v6 to v7 Conversion

Using the CLI Tool

dss-convert input_v6.dss output_v7.dss

The tool:

1. Detects the input file version (v6 or v7)
2. Reads all records from the source
3. Writes each record to a new v7 file using pure Rust
4. Reports conversion statistics

Input: DSS version 6 file
Reading from: input_v6.dss
Writing to:   output_v7.dss
Records in source: 3

Conversion complete:
  Copied:  3
  Skipped: 0
  Output:  output_v7.dss
  Output records: 3

File Version Detection

Rust

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
use dss_core::format::v6;

let mut file = std::fs::File::open("unknown.dss")?;
let version = v6::detect_version(&mut file)?;
match version {
    6 => println!("DSS version 6"),
    7 => println!("DSS version 7"),
    0 => println!("Not a DSS file"),
    _ => println!("Unknown version"),
}
}

Python

# The DssFile.open() method handles both v6 and v7 automatically
# For explicit version checking, examine the file header

v6 vs v7 Differences

v7-to-v7 Compaction

dss-convert also works as a compactor for v7 files, equivalent to the squeeze operation:

dss-convert bloated_v7.dss clean_v7.dss

This copies all live records to a new file, skipping deleted records and reclaiming wasted space.

Limitations

• v6 reading requires the C library (with Fortran) as a bridge. The pure Rust v6 reader can detect and parse headers but full catalog scanning requires the legacy Fortran code paths.
• Some v6 record types (images, binary files) may not convert.
• v6 files with non-standard extensions may not be detected.