Overview
Visual SourceSafe (VSS) is a legacy Microsoft source control system. VS 2013 can integrate through the MSSCCI provider for teams still maintaining old repositories during migration.
Plan migration to Git or Azure DevOps rather than new VSS projects.
Implementation
Install VSS 2005 client and register the MSSCCI provider. In VS 2013 Tools > Options > Source Control, select Microsoft SourceSafe. Open from Source Control and bind solutions.
Ensure network share permissions and Analyze fix corruption before daily use.
When implementing guidance from Visual Source Safe with Visual studio 2013, start in a controlled environment that mirrors production versions of operating systems, runtimes, and network policies. Capture a baseline before changes: export configs, snapshot VMs, or tag releases in source control so rollback stays straightforward if behavior regresses.
Document prerequisites, expected outcomes, and verification steps in a short runbook. Automated checks—smoke tests, health endpoints, or query validations—catch regressions early when platforms receive patches. Security belongs in every workflow: apply least privilege, rotate secrets, and review audit logs after deployment.
If results differ across machines, compare environment variables, permission models, time zones, and regional settings. Intermittent issues often trace to caching layers, stale DNS, or duplicated services bound to the same port.
Example
Tools -> Options -> Source Control
Current source control plug-in: Microsoft Source SafeTips
- VSS is not suitable for modern teams.
- Migrate with git-tfs or manual export.
- Binary locking causes merge pain.
- Backup $/ tree nightly.
- Re-verify after reboots, certificate renewals, or failover exercises.
- Align monitoring and alerts with the failure modes described in this guide.
- Keep vendor documentation links handy for breaking changes between versions.
- Pair automation with a manual spot check during initial production rollout.