Does OS X need something like VSS?

[Solowalker]

Here's a quick technical question that I've got varying answers to recently.

I work for a company that relies on Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) for their software to work properly as it has to work with open files. Just curious how OS X deals with open files and if something like VSS would be necessary to properly access files that are open from some other program. Windows locks files that are open elsewhere but VSS lets you read or copy them (primarily for backups and such).

I've had some people tell me Unix and OS X don't need anything like that because they don't lock files when they are in use (or something like that) and so it's not necessary to just grab a copy of the file for use elsewhere. I've had other people say it can't do that and ignores(ish) requests to access already open files.

Which is true? And, if anyone feels like being so daring, why?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JavierP]

You made me remember MS Visual SourceSafe, I hate you.

 

[Lokrado]

You made me remember MS Visual SourceSafe, I hate you.

do i even wanna know?

 

[JavierP]

do i even wanna know?

Do you?

 

[angelwatt]

OS X does not need it. There's existing backup solutions, such as Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper, than can do bootable backups (mirrors the drive in every way) even while logged in.

 

[Lokrado]

Do you?

idk.. sounds like another faildows crasher/trasher... do i?

 

[larkost]

This depends very much on what type of files you are looking to work with. Some things are always going to be a bad idea to try this with, such as database files. For the most part MacOS X tries to keep things on disk in a consistant way, and does not play the same games with the filesystem that windows does, so the same problems usually don't occur.