Data storage overview

As part of creating a new server configuration, StarTeam Server creates a number of folders for storing log files, attachments, archive files, and so on. This topic explains the location and purposes of the files and folders contained in the Native-II vault.

Native-II vaults

All server configurations created using StarTeam Server use Native-II vaults to store new archive files. The Native-II vault improves StarTeam performance and allows much larger files to be stored than in earlier StarTeam releases. For StarTeam, your server configuration will have only Native-II archive files, and this means that backups can be done without shutting down the server.

For details, see Native-II vaults.

Caution: You should never delete or modify repository files other than through StarTeam Server.

Understanding repositories

Consider the following server configuration whose repository path starts with a drive letter (not shown) and ends with the folder name MyConfiguration. As shown in the figure below, the repository contains Attachments, DefaultHive, HiveIndex, Notifications, and Trace subfolders. The DefaultHive folder contains Archives and Cache subfolders.

STARTEAM-318D560F-REPOSITORY-low.jpg

The name of the server configuration may also be MyConfiguration. The repository path is a general location for initial storage of a variety of objects, most of which can be moved to new locations later, independent of one another.

Log files and folders

The repository path folder, such as the MyConfiguration folder in the above example, becomes the home of the following related objects.

The server log files

The server creates a new server log file each time you start the server configuration.

.dmp files

The server creates .dmp files when you use server diagnostics to log errors and unexpected conditions it encounters. Usually, you have no .dmp files or trace files, discussed below as the contents the Trace subfolder, unless a technical support representative is working with you on a problem.

The Trace subfolder

The Trace subfolder stores the files that are created when and if you use server diagnostics to trace server commands.

These objects do not have to remain in the repository path. You can change the path to all of the above by changing the Log Path using the Server Administration Tool.

Tip: These folders do not have to be included in a backup.

Native-II vault folders

For server configurations the repository path is also the initial home of several folders used by the Native-II vault to store archive files and information about them. The DefaultHive folder contains two subfolders, Archives and Cache. These folders are described below.

HiveIndex

The HiveIndex folder stores the hive-index.xml file, which contains the properties for each hive used by the server configuration.

You can change the path to the HiveIndex folder by changing the repository path in the starteam-server-configs.xml file. You would make this change only when necessary, for example, because of a drive failure.

Tip: The HiveIndex folder must be included in a backup.

DefaultHive

If you accepted all the defaults when you created the server configuration or if you started an upgraded server configuration without first creating a hive, StarTeam Server automatically creates the folder DefaultHive. It is a subfolder of the repository path and is created when you start the server configuration for the first time.

Whether the initial hive is called DefaultHive or not, you will have at least one hive for each server configuration. You may have several hives. Each hive has an archive and cache path. An easy, but not mandatory, naming convention is using DefaultHive. The name of the hive becomes the name of a folder with two subfolders: Archives and Cache. However, you can place these paths anywhere. They do not need to be on the same drive or volume.

Archives subfolder

This folder stores file revisions in archive files, which may be compressed.

Cache subfolder

This folder stores uncompressed versions of archive files. It has two subfolders Temp and Deltas. Temp is used for files that are being added to StarTeam and for new file revisions that are being checked in. Deltas stores the differences between working files and tip revisions when a user asks that transmissions over slow connections be optimized—an option found in the client on the File tab of the Personal Options dialog.

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