What is Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)?

Backing up your files is very important. But, if the file is in use, this gets difficult. Luckily, Windows Server 2003 includes Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).

VSS allows the operating system to create point-in-time snapshots of a volume. This enables backup software to access a "snapshot" of files even while applications continue working with those files.

A VSS snapshot contains the state of the volume at a specific moment. Applications such as SQL Server can participate in the snapshot process to ensure data consistency.

Windows Server 2003 also uses VSS to provide Previous Versions functionality for shared folders. With it, users can restore earlier versions of files without restoring an entire backup set.