforms: Intel, Alpha, MIPS, and Power PC. SETUP does not install all four, however: SourceSafe is only installed for the machine that you are running SETUP on.

Suppose, as an example, that you have some users on Intel and some on the Power PC platform. What you must do, as an administrator, is run SETUP from an Intel machine, and then run it again from a Power PC, choosing "Server Setup" both times. (SourceSafe will note the second time that you are installing over an existing version: do not worry, you will not lose any data!) Only after both installations will your users be able to run SourceSafe, NETSETUP, to their client machines on both platforms.

REFERENCES

For more information about other sections of the SourceSafe 5.0 Readme.wri file, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q157717 INFO: VSS 5.0 Readme: Sec. 2, General Notes and Tips

Q157718 INFO: VSS 5.0 Readme: Sec. 3, New Features in Visual SourceSafe 5.0

Q157719 INFO: VSS 5.0 Readme: Sec. 4 & 5, Users of VSS 4.0/VSS Home Page

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbsetup kbSSafe400 kbSSafe500
Version : Win3.x:5.0
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Issue type : kbinfo